Mindfulness

How many of us consciously cultivate a sense of connection, calm and well being so that our day to day lives can have more meaning and ease? When we practice mindfulness we develop greater awareness, clarity and acceptance. A non-judgmental attitude can diffuse the tension in both ourselves and others.

Mindfulness is:

1. A capacity to be present, to be fully awake to life - Relationships become richer, connections more powerful as we actually listen and learn to speak from our direct experience. 
2. The art of paying attention, of listening to your heart. Rather than withdrawing from the world, meditation can help you enjoy it more fully, effectively and peacefully. 
3. Being in the present moment without judgment. 
4. A way of affecting and nurturing deep states of relaxation and of reducing stress - The practice of mindfulness brings a deep stillness that is profoundly relaxing and healing. 
5. An ability to be less reactive. 
6. A method for increasing concentration and focus in daily life

Instructions for Mindfulness Meditation Practice

The mindfulness meditation technique is a simple meditation procedure that can create a deep state of relaxation in your mind and body. As the mind quiets down, but remains awake, you will experience deeper, more silent levels of awareness.

Start by sitting or laying down comfortably in a quiet place where you will have a minimum amount of disturbance. Select a quiet time and place. Close your eyes gently and begin by bringing a full, present attention to whatever you feel within you and around you. Let your mind be spacious and your heart be kind and soft. Breathe normally, naturally, and gently allow your awareness to be on your breathing. Simply observe your breath, trying not to control it or alter it in any conscious way.

As you observe your breath, you may notice that it changes of its own accord. It may vary in speed, rhythm or depth; and there may even be occasion when your breath seems to stop for a time. Whatever happens to your breathing, innocently observe it without trying to cause or initiate any changes.

As you sit, feel the sensations of your body. Then notice what sounds and feelings, thoughts and expectations are present. Allow them all to come and go, to rise and fall like the waves of the ocean. Be aware of the waves and rest seated in the midst of them.

Allow yourself to become more and more still.

You may find that at times your attention drifts away from your breath and you are thinking about other things or listening to noises outside. Whenever you notice that you're not observing your breath, gently bring your attention back to your breathing. If during the meditation, you notice that you are focusing on some feeling or mood or expectation, treat this as you would any other thought and gently bring your attention back to your breathing.

Allow yourself to become more and more still.

In the center of all these waves, feel your breathing, your life-breath. Let your attention feel the in-and-out breathing wherever you notice it, as coolness or tingling in the nose or throat, as a rising and falling of your chest or abdomen. Relax and softly rest your attention on each breath, feeling the movement in a steady easy way.

Let the breath breathe itself in any rhythm, long or short, soft or deep. As you feel each breath, concentrate and settle into movement. Let all other sounds and sensations, thoughts and feelings continue to come and go like waves in the background.

After a few breaths, your attention may be carried away by one of the waves of thoughts or memories, by body sensations or sounds. Whenever you notice you have been carried away for a time, acknowledge the wave that has done so by softly giving it a name such as "planning," "remembering," "itching," "restless." Then let it pass and gently return to the breath. Some waves will take a long time to pass, others will be short. Certain thoughts or feelings will be painful, others will be pleasurable. Whatever they are, let them be.

At some sittings you will be able to return to your breath easily. At other times in your meditation you will mostly be aware of body sensations or of plans or thoughts.

Either way is fine. No matter what you experience, be aware of it, let it come and go, and rest at ease in the midst of it all.

After you have sat for twenty or thirty minutes in this way, open your eyes and look around you before you get up. Then as you move try to allow the same spirit of awareness to go with you into the activities of your day.

The art of meditation is simple but not always easy. It thrives on practice and a kind and spacious heart. If you do this simple practice of sitting with awareness every day, you will gradually grow in centeredness and understanding.

Be well,

gina

Selling Sickness

Why elimination of the symptom is NOT the same as elimination of the disease
Physicians and surgeons palliate symptoms instead of removing causes

Standard Western Medicine strives to suppress the immune response, working against the body. If there is a fever, lower it, if inflammation is present provide steroids to remove it and of course if Western Medicine thinks a bacteria or virus is present or doesn't know what is wrong, a dose of anti-biotics is provided. This way of doing things can be effective in the immediate term, and important in life threatening situations, but potentially devastating in the long term especially when over-used. Because, what eventually happens, is that immune system becomes weak and ineffective or damaged and over-reactive and disease is pushed deeper into the body to come back stronger and more difficult to get rid of at a later date. This is called  trading ACUTE disease for long-term CHRONIC disease, and it is one reason why so many of us are chronically ill today.



Jeffrey Levy, DVM - "The greatest harm of drug treatment is usually not so much the toxicity or side effects as it is the effects of suppression. Allopathic (conventional Western) medical thinking generally seeks immediate gratification: just make the symptom go away. So the patient may be better in the short term, but is usually worse in the longer term. Homeopathy is just the opposite: sometimes the symptoms are worse in the short term (such as with aggravation or the reversal of a previous suppression), but the real benefit is in the longer term. A symptom, say itchy skin, is the body's response to a deeper problem. When a symptom is suppressed, it is only the outward manifestation of the problem that goes away. Since the deeper problem is still there, the body may, in time, produce the same symptom again. Another possibility is that, as a result of the suppression, the deeper problem progresses to the point that a deeper, more serious symptom is produced. So the itchy skin may go away, but then chronic diarrhea develops. If the diarrhea is then suppressed as well, it may lead to, say, liver disease. But hey, at least the skin is cleared up! I see this pattern, or variations on it, very frequently in reviewing the medical records of new patients. It is the unrecognized, and often high, price that we pay for the quick fix, for immediate gratification, for the shot or pill that seems to make the problem go away."
 Antibiotics and Suppressive Therapies --  Healthy Lifestyle Choices


Dr. Bernstein DVM - "Modern medicine feels, in most cases, that the elimination of the symptom is the same as elimination of the disease. In allopathic medicine a symptom is usually thought of as the patient's real disease and the goal is to hold back, decrease or eliminate this symptom. This is often done without addressing the underlying cause. If your tooth hurts and we inject a local anesthetic, the pain goes away but that does not mean the problem is gone! If we use medications to suppress these symptoms then the vital force tries to create new symptoms to compensate for the imbalance that is still there. If the vital force is strong then the original symptom may return. Otherwise, it may be unable to express on the same level and create a symptom that is more interior and could be much worse perHerring's Law. One example is a skin rash that is treated with cortisone. The rash and itching will probably go away quickly. Later the patient begins to exhibit liver problems that "were caused by the cortisone". The liver symptoms are actually an expression of this suppressed imbalance on a deeper more interior level. Many things can be suppressive. Vaccines and allopathic medications are a major source of suppression where homeopathy is concerned, but herbs, acupuncture and incorrect homeopathic remedies can also be suppressive." 


When only the symptoms are treated, the underlying causes remain and the patient may develop a more serious, chronic condition.


True healing, natural recovery from disease cannot be forced. It is a process in which a person attains a higher level of health and the disease resolves naturally. This is what homeopathy is all about.


Homeopathy Beyond Flat Earth:
http://www.drdooley.net/Book.pdf