First step – Learn how to meditate

First exercise – breathing visualization

Read these simple guidelines – to put these fallowing steps into practice and they will become quite comfortable and as a habit to you.

In your meditative space (area), do light up a candle and your favored and pleasant incense.

Then, before all other things, put in center of your mind a meditation for the next 10 to 15 minutes.

 No phone calls, no disruption, nothing from the outer world. Imagine that every moment, in which you practice mediation, is your golden chance, that you make a progress in your spiritual journey.

Every attempt, every time you do it, is always a little bit closer to your goal.

To the aim which you have set for yourself.

This will help you feel sincerity and to value your meditation exercise.

Sit comfortably with spine straight, to preserve alertness and keep your eyes half-opened, not wide opened, but half open, half closed.

This is called the lion meditation and allow us to focus the mind better.

If this is too hard for you, you could also close your eyes, but try firstly this method, since it has many advantages.

When creating a relaxed atmosphere, also music is desired.

Music has this advantage that could easily take our mind from thinking, and could easily take us into meditation mood.

Later, I assume, you would prefer silence. Just as a suggestion, flute is an excellent instrument for meditation.

In this exercise we will learn how to calm our mind with meditation, and by concentration on the breath.

If possible, it’s better to breathe through your nose.

To not lose courage, when your mind will be as washed away or when there will be an infinite number of thoughts running around in your mind.

This is totally normal at the beginning, at your start of meditation. Later on, you will teach yourself how to sweep away your thoughts.

Breath and mind are closely connected, and when you direct all your attention on breathing, your mind will slowly gather and focus.

Let all the other thing go, – the only thing that exist is a breath, the river of life energy, which in constantly flowing.

Within the breath feel a sense of calmness quality. If you imagine, than on tip of your nose is a strip, your breath is so calm down, that strip in hardly moving.

For a few minutes try to deepen the sense of calmness, breath is a very quiet move, and the mind slowly becomes more quite and your body motionless. 

Observed a current pause, at the end of your inhale breath, just before you exhale, at the end of your exhale breath, just before you inhale again, and try to extend this moment of calmness between each inhale and exhale breath.

In this way, the breath becomes a little deeper, slower and peaceful and prepares us for deeper breathing.

Now you can focus on different qualities of the inhalation, one after another.

The first is peace – when you breathe in, feel and imagine as you are inhaling peace in all parts of your being.

When you exhale, imagine that you are exhaling all the opposite from the peace – restlessness, stress, negative thoughts or feelings.

If it will help you, you can imagine that you are inhaling a clean, white light purity and peace. Exhale breath is gray from impurities or thoughts.

I would suggest, making it easier for you, that you focused on breath and quality of peace.

Feel how each breath pulls you into little more inside, in the beautiful interior space.

The best is the simplicity – the less thoughts and ideas we have in our mind, the better it is.

After a few minutes you will feel as you are breathing in a cosmic energy from the space, which purifies and feel with energy all your beings.

With each inhale, through your body is flowing a river, the river of life force and cosmic energy, which is replacing the fatigue, stress, negative thoughts.

Imagine that you are exhaling all negative qualities. Then you breathe in a quality of joy and happiness.

Feel how it expands inside you, flowing through you – imagine that even your face is smiling.

In next post I will fallow up some more advices for practicing meditation.

Each of us goes through many stories in our life, looking for happiness and personal fulfillment.

In many ways we are looking for ways and limitless possibilities of life to find satisfaction- in the people that we meet, in the cities which we visit, in careers that can provide some meaning and direction to us, – a inner happiness and inner freedom, by which we strive so they could shine in our eyes and our hearts, but although seems somehow out of reach.

Life then encourages us to look inwards to find joy in life, which exists independently from all external things that come and go – and that’s how or personal and spiritual journey could begin.

Finding happiness takes a new, unknown direction, inward journey leads us to seek deeper meaning in our lives and aspirations of the mighty happiness of being free inside you (figurative).

Meditation and how to start?

What are the first steps to start with meditation?

One of the most beautiful things about meditation is that we don’t need to know very much about it, to do it.

We do not fill and “educate” our mind with additional knowledge and different ways of techniques but quite contrary – we completely clear out / empty our   mind.

Furthermore, there isn’t any need for dogma or special believing (or any believing except the one of your own).

But there is one thing that you need to feel.

This is the feeling, that you could develop (blossom) into something more, higher, and that your own positive qualities in your nature or peaceful moments in your life, both could exceptionally strengthen (become strong) or multiply and increase.

Meditation is the transition to reinforcing the silence, inner peace and happiness of the soul.

However, in order to reach this inner level, you have the external life to create the conditions that will support this revelation.

The first secret is sincerity – no matter how difficult and busy your daily life is, you have to add the date and time for your own training and organize some special place at home, where you will practice.

