_A new study from the University of North Carolina shows that people who meditated for 20 minutes a day performed 10 times better than ones who didn't meditate.
Not just 100% better, but 10 times or 1000% better. That's an amazing shift.
If you're writing your next book, like I am, imagine how that would affect your productivity and creativity.
Studies have shown that the calmer your mind is, the better you feel and the more productive you are. In fact, it's a great way to overcome writer's block.
Some might say meditation is one of the fastest ways of coming up with new ideas.
Or maybe you just want to feel free of the busy, chattering mind.
When your mind is calm - in the alpha state - you are open to creativity and ideas can just flood in. Your "muse" can fill you with just the inspiration you need. Your heart, throat and third eye chakras open to let in love, communication and intuition from your higher self (or some say from their spirit guides) to come into the physical realm. Try the free download of my Chakra Meditations.
Prepare to welcome 2012 by focusing on completions of all kinds to end the year with a full energetic out breath. With a week left till the New Year, it's time to wipe the slate clean of all unfinished business, things that may be keeping you off balance, throwing you off your game.
These include communications, projects, even closet cleaning. Your incompletions might also consist of feelings you haven't expressed (throat chakra issues), appreciations you haven't delivered and acknowledgment of the many gifts you’ve been given this year (heart chakra issues).
Once you've completed old business, you'll be opening creative space for the New Year.
Watching the early pre-dawn sky today, a lovely waning moon rose with its bright white lower left crescent and the surprising addition of an arc of light cast up across the lower sphere of the moon. A lovely symbol of closure for 2011 ... with a suggestion of impending renewal and hope for promising changes ahead.
Here's to your new manifestations in the year ahead. To stay in balance, try listening to my 10-minute chakra meditation daily.
Namaste! Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries www.thechakras.org
Now that you've learned to balance your four lower chakras, the root chakra, the sacral chakra, the solar plexus chakra, and the heart chakra, you have balanced the energies necessary to be grounded in the physical realm - security, sexuality, identity and intimacy. The fourth chakra, the heart chakra, the seat of love and compassion, is the bridge to the upper chakras, associated with expression, wisdom and connection to the higher self.
Balancing the fifth chakra, the throat chakra, throat chakras, assists your self-expression and helps you truly communicate your feelings without anger and arguing, which is such a waste of energy. Once balanced, the throat chakra gives you the ability to speak honestly, to speak your inner truth and receive and process information from others.
Do you have any of these signs of an unbalanced throat chakra? Shyness, criticism, excessive talking or inability to verbalize your feelings, chronic sore throats, TMJ, stiff neck, or an addiction to smoking.
YOGA POSES TO BALANCE THE THROAT CHAKRA Start with the Chin Press Breath, affirming, "I am able to hear the voice of my soul." Then, focus on the vibration of the throat chakra, the sound of ee. Chant this sound out loud three times. Follow with yoga poses that loosen the neck and shoulders - shoulder shrugs and circles, the Fish, and the Half Shoulderstand.
WEAR THE COLOR BLUE Blue is a calming color, cool and relaxing. It's also the color of communication. Wear it during the day to help you creatively express yourself, and at night to promote a good night's sleep and deep inner peace.
THROAT CHAKRA MEDITATION The healing green light shining in the heart center moves up your spine to your throat, where it becomes a beautiful sky blue. Breathe in this blue light, then fill your lungs and open your throat wide as you sing whatever tone or note feels right! You know what to say and what not to say, how to communicate well. Feel yourself singing out clear energy, loving notes, healing vibrations for yourself and the entire universe. Make yourself heard and listen well to the love that returns to you.
Tony, the character in The Chakra Diaries that embodies the throat chakra imbalances, is unable to connect with women. Everything he says is taken the wrong way and he misunderstands others, until he balances this chakra. Learn more about his transformation and how you can change too... The Chakra Diaries is now on sale in Kindle and paperback at Amazon.com.
Namaste! Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries www.thechakras.org
“I am able to hear and express the voice of my soul.”
As you have balanced your lower four chakras, you have come to know who you are, how to interact with others, feel confidence, and love. Now, when you balance the throat, or fifth chakra, you are able to communicate your truth. Put your glorious self out for the world to hear your creative self-expression.
The Throat Chakra is associated with communication, the ability to speak honestly, to receive and process information, to know and speak our inner truth. It is the center of transformation and change.
Signs of an unbalanced Throat Chakra are an inability to express yourself, feeling stagnated, and holding on to unexpressed emotions. This can lead to frustration, inability to find the right words or even excessive talking, shyness, sore throat, stiff neck, and addictions like smoking.
When the Throat Chakra is balanced, we feel creatively inspired and able to express ourselves well. We have confidence in our beliefs and the self-confidence to share them, and the capacity to listen to others and truly hear them as well.
YOGA POSES FOR THE THROAT CHAKRA Add these poses to your yoga repertoire to open the throat chakra: the Half Shoulder Stand, Shoulder Shrugs and Circles, and the Fish.
THE THROAT CHAKRA MEDITATION The healing green light of the heart chakra moves up the spine to the throat, where it becomes a beautiful sky blue. Breathe in the blue light, then fill your lungs and let your throat open wide and sing whatever tone or note feels right… AAAH! You know what to say and what not to say, how to communicate well. Feel yourself singing out clear energy, loving notes, healing vibrations for yourself and the entire universe. Make yourself heard and listen well to the love that returns to you.
Tony, the character in The Chakra Diaries, is unable to connect with women – everything he says is taken the wrong way, until he balances his Throat Chakra. Learn more about his transformation, during our June sale of The Chakra Diaries both on Amazon.com and our direct-from-the publisher specials for international readers.
