100 Natural Ways to Overcome Anxiety

Recently, I was brought to the notice of an article which shares 100 Natural Ways to Overcome Anxiety. Here is the link for you. I have already written about how to overcome stress and in this busy world, we all have different reasons for getting anxious.

Getting anxious is very natural. You cannot prevent it. But sure can overcome without stress. Natural methods like Yoga, meditation are great ways to overcome your anxiety. A normal breathing exercise does help a lot. Through this process, Do not try to control your emotions. Let it free and try to overcome them. It is more effective than trying to control.

Here are few ways which I found very interesting in t he article I mentioned above.

• Learn to Say NO - The basic thing which causes emotional disorder.
• Journal - Keep a journal and let out your feelings. Do not try to suppress them. It adds fuel to the fire.
• Therapies - Acupuncture,Reiki etc helps a lot when done right.
• Sleep - If not enough can cause you major problems.
• Natural Diet - Taking proper food would definitely help you through this. Green tea, Avocado,Fish oil,mushrooms may help too.

Getting anxious is very normal. Every human being experiences anxiety. It is the way we use to overcome anxiety, that matters. Relax and enjoy every second of your life.

Vishwaroopa - Bring the universe inside you

VISWAROOPA - This is expansion of our physical structure by imagination. Any one can feel the expansion of his physical structure by practicing the yoga I am going to explain now. Daily u practise this viswaroopa dharsanam early in the morning before sunrise. After your morning ablutions , take bath and sit in a calm place, legs folded, placing right palm over left palm, near the naval point. close your eyes. Focus your mind on ANAGADHA CHAKRA - i.e. near heart .Know more about chakras here. Now imagine you are expanding to the size of your physical body. Then to the room size. Then to your house size, then to your street, then to your area. Then to your city, then to your State, then to your country, then to your continent, then to entire world, entire planet, then one by one all planets, then to the galaxy, then above all the planets, then to the space above all the planets.. Now u feel entire THINGS WITHIN YOU. This is VISWAROOPA. U be there for some minutes. Then slowly feel the reverse order step by step. Finally focus your mind to your self-life force.Sit calmly for some minutes. This way you can see your VISWAROOPA.

Do send in your experiences to psraghunathan@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

How to Escape your Suffering - The Blind Man vs. The Cripple

There is a famous Indian story about the great battle between the blind man and the cripple which I think you will all enjoy. I came across this story first is Osho’s book on Courage, The Joy of Living Dangerously. Here is how it goes. In a remote village in the outskirts of Punjab there lived 2 sworn enemies. One chap was blind and the other was a cripple. They just could not get along. No matter what one did, it would upset the other and visa versa. For years this battle raged on and the animosity between them grew fierce and caustic.

As fate would have it though, during one very hot and dry summer a terrible fire broke out in the village and began consuming everything in its path. The villagers began to flee in fear as there was no stopping the inferno. In the panic, the blind man and the cripple were forgotten about and left to fend for themselves. They now had a big problem. The blind man did not know which way to go in order to escape the fire, and the cripple, who could see the path to safety, could take no action regarding it. So both were stuck. Luckily for them, the desire to live was greater than their hatred for each other, so they decided to work together in order to save their lives. The blind man put the cripple on his shoulders, who then directed him on which way to go in order to escape. Thus, working as a team, they were successful and even ended up becoming friends. Who is the blind man and who is the cripple? The blind man is your mind and the cripple is your heart. What is the fire? The fire is your suffering.

The mind is the instrument through which you can move, act — but it is blind, in that it does not know which way to go. It endlessly debates, weighing pros and cons, wobbling between what will be gained and what will be lost if certain action was to be taken. It cannot see how to escape the suffering. The heart, on the other hand, can see clearly the way out, but does not have any means to act. In order to act, it needs the mind. So they need each other. But, more importantly the heart needs to sit on top of the mind, as the cripple sat on the shoulders of the blind man. With the heart leading the way, the mind becomes intelligent. Give the heart its precedence and wisdom will then emerge and guide you safely out of your suffering.

