Category Archives: self-support

knowledge, Self-improvement, Self-love, self-support, success, Yoga

Yoga and the way to the Universe

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All the orthodox systems of Indian Philosophy have one goal in view, the liberation of the soul through perfection. The method is by Yoga.

– Swami Vivekananda.

A modern way to express the action of the mind is to say that thinking is the recycling of the data that you have already gathered. It is a fascinating and absorbing approach and generates a desire to go deeper in the investigation of its truth.

When we read and contemplate the aphorisms of Patanjali and determined to understand their meaning, we find many different interpretations. These create a challenge and make the significance of the nature of yoga a bit harder to comprehend.

Most likely, the most common aphorism used in the teaching community is the definition of yoga as “Yogas chitta vritti nirodha” . You must have heard it many times, and its many standard definitions of non-thinking, and most likely you must have wondered, how could this be possible?  – Author Barbara Stoller Miller refers to this Sutra as the “cessation of the turnings of thought.” Let’s elaborate further.

Pranayama and the Mind Connection

Anga is the Sanskrit term used for limb, and Pranayama is described as the fourth rung in the science of yoga. It is an important joint in the yogic system and perhaps the most transcendental in the path of many practitioners. Although Sri Patanjali Maharishi mentioned it only three times in his yoga aphorisms; he refers this practice as the one who can finally uncover the polluted layers of chitta [though-wave]. This practice has the potential to purify thoughts and make them fit for the first meditative state called Dharana, which is the practice of deep focusing; prior entering the mental expansiveness state of Dhyana which is a yogic meditation.

You can refer to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali for more information, look for the Sutras 3.1 deshah bandhah chittasya dharana and 3.2 tatra pratyaya ekatanata dhyanam.

Patanjali Maharishi understands that the one who is reading his aphorisms is a practitioner who has already obtained a higher level of awareness. The whole process has the potential to help you realize the possibility to know the entire universe, and it is trough the practice of Pranayama that the practitioner could reach this goal.

In others words, yogis only need to know themselves. It is accessible to them because they are it, and the Pranayama anga could facilitate this realization.

Self-realization is the gift of your yoga practice. Always pay attention to the nature of your existence. Learn to discriminate the impulse of your thoughts, the reason of your beliefs, the nature of your habits or ideas of perception, conception, and intellect. Yogis say it is the closest and fastest way to realize the vast universe within yourself.

Perhaps if you experience a profound and lasting inner peace without any interruption due to distraction and the pulling of your tendencies (samskaras), you could be able to say that somehow you have experienced Self-realization.

Lastly, as my teacher said, a yogi does not believe anything. The only way a yogi believes is when whatever it is, has been experienced within.

knowledge, Productivity, Self-improvement, self-support, success

When Doubts Pretend To Keep You Safe

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“What do you want? What do you want?” he repeated to himself. “What do I want? To live and not to suffer,” he answered. And again he listened with such concentrated attention that even his pain did not distract him. “To live? How?” asked his inner voice. “Why, to live as I used to—well and pleasantly.” “As you lived before, well and pleasantly?” the voice repeated. And in imagination, he began to recall the best moments of his pleasant life.”
― Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich

What do you want? It is an original question. It carries a significant level of responsibility and requires an intrinsical state of clarity when it comes to responding to its daring power.

We all have our dreams and goals, some of us dream of writing a book, of moving to Hawaii, some of us dream of hiking the Himalayas, or even living by the ocean while enjoying the success of our foreign profitable business.

These are all very motivating dreams, and in fact, they can all be attainable.

What is that powerful force that stops you from accomplishing them? DOUBT.

When Leonardo DaVinci past away, his last words were: “I have offended mankind because my work did not reach the quality that it should have” – Unbelievable! Don’t you think?

Mr. DaVinci himself had doubts as well. The difference between DaVinci’s mind and the minds of the ones who doubt is that he never stopped creating. He probably enjoyed his work immensely and cultivated passion in it.

There is a difference between finding your passion and cultivating one. A lot of people have difficulties finding their “true” calling, and sadly most of them never find it and continue living a life of frustrated dreams.

The main reason for this is because passion can never be found, it can only be created and cultivated based on individual qualities. Qualities that every single one of us possesses.

The only distance that separates our passion from our dreams and goals is the distance of doubt. Unfortunately, for most of the people, doubt is easier to be brought up to the surface of their minds than their dreams and goals.

A very disturbing fact of doubt is that it pretends to keep you safe. Although psychologically feeling safe is a good thing, it might not be productive in the creation of a better reality for yourself.