Namaste! Becca Chopra, author of The Chakra Diaries
"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't being said."
When your partner or spouse yells at you, or expresses anger for no apparent reason, do you internalize it and feel you're somehow at fault?
Someone I counsel was recently having this problem and I asked her, "Have you asked what is going on with him, rather than wondering if his anger is really about you?"
Often, the people in our lives respond in ways that simply baffle us. In such situations, we may think, "He's so unreasonable." "He must have had a bad day at work." Or we have a tendency to tell a story about what we think was behind the other person's action. We spend a tremendous amount of energy wondering what the other person was thinking, blaming him, and feeling, sad, hurt, angry, and resentful. I have seen people in pain for years because they never took a moment to ask for clarity.
I suggest a new process from a method called Non Violent Communications. Engage your curiosity by asking what is going on with the other person. For example, "You know, when you expressed your anger just now, I felt baffled. I'd like to know what exactly what is going on." Notice that this statement doesn't place blame on either party. It simply expresses your confusion and your desire for more information. Usually, the minute we ask for more information, we get it. It's simple, really. We can either wonder about what's going on with the other person, create our own stories about it, or inform ourselves by asking.
As we balance our chakras, especially our heart and throat chakras, we can come from a place of non-judgment and truly communicate our feelings without anger and arguing, which is such a waste of our energy.
I like to take a positive approach, and talk about ways to strengthen and heal relationships. But, an ounce of prevention....
If you want a happy relationship, forgo these actions: 1. Blame and Criticize This probably tops them all! Instead, praise what you like, and you'll get more of it. Criticize and your partner will shut down. Hasn't blame and criticism aimed in your direction had the same effect?
2. Deny Responsibility for Your Actions It's related to blame in that you get to point your finger at someone else or at an entity such as an organization. Increase your personal power and take responsibility for your own choices - that's all you have control over.
3. Order People Around Any joy the other person might have had in doing something for you is instantly lost when they're told to do it.
4. Threaten People When others think they may be punished or have something taken away as a result of not doing things your way, this sets the platform for lying, cheating, conniving, manipulation, crime and other horrific things.
Hopefully, you'll forgo these four "relationship busters" and find ways to feel good about yourself (and in control) while also spreading good feelings around.
If you want tools to enhance your relationships, I wholeheartedly recommend Nonviolent Communication (NVC) - a powerful process that facilitates trust, openness and optimism and inspires people to work together in genuine partnership.
Once we have balanced our heart chakra, we can express our love and compassion with the help of a balanced throat chakra. Here's a short meditation from The Chakra Diaries... The healing green light of the heart chakra moves up the spine to the throat, where it becomes a beautiful sky blue. Breathe in the blue light, then fill your lungs and let your throat open wide and sing whatever tone or note feels right. You know what to say and what not to say, how to communicate well. Feel yourself singing out clear energy, loving notes, healing vibrations for yourself and the entire universe. Make yourself heard and listen well to the love that returns to you. Namaste! Becca Chopra
Increase your ability to express your true essence, like Tony in The Chakra Diaries. Try this meditation.
THROAT CHAKRA MEDITATION The healing green light of the heart chakra moves up the spine to the throat, where it becomes a beautiful sky blue. Breathe in the blue light, then fill your lungs and let your throat open wide and sing whatever tone or note feels right. You know what to say and what not to say, how to communicate well. Feel yourself singing out clear energy, loving notes, healing vibrations for yourself and the entire universe. Make yourself heard and listen to the love that returns to you.
I went to a great Slam Poetry performance at a local high school yesterday. There was a a diverse range of topics, including heartfelt love poetry, searing social commentary, family tragedy, and bittersweet personal confessional pieces. What a wonderful way to find your voice, your creativity, your way to open blocked communication. I saw the blue glow of the throat chakra throughout the auditorium. Many thanks for this new tool in finding balance in our chakras. Namaste!
The number seven is considered “lucky” in many games of chance while some numerologists say the number has a spiritual vibration linked with psychic abilities, introspection and heightened intuitive powers. More than 3,000 years ago, Hindu seers noted seven chakras, while some modern practitioners say that human experiences are defined within seven year cycles from birth to age 49, with years 50-98 being a repeat of the cycles at a higher frequency of energy.
During Ages: 0-7 and 50-56, the Base Chakra predominates, calling for stability, grounding and new beginnings.
From Ages: 8-14 and 57-63, the Sacral Chakra brings to light understanding of creativity, enthusiasm and an exploration of our boundaries.
The Teenage and Retirement years, 15-21 and 64-70, are colored by the Solar Plexus Chakra -- personality and wisdom are developed and the universe’s limitless possibilities are broached.
Twenty-somethings and Septuagenarians, 22-28 and 71-77, will best understand affairs of the Heart Chakra such as how to heal the earth, in addition to enhancing and sharing their love and compassion.
The Throat Chakra is best understood during ages 29-35 and 78-84 when openness to higher development, better communication and self-expression are key issues.
Ages 36-42 and 85-91 line up under the banner of the Brow Chakra and gain an understanding of clairvoyance, responsibility and deepening their life experiences.
From ages 43-49 and 92-98 the Crown Chakra may be further developed for spiritual enlightenment, meditation and contemplation.
Please note that this is only one interpretation of dozens or maybe even hundreds of explanations of the general workings of the Chakras in human lives, modern and ancient.. Adapted from The Chakra Bible by Patricia Mercier.
A holistic healer and writer. New to fiction, but inspired by life stories that have haunted me until printed on the pages of The Chakra Diaries. Now also editing other inspirational novels and self-help books at IndieAuthorCounsel.com.
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