Reincarnation - Myths and Facts

I really do not know whether to believe in reincarnation or not. I have heard both sides. There are people who absolutely believe in rebirth and there are others who are skeptical about it. What is reincarnation? According to Wikipedia "literally "to be made flesh again", is a doctrine or metaphysical belief that some essential part of a living being (in some variations only human beings) survives death to be reborn in a new body. This essential part is often referred to as the spirit or soul, the "higher" or "true" self, "divine spark", or "I". According to such beliefs, a new personality is developed during each life in the physical world, but some part of the self remains constant throughout the successive lives."

Before the 1960s, it was called "Transmigration of the Soul". This belief is rooted in Eastern religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. Many cultures have myths and legends telling about heroes or other characters who die and then come back to life. When they reappear, though, it is not as their former selves but as other people, as animals, or even as plants. The concept of reincarnation—a reappearance of a spirit or soul in earthly form—is based on the belief that a person's soul continues to exist after death and can transmigrate, or move, to another living thing.

However what does the Bible say? I have not read the bible fully, but when I browsed on the Internet, I came across few verses that state for and against reincarnation. For example, Hebrews 9:27 states "It is appointed unto man to die once, then judgment." Since the Bible is God's spoken word to man, then this verse should emphatically prove that reincarnation is a myth. What are some other Bible verses that plainly show "Reincarnation" to be a lie? How about Second Corinthians 5:8 which says 'We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.' What does this mean? That at death, believers in Christ are immediately in the presence of God..their bodies go to the grave but their spirit and soul go to God. Non-believers go to a place to await judgment.

Here is one which supports reincarnation. All the verses in which the Lord refers to John the Baptist as been Elijah. Also Bhagavat gita, the Hindu Bible strongly support reincarnation.

A Russian woman who claims to be able to speak 120 languages says many of them are from her previous lives.Linguists claim to have identified that she speaks 16th century English,Chinese, Persian, Egyptian, Mongolian, Vietnamese, Korean and Swahili, reports Komsomol'skaya Pravda.

There are many people who have claimed to have known their past lives and have reincarnated. But, it is upto us to believe or not. We can do many researches, read many books related to this topic and improve our knowledge. Unless we experience, we will still be skeptical.

I believe meditation is a means of realising oneself. Hoping that we can have even more clear picture when we realise ourselves, I strongly recommend all to practice some kind of meditation which might answer a lot of our unanswered queries.

If anyone had reincarnation experience/knowledge or who knows about their past lives please do leave a comment. I am very eager to learn more in this topic.

Information: Statistics world-wide are difficult to obtain, but in the US the Gallup Organization made a survey in October 2001 of Americans' belief in psychic and paranormal phenomena. For this survey, they asked adults 18 and over amongst other things if they believed in "Reincarnation, that is, the rebirth of the soul in a new body after death". In the results, 25% said they did believe in reincarnation, 20% didn't know, 54% didn't believe in it and 1% had no opinion. Belief was only slightly higher among males than females, while it varied significantly between age groups: belief amongst 28-29 year-olds was at 25%, 30-49 year-olds were at 22%, while people 50 and over were at 28%

References:

http://www.enotes.com/myths-legends/reincarnation http://www.anunseenworld.com/reincarnation.html http://science.krishna.org/Articles/2003/12/001.html http://www.144000.net/reincarn.htm

The Art of Cooking!

Cooking is not a duty. It is an art. Those who have understood this have always cooked scrumptious food. I used to work for a software company and cooking was a duty for me. I have always whined about cooking and never was happy to cook. Now that I quit my job, I have no other option than to cook. Initially, I was lazy and always complaining.Time went on and nothing changed. I had to cook! Finally, I decided to make cooking a delight. I tried out various recipes and finally found that cooking is an art!

Most of my friend's moms are great cook. They cook both breakfast and lunch in less than 45mts. I used to wonder how they do it. When I asked about this to one of my friend's mother,she said without any hesitation,"I love to cook and Challenge myself daily to cook a dish which is more delicious than what I cooked yesterday!". Wow! I never thought people take part in these kind of challenges. She also gave me few tips which I will be sharing with you.