It is a fact that man is the only animal that “knows that he knows” and that is what makes him human and also vulnerable to adverse influence which is typically picked up during childhood.

Doubts don’t keep you safe; instead, they keep you fooled and steal your potential of becoming a much better and successful human being.

Awareness is the perfect weapon to catch your mind when it is telling you lies about what and who you are and to stop the inherent potential to succeed that you already possess in your brain and mind.

Be alert and next time you are listening to the thoughts in your mind and feeling that they are not in cooperation with your desired state, act immediately and do the very best to move towards a better mental space .

A very simple way to counteract the effect of negative thinking is by asking yourself where is this thought coming from? Where did I learn that this is true? Did I experience the memory of this view?

Most likely, all these thoughts and views will be a bunch of self-defeating beliefs that somehow got deep into your subconscious and made you believe that they are valid even if you never experienced them.

What are your goals and dreams? Can you make them happen?

knowledge, Self-improvement, Self-love, self-support, success

Freedom to know what you want – The Power of Incremental Change

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“Those who depart from this world without knowing who they are or what they truly desire have no freedom here or hereafter. But those who leave here knowing who they are and what they truly desire have freedom everywhere, both in this world and in the next.
The Chandogya Upanishad VIII.1.6”

The massive weight of all the circumstances and experiences running wild in our days can make our goals cloudy, cumbersome, confusing and even unattainable. At the same time, the power of liberty that carries our inner desires cannot only be forgotten but also destroyed in the mix.

Our goals and ambitions suffer because they are so entangled in premature failure due to erroneous beliefs. These will not be affected if we are determined to tap into our inner power to receive freedom to choose what we want.

Have you ever stop and wondered what do you want? And if so, have you ever figured out the ways to achieve your goals? If yes, God bless!

If the answer is no, then you need to establish your values and begin to resolve your inner conflicts.

Our inner conflicts are obstacles for fulfillment. One must have the ability to focus on them mindfully and be able to correct them or adjust them, so we can make the path to our goals smoother and ideally free of emotional baggage.

There is a practical way to overcome any obstacle in your path to freedom. It is called Incremental Change.

Freedom to know what you want is the result of personal assessments based on experiences, emotions, and states of mind. It is perhaps the most accurate way to stay focused on your life goals without any distractor.

This freedom can successfully be achieved with well-defined patience and with a systematic process of little bits of progress, including small incremental changes.

Entrepreneur Jim Rohn used to say: “Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.”

Increment your changes so slowly that you won’t even notice them.

Whatever the change is that you want to do, remember that this process is not only the exchange of one thing for the another but also the creation of new positive habits in the process.

A Quick Example: Assuming you feel that you want and need to eat better. The first thing to do is to make sure you analyze your current status of your diet. The knowing of your situation will naturally guide you to make the necessary changes to attain your goals.

Small changes in your diet will make you get to your final goal of eating better. Although incremental changes can feel like is way too slow, they are incredibly powerful, and with time they will make you reach your goal in a safe and consistent matter.

As you continue with your incremental changes and as you begin to see those goals getting closer, you will feel as if you can do almost anything.

During these moments of progress, you will be able to clarify your commitments, and at the same time, you will be able to obtain the freedom to know what you want for your life.

What are your most basic inner conflicts and how would you solve them?

knowledge, Productivity, Self-improvement, Self-love, self-support, success

How to become a better leader through the practice of yoga – 4 Simple things you can practice

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This is a solo video transcript I recently posted on Vimeo and YouTube

The first step in the “renewing of the mind” is desire.

–

Becoming a leader is a combination of skills, and one of them is confidence.

Confidence comes with self-awareness; it is a skill that develops with time, patience and most importantly with practice.

Transformational Yoga is the perfect way to develop the necessary skills to step TO the plate and lead with confidence and determination.

The concept of self-awareness or knowing oneself is central to both yoga and leadership education.

As a leader, you need to establish a deeper relationship with your true Self and yoga has the methodology and tools to help you accomplish that.

The yoga of knowledge is perhaps the most important aspect of this practice. It is a skill in action and fundamental to self-development for it can take you directly to self-realization.

As a leader, you need to understand that THE number ONE step to take, is to believe in yourself.

To believe IN your power to create, guide, share and lead.

There is nothing more transformational than becoming your best ally and your best leader.

Let’s talk about 4 Simple Things you can practice

Awareness – The power of awareness comes in the realization of your environment, YOUR LIFE circumstance, and ultimately your reality. In other words, it is the knowing that something such as a condition, situation or problem, exists.

All transformation begins with an intense, burning desire to be transformed.

The first step in the “renewing of the mind” is desire.

