Archive for the 'Personal Development' Category
When most people think about meditation, they think of sitting cross-legged on the floor and trying to empty all the thoughts from their mind. Or they think of Tibetan monks chanting mantras in temples far away. While it's true those are forms of meditation, they aren't the only ways to meditate.
Unfortunately, many people never realize meditation doesn't have to be quite so complicated. They give up because sitting in the lotus position is too uncomfortable or because they can't stop the constant stream of thoughts going through their mind or for any number of other very legitimate reasons. They miss out on all the rewards of meditation – better sleep, reduced stress, improved health, deeper self-awareness, and a whole host of other benefits.
That's why I've decided to begin a new series of articles devoted to everyday meditation. I'll offer simple techniques you can incorporate into your day with very little effort, along with suggestions for how to turn daily tasks into a form of meditation.
I'm going to begin with one of my favorites, a technique so easy little children do it all the time. I can almost guarantee you've done it at least once in your lifetime, and most of you probably have done it hundreds of times.
It's called coloring.
Yes, you read that correctly. Coloring. Before you laugh and dismiss the idea, stick around long enough to learn how coloring can be turned into a meditative activity.
You don't need to be an artist to make this technique work. In fact, you don't need any artistic skill whatsoever. …Continue reading
The topic of a "blind day" came up in a recent email exchange with Kenton Whitman (whose terrific web site I wholeheartedly recommend), and I decided to elaborate on that topic here because an occasional blind day is an excellent way to enhance your senses and your overall awareness.
We rely so extensively on our vision we don't even realize how many sounds and scents and textures we fail to notice. That abundance of sensory input becomes background noise. We unconsciously tune it out, and we do it so often we don't even know what we're missing. We forget how beautifully rich sounds can be, how delightful and intoxicating certain smells can be, until we're hit with a sound or scent intense enough to make it through all the filters into our conscious awareness and suddenly we remember.
A blind day can bring all your other senses into focus. It can awaken you to a whole world of sensations and impressions that have been right there under your nose (or ears, or hands…) all along.
How to have your own blind day:
The technique is very simple: spend a full day without sight.
You can blindfold yourself with a piece of dark cloth or buy a cheap set of swimming goggles and paint them black. I recommend using goggles or a Mindfold mask because either of those options will allow you to keep your eyes open. The Mindfold mask is a wonderful tool for this purpose because …Continue reading
Several years ago, I reached a point in my life when I began to doubt there was any purpose or validity to anything I was working on. Researching the mind's infinite potential, studying lucid dreaming, exploring the mind's apparent ability to heal the body — all of it started to seem futile.
This feeling wasn't new. It was nothing I hadn't experienced before, yet at the time it seemed overwhelming. It was driven by an internal conflict that needed to be resolved.
I'm part scientist, part mystic. I see the beauty in science and mysticism equally and believe they are simply two ways to explore the same world. One is objective, one is subjective, but both are valid approaches in their own right.
I don't fear the merging of science and mysticism the way many people do. Instead, I imagine the many discoveries and advancements that could come from a truly scientific exploration of mystic traditions. Studies in meditation, dreaming, biofeedback and visualization have turned up fascinating results and prompted as many intriguing questions as they've answered. Mysticism relies on an intense personal examination of the inner workings of the mind. Having those same inner workings explored from another direction through science is practical and, in a way, inspirational. I find it immensely exciting whenever these areas overlap. This is why I've always felt comfortable treading the gray area between the two.
But for reasons I didn't recognize back then, I suddenly felt lost, directionless, and anything but comfortable. …Continue reading
This article is part of the series Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming. If this is your first visit to the site, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
When analyzing their dreams, too many dreamers fall back on the standard definitions found in a dream dictionary. Dream symbolism can vary considerably from person to person, making most dream dictionaries only marginally useful. Dreamers should never rely solely on the standard dream dictionary definitions for interpretation.
We all have our own personal filters through which we interpret information, both while awake and asleep. These filters create the personal context in which our mind creates each dream scene. When analyzing a dream to discover its meaning, it's important to consider not only the overall context in which a particular dream symbol appeared but also the personal context.
After recording the details of your dream in your journal, you must ask yourself what each dream symbol means to you personally. An object or event that means one thing to one person may mean something entirely different to someone else, and as such, a dream symbol that holds one meaning for you may hold a different meaning for someone else. A dream symbol may have a frightening meaning for some dreamers, while for other dreamers it may hold no fear whatsoever. To most people, a knife might seem frightening. To a chef in a fancy restaurant, a knife is nothing more than another kitchen tool. …Continue reading
This article is part of the series Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming. If this is your first visit to the site, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
Whenever you get the feeling you're only scratching the surface of a particular issue in your dreams, it can be helpful to use a technique to delve deeper into the unconscious. In dreams, the unconscious mind frequently is represented by archetypal symbols or metaphors. It may be portrayed as an untamed wilderness, a large unexplored house, a vast churning ocean, or even a busy and colorful market. Whatever form it takes in your dreams, your unconscious mind most often presents itself to you as an infinite expanse of detail to explore and investigate.
To dig deeper into your unconscious mind, you'll need to take steps to trigger a dream conducive to that form of directed exploration. Rather than posing questions to your unconscious mind and allowing it to guide you, you will instead direct your unconscious mind to open itself to your exploration and allow you to wander freely. The goal is to follow a path of your own choosing through the territory of your unconscious mind, investigating whatever details catch your interest along the way.
At bedtime, perform the lucid dreaming techniques described in previous articles in this series to ensure you become lucid in your dream. After performing the techniques …Continue reading
This article is part of the series Mastering the Art of Lucid Dreaming. If this is your first visit to the site, I recommend starting at the beginning of the series.
Just as you can create your own ideal dream teacher, you can also create a dream guide — a dream character created specifically to provide your unconscious mind with a walking, talking personality with which you may converse during your dreams.
Allowing your unconscious mind to take on the form of a dream guide offers a way for your conscious mind to communicate directly with your unconscious mind. Dreams are rich with symbolism and metaphor driven by the unconscious mind, and over time you'll learn how to interpret those messages by reviewing your dream journal entries, but with this technique you can communicate with your unconscious mind in a straightforward manner to pose specific questions. By calling upon your unconscious mind in the form of a dream guide, you'll give it a way to interact with you in a much more direct and less metaphoric way.
You may wish to ask your unconscious mind for answers to particular questions, such as "What should I do about such-and-such situation?" With your unconscious mind taking on the role of a dream guide, you'll have the opportunity to obtain very specific answers. …Continue reading