Do you know you can talk to your vegetables and fruits? I didn't, till I met my old school friend. She used to be the fun and freaky one. But now, She is a mom of 2 kids and an awesome cook. She told me an interesting news about vegetables. If you talk to the vegetables while you are cooking them, you get a very delicious food cooked. The taste of the food you prepare completely depends on your mood. Have you ever wondered why the same dish you cooked last week was more delicious than what you cooked today? Taste does depend on your emotions. When you are happy, the radiations from your body are positive and they make the food taste great. When you are dull,angry or not feeling well, your body produces negative energy which in turn spoils your food. Taking all these into consideration, we must have a clear mind when we start cooking. Think about food and how delicious it is going to taste after you prepare them. This will surely help to crown you as a great cook.

Now let us go for the tips and tricks in cooking. These are very useful for working women. These tips are generally for Indians. Others can change them according to their needs.

1. Cut your vegetables the day before and store it in an airtight container.
2. Cut your cilantro and curry leaves the day you buy them and store in a box so that you can use them whenever necessary.
3. When you start to cook, always place the rice first in the rice cooker. You can do other dishes when the rice is cooking. Guess what?After some days you will complete the entire cooking before the rice is done.(It takes 30mts to cook rice in the rice cooker)
4. Cut all vegetables that are required for that session's cooking at one time. By doing so, you can cook two dishes at a time and you need not worry about the ingredients.
5. Last but not the least, if you can, do sing while cooking. Music makes you feel happy and in turn helps your dishes to taste yummy.

There are a wide range of recipes in the web. I collect them and also share my own recipes in my blog Let Us All Cook!

Does our attitude affect our way of living?

As I was browsing, I came across this article. We all have a lot of questions about our health and how we can be more healthier. Just read this article and you will find out that 'YOU' are the reason for your body's wellbeing. The below is an article by Chris Woolston from http://healthresources.caremark.com

Curious about your health and your future? You can put yourself through a battery of medical tests, fill out stacks of questionnaires, and see every specialist in town. But for a simple and surprisingly reliable prediction, just ask yourself a simple question: How healthy do you feel?

Do you want to know more about this article. Do Click here

Monroe Techniques for Astral Projection

Every one will want to experience the 'Astral Travel' but it requires practice for some while few can do it very easily. Below is a technique suggessted by Scott Rogo, prentice Hall Press in his book 'Leaving The Body: A Complete Guide to Astral Projection'.

One of the chief barriers people learning to project face is fear. Many are afraid that they may die, or be harmed in some way as a result of their projection. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The Cantebury Institute, renowned for its occult studies, executed an experiment in projection involving over 2,000 people. None of them were hurt in any way by this, and now, three years later, none have complained of any newly arising problems.

Once you are aware that you cannot be harmed by projecting, you should begin monroe's techniques, step by step.

Step one:

Relax the body. According to Monroe, "the ability to relax is the first prerequisite, perhaps even the first step itself" to having an OBE. (out of body experience) This includes both physical and mental relaxation. Monroe does not suggest a method of attaining this relaxation, although Progressive Muscle relaxation, coupled with deep breathing exercises (inhale 1, exhale 2, inhale 3.... until 50 or 100) are known to work well.

Step two:

Enter the state bordering sleep. This is known as the hypnagogic state. Once again, Monroe doesn't recommend any method of doing this. One way is to hold your forearm up, while keeping your upper arm on the bed, or ground. As you start to fall asleep, your arm will fall, and you will awaken again. With practice, you can learn to control the Hypnagogic state without using your arm. Another method is to concentrate on an object. When other images start to enter your thoughts, you have entered the Hypnagogic state. Passively watch these images. This will also help you maintain this state of near-sleep. Monroe calls this Condition A.

Step three:

Deepen this state. Begin to clear your mind. Observe your field of vision through your closed eyes. Do nothing more for a while. Simply look through your closed eyelids at the blackness in front of you. After a while, you may notice light patterns. These are simply neural discharges. They have no specific effect. Ignore them. When they cease, one has entered what Monroe calls Condition B. From here, one must enter an even deeper state of relaxation which Monroe calls Condition C-- a state of such relaxation that you lose all awareness of the body and sensory stimulation. You are almost in a void in which your only source of stimulation will be your own thoughts. The ideal state for leaving your body is Condition D. This is Condition C when it is voluntarily induced from a rested and refreshed condition and is not the effect of normal fatigue. To achieve Condition D, Monroe suggests that you practice entering it in the morning or after a short nap.