You must want to be different before you can begin to change yourself.

Then you must make your future dream a present fact, and for that my friend, you need a lot of awareness.

It is because of this perception that you will be able to go IN and experience yourself entirely.

Once you become aware, THAT”S IT ! excuses are no longer feasible.

When you deny the facts about yourself, you start to live and breathe self-defeat. You don’t want that, do you?

Begin by practicing Self-analysis. It is a stepping stone to becoming aware of your power, strengths and also weaknesses. Self-analysis help you recognize your bad habits, and at the same time all the incredible opportunities that present to yourself.

Practice self-awareness every day, and with time you will be aware of everything.

Meditation – The topic of meditation IS big and sometimes complicated to understand. I want to make this very brief and focus on the facts.

Number one, meditation cannot be taught as if you are learning how to ride a bike or drive a car.

Meditation is just a different state of awareness, a state where you, the meditator can become one with your inner peace, dropping or disconnecting with the never ending process of thinking.

As a leader, practicing meditation can prepare you for your day. It can set the parameters to have a productive life based on focusing what is right and in support of your well-being so you can be available for others.

I recommend practicing meditation every morning as soon as you wake up. Preferably, between the hours of 4 am, and 6 am.

As soon you wake up, and avoiding distractions, sit quietly and become a vessel of solitude, and peace.

There are many techniques that you can research about, however; I recommend a very simple way which I call the way of the breath.

Allow yourself to ride the waves of the breath; in and out. They will teach you patience, confidence, and determination.

Be a meditator and don’t practice it, just be it. By being IT, you will bring the space needed in your mind to experience the knowing of what meditation is and what meditation does.

A leader must have clarity of mind, and through meditation, you will receive it.

Breathing – In the science of yoga, the breath is brought to add value to the emotional, mental and spiritual evolution.

The breath as the dichotomy of life and death can be extremely powerful in your practice of awareness.

It can help you be centered and grounded when it comes to making important decisions, both at the personal and professional levels.

The breath is called Pranazvasa in the language of the yogis. It is fundamental to the connection of mind and body. It can either make you powerful or weak.

Every morning, preferably after your meditation routine. Practice breathing consciously for about 3 to 5 minutes.

During the day, inhale deeply and gently when you feel that you are becoming off center.

The process of exhalation is also important as it will help you relax your nervous system, allowing your mind to rest and your brain to relax and rejuvenate.

Currently, I am in the process of creating an Academy of breath, where I will be sharing with you different breathing techniques based on the science of Pranayama.

We will be discussing the importance of holding the breath, longer exhalations and their significance in the movement of body and mind.

Talking about Movement – The movement of the body is also crucial for your state of health. As a leader, you need to be the example of discipline. Develop a habit of moving your body for a minimum of 15 to 20 minutes.

Asana or poses in yoga were designed to create stamina, flexibility, detoxification and extreme endurance.

Practice light stretches in the morning if necessary, but if you want you can also develop your routine, and practice some asanas such as shoulder stands, forward bends and back bends ALL while consciously breathing. If you want, you can explore some inversions as well.

Having a lean and flexible body can add tremendous value to your life, and elevate your SELF-ESTEEM making you a more attractive example of commitment and discipline.

These are simple steps that you can add to your daily habits of self-support. Give yourself permission and start today.

Yoga CAN and WILL increase the value to your life, BUT you must become a disciplined person.

Being a leader established in yoga will empower others to take action.

Remember, the best compensation to do things is the ability to do more.

Thank you and don’t forget: Align Your Life with What Your Really Value

Until next time

Peace !

knowledge, Self-improvement, Self-love, self-support, success

What matters most in your life? Two Simple Ways to Support Yourself

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The knowledge and understanding of ourselves is fundamental for the comprehension of this original question.

There are times when we meet the day in a very optimistic way, thinking that we have finally discovered our purpose, however; by the time lunch rolls around, we have already lost our fire. We have lost our bright light, including our fresh new motivation, and we have become dull and cumbersome.

The conduction of negativity is more easily transmitted through an overwhelmed nervous system. If this is happening to you, most likely what you are missing is a defined system of support. A system that not only agrees with your inner passion but also challenges you to prove to yourself that what you want has become vital for your existence.

A system of support can consist of two simple things.

Daily Reminders – This is the process of documenting your goals, recording your ideas and emotions while you see yourself achieving your dreams.

You can easily write them in a notepad or a little notebook that you can carry with you, or if you are inclined to technology, you can use an app called Everbrite, one of my favorites when it comes to documenting anything.

