The Purpose of Mantras In Meditation

Although there are many different meditation techniques, methods, and theories, the end goal of meditation is always the same: to quiet the mind and establish a closer connection with your true Self (or soul or God). There are different schools of thought on what exactly the most efficient ways to do that are.

As a refresher, the value of quieting your mind is that you are consciously (even if it's for a short while) redirecting energy away from negative thoughts or beliefs that are not serving you. When you withdraw your focus and energy from negative thoughts, you immediately shift into a more positive, higher energy field. When you stop thought, you stop negative thought, and your energy frequency naturally rises.

This has beneficial effects on both the body (lower blood pressure, deeper breathing, relaxation of muscles, healing in cells, lower anxiety levels) and the mind (increased clarity, focus, and concentration, as well as better sleep and improved mood).

So how do you get to a place of non-thought?? And once you're there, how do you maintain it? This is something the yogis of thousands of years ago struggled with, and out of which the knowledge of mantras was slowly developed.

"Mantra" is a Sanskrit word comprised of the root "man" which means mind and "tra," or instrument. So mantra literally translates to "instrument of the mind." Mantras were a tool that the yogis used to get from a place of scattered thought and outward focus, to stillness and inner focus. Turns out, focusing on a single thought or phrase that is neutral in nature (meaning it doesn't bring up strong emotions or connections to anything in the physical world), is an excellent way to begin to focus and tone the mind.

Repeating a mantra especially during the beginning of a period of meditation allows you to focus on a single thought or idea, which naturally prevents distraction from other random ideas, thoughts, and emotions that may keep cropping up. Also, it is infinitely easier to focus on a single thought and slowly slip into a state of thoughtlessness than to try to get to a place of non-thought immediately.

Mantras act as an effective tool to help you focus, calm, and train your mind so that you can free yourself from outward concerns, and connect to an inward space of infinite stillness, silence, and love.

Learning To Be Your Authentic Self

When we are young, most of us are taught to measure how we feel about ourselves by how others react to our behavior. When someone praised you as a child, for example, you naturally tried to repeat that smile-inducing, head-nodding behavior. When some scolded or criticized you, you were probably taught that you did something wrong.

Thus begins a vicious life-long cycle for many people of trying desperately to please everyone - parents, teachers, friends, relatives, co-workers, and even strangers that may be judging us. After all, the rules of socialization tell us that we must fit in, conform, and abide by social norms that were most likely (and ironically) set by disconnected people in a largely dysfunctional society.

Many people forgot long ago to listen to the only voice that really matters: themselves. Their real, authentic self. Not who society says you should be. Not who you think people want you to be. And not even how you were taught to be. But rather, who you want to be and are.

How do you know what your authentic self is? And why is it so critical to come from a place of authenticity? First of all, not caring what other people think, and tuning out the voices and advice of others, can be a daunting task. After all, it's not that your friends and family don't mean well. But they all have their own biases, agendas, limitations, and viewpoints - which may or may not be right for you. In order for you to discover your authentic self, you have to dig deep and do some soul-searching. What makes you tick? What makes you happy? What truths resonate with you??

Most people that are successful, happy, and fulfilled come from a place of authenticity and sincerity. They understand and accept themselves, and feel confident that the world will understand and accept them as well. Ironically, the secret is, when you stop caring about what other people think, and come from a place of truth and self-acceptance, people are usually more drawn to you. They sense your connection to Source (or soul or God) and they unconsciously pick up on your positive energy.

In fact, all your relationships with other people are simply a reflection of the one true connection - the connection with yourself. The more you do what inspires you, indulge your passions, and honor your emotions (which may seem selfish at first), the more you begin to follow the call of Source (or your authentic soul self).

You may find that being 100% authentic is not always the easiest road, but ultimately an immensely satisfying and fulfilling one.

My Favorite Tips For Making the Law of Attraction Work For You

1. Act "as if." A recent study showed that the brain waves generated and neurotransmitters released when someone visualizes sitting on a beach (for example) are exactly the same as the brain waves of a person who is actually sitting on that beach. Your mind (and the Universe) doesn't recognize the difference between what you perceive as "real" and "imaginary." It only reads vibration. The easiest way to attract something into your experience is to evoke the FEELING and VIBRATION of already having it, and then hold your attention to that feeling as long as possible, preferably until it becomes second nature. Feeling as if what you want is already here may seem like a exercise in delusion, but remember, reality is pliable. Your physical reality is constantly changing and conforming to the energy frequency you are holding.

2. Role play. When someone recently asked the entertainer Lady Gaga how she became so famous so quickly, she responded, "I knew I was famous even before anyone ever knew me." She would feel, think, and act like people she admired even before the physical manifestation of her own fame.

Who are some people that inspire you? Who would you want to be like? It doesn't have to be anyone "famous" - just someone that you admire and has had an impact on you. There are many archetypes for you to choose from. Try to get out of your own head a little bit and think and feel more like the person that inspires you. How would they think about a situation? What would they do? Aside from being a fun exercise, this can help you shift your perceptions and create new energy patterns.

3. Do what inspires you. As cliche as it sounds, some people have no idea what inspires them. They are so stuck in a rut of a 9 to 5 job, daily responsibilities, and every day issues, that they don't even have the time or energy to think about "inspiration" - the concept seems too abstract and fanciful. But every day, the Universe gives you hints and clues as to what sort of things might make you happy. Carve out even 15 minutes every day to do something, anything that makes your heart sing. Meditate. Take a bath. Listen to your favorite song. Reconnect with someone that you have forgotten. 15 minutes of being in a state of allowing a day, done every day, will at least open a window where you're allowing the Universe a chance to please you and create an opening for bigger doses of inspiration to sneak in.