Step Four:

Enter a state of Vibration. This is the most important part of the technique, and also the most vague. Many projectors have noted these vibrations at the onset of projection. They can be experienced as a mild tingling, or as is electricity is being shot through the body. Their cause is a mystery. It may actually be the astral body trying to leave the physical one. For entering into the vibrational state, he offers the following directions:

1.Remove all jewelry or other items that might be touching your skin.
2.Darken the room so that no light can be seen through your eyelids, but do not shut out all light.
3.Lie down with your body along a north-south axis, with your head pointed toward magnetic north.
4.Loosen all clothing, but keep covered so that you are slightly warmer than might normally be comfortable.
5.Be sure you are in a location where, and at a time when, there will be absolutely no noise to disturb you.
6.Enter a state of relaxation
7.Give yourself the mental suggestion that you will remember all that occurs during the upcoming session that will be beneficial to your weel-being. Repeat this five times.
8.Proceed to breath through your helf-open mouth.
9.As you breath, concentrate on the void in front of you.
10.Select a point a foot away from your forehead, then change your point of mental reference to six feet.
11.Turn the point 90 degrees upward by drawing an imaginary line parallel to your body axis up and above your head. Focus there and reach out for the vibrations at that point and bring them back into your body. Even if you don't know what these vibrations are, you will know when you have achieved contact with them.

Step five:

Learn to control the vibrational state. Practice controlling them by mentally pushing them into your head, down to your toes, making them surge throughout your entire body, and producing vibrational waves from head to foot. To produce this wave effect, concentrate of the vibrations and mentally push a wave out of your head and guide it down your body. Practice this until you can induce these waves on command. Once you have control of the vibrational state, you are ready to leave the body.

Step six:

Begin with a partial separation. The key here is thought control. Keep your mind firmly focused on the idea of leaving the body. Do not let it wander. Stray thought might cause you to lose control of the state. Now, having entered the vibrational state, begin exploring the OBE by releasing a hand or a foot of the "second body". Monroe suggests that you extend a limb until it comes in contact with a familiar object, such as a wall near your bed. Then push it through the object. Return the limb by placing it back into coincidence with the physical one, decrease the vibrational rate, and then terminate the experiment. Lie quietly until you have fully returned to normal. This exercise will prepare you for full seperation.

Step seven:

Dissociate yourself from the body. Monroe suggests two methods for this. One method is to lift out of the body. To do this, think about getting lighter and lighter after entering this vibrational state. Think about how nice it would be to float upward. Keep this thought in mind at all costs and let no extraneous thoughts interrupt it. An OBE will occur naturally at this point.

Another method is the "Rotation method" or "roll-out" technique.

When you have achieved the vibrational state, try to roll over as if you were turning over in bed. /do not attempt to roll over physically. Try to twist your body from the top and virtually roll over into your second body right out of your physical self. At this point, you will be out of the body but next to it. Think of floating upward, and you should find yourself floating above the body. Monroe suggests you begin with the lift-out method, but argues that both are equally efficacious.

If, you want to learn more on these techniques, I recommend purchasing 'Leaving The Body', by R. Scott Rogo. It contains another eight or so techniques. Not all techniques work for everyone, but chances are you'll find one that works for you in this book.

Astral Projection - An interview with Jerry Gross (Part II)

Jones: Are there any dangers people should be aware of?

Gross: When you do this consciously, there is no danger in it. One thing I'll say, you must develop your thinking skills, and know what you want and where you want to go. The only dangerous part of it, is if you practice it while you are taking in drugs or alcohol. Remember back in the sixties when people were taking the drug called LSD, and they had some bad trips? They ended up in the lower astral. I'm trying to teach that you can have full control of what you are doing. I would suggest if you like to drink or take drugs that you not try it.

Jones: What else can you do when you leave the body?

Gross: That is entirely up to you. You must know where you are going. You cannot just leave your body and have no destination, because you'll bounce around like a rubber ball. Remember, you are controlling yourself with your thoughts, so if you think of California, you'll be there. One of the most important things I like to teach people in my workshops is how to use their minds to astral project. The best thing I can say is to learn to control yourself, so you'll go where you wanted to go. When you first start out this might happen for awhile, but after you get full control of it, you'll realize someone else is watching you, a teacher or guide. They'll contact you then and let you know it's time for you go on, and learn.