Documenting and Planning are the most basic systems of support, and you can go back to them during those times when you seem to be losing your spark, your enthusiasm, and ambitions; not allowing the negative and pessimistic side of your mind to take control of your day. Reading your goals and rehearsing your plan is therapeutic and can benefit your state of mind.

Self Reward – One of the most basic human needs is the need for self-regard, in other words caring for oneself.

Our minds tend to gravitate toward negativity. Remember Yoda? He said, “when you look at the dark side, careful you must be. For the dark side looks back.”

Self-reward is a very practical step to keep yourself away from the “dark.”

A simple thing to do is to reward yourself with the gift of patience. Allow yourself to recognize and silence the self-critic and actively engage in creative expression.

Use the power your mind possesses to visit the dark places and instead decide to visit positive locations; geographical areas in your mind where you can see yourself clearer, living, doing, having and sharing your dreams and success with others.

Although the investment of this simple act of self-reward costs nothing, the return is priceless.

What is stopping you? Or who is stopping you? NOTHING external really; just your limiting beliefs, your inner conflicts, and fear. The good news is that those can be changed and be dissipated gradually, but only if you are the one who wants to take all measurement to survive and be free.

How can I move forward?

Time is what everyone recommends, and it is the most practical remedy used to recover. However, one must possess the extraordinary willpower needed to act and embrace the moment while still deciding to honor their emotions and feelings by giving them the necessary space to dissipate.

Next time you begin your day feeling energized and focused on working on your primary goals remember to stay alert and practice simple and quick ways that will help support yourself and keep you afloat even when you are flying low.

What techniques do you use to help yourself?

knowledge, Productivity, Self-improvement, self-support, success

Can Mindfulness Boost Your Bottom Line? 3 Ways to Successfully Apply It In Your Job

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It is 2:30 PM and the CEO is talking about the bottom line of the company. He is a great man, very reasonable and smart. Every month, all people in the team join this presentation and meet to learn about the health of the company. In this particular day, I am also present in the meeting and all I can think of is the status of my bottom line as a human being and the fact that I have to find the time to write this post.

I was happy to see that the company is doing extremely well and that people seem to be content with their responsibilities and overall benefits.

One thing I noticed is that ALL of them appear to be extremely anxious and perhaps overstressed. I noticed that although all seem to smile and even make jokes, their energy level is low and their comments tend to carry a very subtle yet loud voice that says: “I am very stressed out and I don’t know how to manage my stress.”

As I was observing everyone in the meeting, I remembered that about three weeks ago I attended a conference about mindfulness and the direct relation to stress. I have the privilege to meet David Gelles, the author of Mindful Work. Although we talked briefly, our 15 minutes conversation was compelling enough for me to commit to 5 minutes of daily mindfulness practice, particularly at work.

During the meeting, each manager was talking about his or her department. I decided to make a quick and drastic decision. Instead of talking about the results of the new implementations in the safety division of the company; I decided I was going to talk about the meaning of mindfulness.

Also, I decided to briefly explain how we can all benefit and raise our bottom line by immediately practicing basic exercises and allowing the practice to build on its own. In summary, I gave them three primary ways to do it.

1. Be Happy: We don’t have to wait for a particular event or culmination or reaching a goal or event. There is a way to enjoy the journey by experiencing happiness through progress. Yes, Progress makes Happiness. Allow yourself to be aware of your tiny moments of progress and indulge yourself in the incredible sensation of fulfillment it brings to our experience. Feel it, and be aware of the relaxation of your face and muscles around your neck when you accomplish your small goals. Takes a little practice but with consistency, you will develop the right amount of mindfulness, and it will be easier to expand it to other areas of life.

2. The Superhero Stand: This is fun. Next time you feel you are getting bit up but the demands of your life and job; take a moment to stop and stand with legs spread apart, arms on hips, elbows bent. This superhero stance projects power. Notice how immediately your energy begins to raise. While holding this pose, begin to inhale as deep as you can and exhale as long as you can. Do this for about 3 minutes. Studies show that practicing this stand alters your levels of testosterone and makes you feel energized, decisive and powerful. What a treat for mindfulness!

3. Take breaks: Notice how refresh you will fell when you make the decision to stop everything and bring full attention to yourself. By making the decision of taking a mini vacation, you will feel renewed and more centered and focused and ready to enter back into high production more. Noticing this change is an exercise of pure mindfulness.

Allowing yourself opportunities for inner growth, spiritual expansion and through the incredible power of free will, next time you exercise your right to make a change aimed to benefit your beautiful self, you will indeed boost your bottom line, not only mental but emotional and physical.

Consider joining a mindfulness meditation class and experience a different level of awareness.

What do you do to cope with your stress?