4. Think back to when you were a kid. Seriously. Before you had all the problems, issues, hassles, and aggravations of being an adult with so-called "real" responsibilities, what were you like? What sort of things fascinated you? What made you feel excited? What did you dream about? Kids are generally less disconnected from Source energy and still remember what it feels like to be loving and loved at all times. They are still excited, open, curious, adventurous, and honest about how they feel on a daily basis. Would it be such a bad thing to give up being an adult for a moment and actually feel some of those things again?

5. Appreciate. The Universe LOVES it when you appreciate something. Anything. It is the absolute clearest signal you can offer that you want more of whatever it is that you are appreciating. Along with joy and love, the feeling of appreciation has the highest energy vibration on the emotional scale. Energy immediately begins to coalesce around whatever situation, person, thing, or circumstance you are holding as your object of attention, and begins to shape your future moments to bring you more experiences with a similar energy frequency.

5 Simple Steps To Creating Change

1. Think a different thought. We all have certain beliefs, expectations, and patterns of thought about certain subjects that seem natural to us, because we have practiced those thoughts for so long. The number one reason it's hard to get out of a rut or create change is because we keep thinking the same thoughts about a given subject. Jolt yourself out of an energy rut by forcing your mind to view things from a different, more favorable perspective, and then try to hold that new perspective for as long as possible.

2. Take a different action. As they say, madness is doing the same thing and expecting different results. If you are wanting something to be different in your life, or just wanting to create some excitement, the change has to start with you first. There are no boring lives, only boring people. So if you want a different result, take a different action, even if it is small one.

3. Come from a place of abundance, not lack. A lot of times, when people want something or someone in their life to be different, they automatically start from a place of negativity and lackfulness, which undermines the change they are hoping to create. "I hate my job, I wish I had a different one" will continue to bring you more experiences that reinforce that same belief. A simple shift to, "I'm grateful for having a job and am in the process of creating an even better one" can be really impactful. This new statement puts you in a more powerful vibrational place of appreciation and hope rather than desperation. Always act as if what you want is already on its way to you and a part of your life already. What's showing up in your life isn't necessarily what you want. You're simply getting a reflection of what you already believe about yourself and your world. A belief in lack only creates more lack. Creating change from a present place of appreciation and abundance is much more powerful than a feeling of lack.

4. Live in the moment. All of your power is exactly in the Now. The past and future are literally figments of our imagination. Tools for the mind to be able to string experiences together into a linear fashion. The Universe only understands now, now, now. Take advantage of the infinite potential that each moment holds when it is unclouded by regrets from the past and worries about the future. Remember, changing your energy vibration in the current moment is literally shaping your point of attraction for the future. So getting happy now is actually like making an investment in your future.

5. Pay attention to your gut. Don't ignore your intuition. 95% of the information we get from a person or situation is non-verbal in nature. Pay attention to how something or someone is making you feel. Your emotions are your guidance system and will never fail you, when you learn to quiet your mind and tune in. Your instinct will steer you in the right direction and help you create positive change if you learn to listen.

How To Raise Your H.Q.- Part 2

Editor's Note: Please reference Part 1 of this article in the archive section.

As the saying goes, "An unhappy journey can never lead to a happy destination." But does being "happy" really influence outcomes and shape our future experience, or is it merely a glass-half-full, Pollyana-ish sentiment?

People have critiqued the notion that being happy really does influence one's reality in a, well, real way. "It's just a way of seeing the world with rose-colored glasses on," the skeptics say, or, "That's so naive to think you can just be happy and everything will work out." Sometimes yes, sometimes no. These people don't really understand the transformational quality of happiness on an energetic, vibrational level.

First of all, what does being "happy" truly mean? It runs deeper than pretending that you are ok, putting a fake smile on your face for the sake of appearances, or desensitizing yourself to negative emotion. In fact, these techniques tend to make things worse. Acknowledging the way you feel, and figuring out why you feel that way, is a key ingredient of finding true happiness. Emotions are an indicator of how high your energy frequency is (and how much in the flow of life you are). They are like the gas gauge in your automobile. The gauge doesn't create or use gasoline; it's simply an objective indicator. Similarly, your emotions are an indicator of your underlying core beliefs and energy frequency. If you pay close attention to your emotions, you may find a constant unease, or worry, or some other negative emotion underneath the surface that preventing you from being truly happy.

It's important to acknowledge emotions because if you are consistently feeling depressed, angry, irritated, etc. that should be a clear sign that you're vibrating at a low frequency, and attracting similar frequencies to yourself unconsciously. A chronic negative emotional response that is ignored inevitably yields in a negative manifestation.

When people use the term happiness, it usually signifies contentment, peace, elation, excitement, enthusiasm, passion, joy. Every single human being is striving for (from whatever their current point of attraction or emotion is), to feel these things.

Any of these emotions (which we can lump into the catch all term of "happiness") are an indication that your vibrational set point is high. Your energy is cleaner and purer and faster. So what does that get you? When you are vibration is high, you automatically attract similar high vibrations, and the Universe begins to work with you. You begin to see more synchronicities in your life. Things tend to work in your favor. You find yourself not struggling as hard with action steps. You feel more inspired. The right people come into your life at the right time.

Being in the flow requires that you cooperate with the Universe. The easiest way to begin to cooperate is to replace negative thought patterns and emotions with more positive ones. Then you are beginning to see yourself how the Universe (or God) sees you - as wholly good, worthy, abundant, healthy, and loved. Any perception that deviates from this is a false perception created by the egoic mind. It leads to more negativity and resistance, which takes you out of the flow.

Learning to find happiness in the moment is critical because it is literally setting energy patterns into motion that are paving your future experiences. And that's the true basis of the saying, "An unhappy journey can never lead to a happy destination".