Jones: How would the average person know if this is for real? Is there a way to prove it, and have you ever been asked to prove it?

Gross: In my workshops, I teach you to astral project by having you sit in a chair and go out and turn around and look at yourself. If you are lying in bed, you can rise up, turn around and look at yourself lying on the bed. You'll have proof enough when you are able to look at your physical body, from outside of it. I've been asked to prove this many times, in radio shows, and at the Whole Life Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center where I traveled astrally from St. Paul, Minnesota to Los Angeles and moved a box they had set up on the stage for me. Once you learn how to do this you'll have proved this to yourself, and that's why I call my little group, Search and Prove. I want you to prove this to yourself for that's the ultimate proof. Don't take my word for it, prove it to yourself.

Jones: Are certain kinds of people more inclined to develop this ability than others?

Gross: I would say some learn faster than others. I had one lady who took two years before she finally succeeded. The most important thing is to keep a positive mind and know you can do this, because as soon as doubt comes into your mind, you won't be able to do it. The negative is taking over then. So it's important to keep an open, positive mind that you can do this. It might take a little time, but it will happen. I like to think about people going on a diet. They get real enthused about it at first, when they've lost a couple of pounds. All of a sudden it gets hard to lose, and they give up. It's the same way with astral projection. If things don't happen right away, some people give up.

Jones: Does daily lifestyle make a difference in being able to project?

Gross: No. If you have a normal lifestyle, you shouldn't have any problem.

Jones: If people have the inherent ability to do this, why is it that so few can actually do it?

Gross: As I said earlier, they lost it when they were young. They must learn how to bring the ability back again, because everyone can do this. We all do it when the physical is asleep. So you must learn to do it while you are sitting in a chair, awake or lying on a bed. You must learn to allow the subconscious to take over, and not let the physical mind control you.

Jones: Some people have dreams of flying. Where they actually out of their bodies? How can you tell the difference between dreaming and actually being out of the body?

Gross: Usually when people dream of flying they are out of the body, because this is the way you get around. If you ever wake up in the middle of the night or early in the morning with a jolt, this is the astral body returning to the physical. Usually your dreams are in the beginning of your sleep cycle at night, and those dreams are nothing more than an accumulation of your thoughts during the day. If you wake up in the morning and remember your dream real well, it is usually an astral body experience; so keep track of these clear dreams, for they are lessons for you. It might not make much sense at first, but later on down the road, it will all come together for you.

Jones: If you could give one piece of advice to people who are astral projecting, what would it be?

Gross: The main thing is to start remembering your dreams and have a pencil and paper next to your bed, or a tape recorder. Another piece of advice I'll give you is, right before you go to sleep at night, say to yourself three times, I will remember, I will remember, I will remember. From that point on, within about two to three weeks, you are going to start remembering everything that happens to you while the physical is sleeping. Actually, the best piece of advice I could give, is to come to a workshop, because we really do have a lot of people who have good experiences at them. The workshop is the best way I know to teach anyone to do this, because I am able to spend a lot of time with the participants. We practice different techniques from 9:00 in the morning until sometimes 11:00 at night. By the end, they have good experiences, and I find this with all my workshops.

Jerry Gross holds workshops on astral projection in the United States and abroad. For further information on his work, visit his website at www.searchandprove.com. You may also call 612-436-8505; write Search and Prove, Box 311, St. Paul Park, MN 55071; or send e-mail to Rgross6162@aol.com.

Astral Projection - An interview with Jerry Gross (Part I)

Everyone can have an out-of-body experience, says expert Jerry Gross - in fact, you probably have. In this interview, Gross explains OBEs, what happens and how to begin your adventure.

When noted out-of-body teacher and practitioner Jerry Gross wants to travel long distances, he doesn't bother with the time and expense of catching a plane. He just uses a different kind of plane, and travels there astrally - unless, of course, he is teaching one of his many classes and workshops on astral projection, also known as OBE or out-of-body experience.

According to Gross, the ability to leave the body has been with him since childhood. Yet, rather than regarding this as a special gift, he believes that this is an inherent ability that can be developed by anyone. In the following article, Gross discusses the out-of-body experience with freelance writer and former workshop participant Sandy Jones.

Jones: What is astral projection? How would you describe it?

Gross: Astral projection is the ability to leave your body. Everyone leaves their body at night, but before they do leave, they have to put the physical mind to sleep. Most people don't remember this, but when the physical mind is asleep, the subconscious takes over, and this is usually when you do your astral projection. In other words, everybody does it, but they just don't remember doing it.

Jones: What is your earliest recollection of doing this? What was it like?

Gross: I can remember doing this clear back to when I was about four years old. I never lost the ability to astral project, and kept it throughout my whole life now. Everyone is born with this ability. If you think back, you can probably recall having dreams of being somewhere, but as you got older, you lost the ability. What I'm trying to teach is that you can do this at will.

Jones: In those days, astral projection was almost unheard of. Did you ever tell anyone about it? How did they react?

Gross: It was strange for me because at that age, I thought everybody did it. I used to talk about it, until it kind of got out of hand, and when I started getting into trouble with it, I went to my grandmother, who could do it too. She told me not everyone could do it, so it would be best not to talk about it, and to come to here if I wanted to talk about it. So throughout all my life, most of my experiences with astral projection were kept a secret, except for her.

Jones: These days, with the many publications on near-death experience and related topics, the concept is not so unusual. Is this experience the same as what is described in the near-death experiences?

Gross: It's not quite the same, because when you astral project, you don't have to go through the white light, or a tunnel. When you project, you usually go right where you would like to go, right away. Remember this, when you're out of the body, there is no time or no distance. Everything is right here, now. Astral projecting is a little different than the death experience, because in the death experience, you are getting ready to leave the body for the last time. During the death experience, a person sees the white light, and there is usually someone there that you know, waiting for you. When you astral project, you decide where you want to go.

Jones: When you leave your body, what happens to the physical body?

Gross: When your physical body sleeps and the astral body leaves, the physical body just rests. No harm can come to you through this.

Jones: What do you do when you leave the body?

Gross: I go to the astral plane and communicate with my teachers, I visit other places and other dimensions, and I visit my loved ones who have left the earth plane. There are many things you can do once you develop this skill.

Jones: It has been said that there is a silver cord attached to the body, and that this cord could be severed when you astrally project, thereby making it impossible to come back to your body. Is there a danger of this happening?

Gross: Absolutely not. The silver cord is connected to you when you enter the physical body for the first time, and it is not cut again until you leave for the last time. If this were possible, that you couldn't get back to the body, it would happen to you at night when you do leave the body. There is no danger in this; it is a gift given to us to learn how to use.

To be continued...

Astral Projection and Astral Travel

Has anyone of you experienced astral travel? I have heard a lot of stories about them and they truely are fascinating. I wonder how only few people get to do this astral travel. But after analysing and reading a lot of articles related to this I came to a conclusion that everyone does astral travel but only few are able to relate them and understand them.

HOW TO ASTRAL TRAVEL

Astral projection is a form of out of body experience that sometimes occurs during lucid dreaming during deep meditation or at times of crisis. The soul moves into an astral body (or "etheric double"), which moves free of the physical body in a parallel world known as the astral plane. Astral Travel is spoken about in may mystical texts and has more recently been studied by scientists investigating reports of people who have has a near death experience.

ASTRAL TRAVEL CLAIMS

During an astral voyage, communication with other astral projectors is claimed to be possible. Of interest is the work of Robert Monroe who founded the Monroe Institute and published several accounts of his experiences of astral projection including "Far Journeys". Robert Monroe developed a method he calls Hemisync to induce mental states that are favourable for projection.

ASTRAL TRAVEL ATTACKS

Sometimes the astral traveller reports being attached to his/her physical body by a silver umbilical cord. Pets have been said to react in a frightened manner, and some claim seeing an astrally projecting person's spirit as a coloured beam or shot or light darting around the room.

ASTRAL TRAVEL & ASTRAL PROJECTION DREAMS

From Craig Hamilton-Parker's Book Psychic Dreaming: Out-of-body dreams, in which you "float" up and look down upon yourself or upon another location, are a form of psychic dream. Some psychics claim they visit other actual locations, often ones that they've never seen. Travelling out of the body is sometimes called Astral Projection.

Frederik van Eeden presented one of the first studies of out of body dreams to the Society of Psychical Research in 1913. Van Eeden had already presented evidence for lucid dreams in which the dreamer becomes conscious while the dream is taking place. He told the society that his own lucid dreams were often preceded for several nights by dreams of flying. Sometimes these lucid dreams included apparent clairvoyantly received information that could be verified later. In other instances he believed he left his body.

In one instance while 'flying' he dreamed that he would be robbed of a large sum of money, a predicted event that was to take place soon afterwards. Of great interest to Van Eeden was when he noted that sometimes he would dream of lying on his stomach when in reality he was lying in bed and on his back. If he allowed himself to wake slowly he would experience the sensation of slipping from his 'dream body' that was lying face down into his actual sleeping body.

Depending upon the person, the appearance of the 'dream body' ranges from a gossamer-like form to an exact replica of the physical body. Having the ability to project consciousness can open up many interesting opportunities to the dreamer. Some claim to be able to travel to remote locations. They claim to be able to walk the beaches of Hawaii, explore the ancient pyramids of Egypt or even have a free ticket to the moon.

Craig's Astral Projection Experience
I have had many of these experiences myself but have found in most instances that it is hard to maintain consciousness for long periods of time. My own experience is one of projecting my awareness rather than a dream body. Nonetheless on occasions I have looked down at my sleeping body from the ceiling and have sometimes awoken with clear memories of having visited a remote location. Many people report having these experiences during puberty.
At first the experience of being without a body is frightening if you have never heard about astral projection. It is natural to assume that you are dead and panic sets in. The result is usually a quick return to the body. A quick return is sometimes accompanied by sensations of a jolt to the physical body accompanied by a loud band and a flash of brilliant light. Once the initial fears are overcome astral travel become natural and is not accompanied by any negative sensations.

I will be posting more on astral travel.Keep watching!

Mind and Brain Relationship

There are many people who still don’t know if mind and brain are same. When we talk we refer mind as heart, something which has a feeling; where as brain is like an organ which helps you take decision without getting influenced by emotions. But then, are brain and mind different? This is a million dollar question.

People have tried to prove this scientifically and also philosophically. Still there are people who find it heard to believe that mind and brain are different. If you ask me, I would safely say 'I don’t know'. It can be same or different.

With this question in mind when I was searching for answers I came across many articles, theory which contradicted one another. There were many interesting articles that I found in the internet.

Here is one of them, really interesting theory. Have a look and let me know what you feel.

Mind and Brain Relationship

How to meditate?

Before starting meditation, ideally we need to take care of a few things:

- a quiet place (using music is nice for relaxing, but not really meditation), switching off the phone will help.

- make sure you are not too tired, early morning is generally said to be the best time.

- sit comfortable; most people like a cushion under their behind, the room is best not too warm or cold.

- wear loose, comfortable clothing.

- try to create continuity in time and place to become habituated to the circumstances of meditation.

The Body:

- keeping the back straight, in whichever posture you meditate is most essential.

- try to be comfortable and physically relaxed, and avoid moving too much.

- keep the head straight, slightly bent forward, keep the teeth slightly apart, the tip of the tongue against the upper pallet.

- the eyes are best kept half-open (without really looking), but many beginners find that too distracting and close them.

- the shoulders should be relaxed and the hands can be put in one's lap.

- the legs can be in the full lotus (which not many Westerners manage), but also simply crossed.

In fact, other positions like sitting on one's knees or on a bench are good as well. If all of these are too difficult, you can also use a chair, but remember to sit only on the front half of the seat, not leaning against the back rest to avoid a bent back, and keep the feet flat on the floor. Keeping the knees warm may help to avoid numbness of the legs.

- try belly-breathing; not breathing with the chest, but from the navel.

- always remember that the posture should enhance meditation, not be an obstacle!

The Buddha even taught one of his disciples who had many problems with his posture to lie down with his back on a bed, and then he quickly made progress; however, most people tend to fall asleep - so it will not be suitable for everyone...

The Mind:

- be relaxed but at the same time awake and attentive: finding your balance here is not easy!

- be a careful observer of your own mind and thoughts; sometimes called the 'little spy inside':