The same as plant grows, when there is enough sun, also your special place will reserved time will be as sun which will worm up your soul.

Feed it, and relaxed it.

Do find a nice place, where you feel comfortable, or place which you find closer to you.

Then, put a low table in that place, decorate table with a white cloth, and put on the table a candle in candle holder or on the salver and add a flower or two in the vase.

If you which, you could also add a thing or two from your personal belongings or some object which have some special value for your or feels close to you.

It could also be a picture of your spiritual or mental guide, meditation statue, anything that connects you with the feeling of the spirit.

You can chose to sit on the blanket, footstool, chair or anything else that suits you.

Ideally is, that you sit one meter away, and point your view straight on.

Scents could also be very useful, therefore, if you prefer any scent of joss-stick, do use them; anything that will help you relax.

The thing is that no one knows you better than yourself. Therefore, think which things, feelings, scent make you feel relaxed and comfortable.

The scent will create special feeling and will add a little ceremony and devotion your practice.

Simplicity, Meditation Music – bamboo flute, singing with one voice, slow, quiet songs – could also embrace us in an atmosphere of serenity, which silence the mind and open heart. Any such small thing will help you to begin.

Right food will benefit our health

Wherever I look, I see instructions on how to eat.

Healty food, with reduced calories, more tasty, but wholegrain, bio, no fat, no cholesterol, according to the food pyramid, the most recent and fastest and the best diet ever …

It seems to me that for any disease or other medical disorder there is so much advice, paths, miracle medicines and teas as well as for obesity with food.

And I wonder why, despite all these miracles there are more and more overweight people.

Young girls, almost children, everywhere, even (or even the most time) when buying clothes, they are talking about it.

How to lose weight, what is the best diet, which path celebrities are choosing… etc?

Overweighed and fat legs and buttocks, overlarge or to small breasts –and about this, how some “friend” have lose weight.  In one week.
And mother.

How serious she/he has gone again with dieting. And father.
Again he/she plays tennis as mad, just because she/he gains some extra weight over the winter.

And next year will return all again. Or even before.
But definitely before the summer.

Even in serious experts recommendations we a lot of times could found instructions on how to eat more “bio” food.

A lot of dietary fibers.
Whole grain rice. Whole wheat bread.

Wholemeal pasta. Brown sugar. Wholegrain meal.

At least 12 (!) Of portions of wholegrain meals a day. Every day.

And Mediterranean food.
And what is a healthy drink.

All must be free of bubbles (bubbles cause cellulite!). A whole barrels of fresh fruit juice.

Those bio once, with no sugar in it. It is almost obligatory to have a glass of red (why red?) vine per day.

If we fallow all these instructions, we will  be slim and healthy, happy and in accordance with the Food pyramid.

Hmmm what about food preparation?

Of course, oil with no cholesterol!  (Excuse me? Is it not cholesterol from animal source? Are there are oils without cholesterol?

Do not use butter. But do use olive oil, olive oil..

And once again olive oil. But do not heat it up! As it will become carcinogenic!

Recently, it is preferable to use rape oil. It is more bio. But does not use, under any condition pumpkin oil! (I must admit, I love it, and use it daily).

It is black and thick and very dangerous. It goes into your vanes. Don’t you just over look these recommendations, which so called “experts” are giving us daily?

And on the end, we should be very thankful for these advices. But if you look back, in old days, they eat all sorts of different food, there was no experts to advice, and even tough, there was less illness that in today time.

But, if ou are one of those “unlucky” people with overweight problem – then you should definitely separate carbohydrates and proteins. Uff, this doesn’t go together. And the best will be, that you are avoiding carbohydrates for good.

And when you are trying and trying.

Trying hard, and you inform your practitioner, who has for the last ten years persuade you, that the pain in your knees, increased pressure, abdominal distention  are all due to increased weight.

To not eat bread? And not pasta? Neither whole meal bread? And this for several weeks?

This is absolutely unhealthy. And inadmissible. Certainly will have consequences on health.

Diet without carbohydrates! (How is it? Is it not written in any serious textbook that starches and carbohydrates are not the same thing?

To the carbohydrates in abundance in fruits. And in vegetables. Even in the onions!).

Even the greater horror will fallow, if you succeed. You will lose thirty pounds.

Ok, I will get serious now – and let you know how it works.

The thing is, that all you need is, decide that this is for real.

And do set yourself real objectives, which you can achieve.

Do not set them to high.  You should distinguish between the ideal and healthy weight.

It is ideal weight is for beauty. That healthy one, can be a little higher. If you have some additional ten or fifteen kilogram much too you would not die.

Actually, is even better, because you will not have wrinkles. And you will look younger.
Ok. I will stop here and let you know some truth about thing that I have written above.

Truth about carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a group of foods with the same energy value as protein.

They have fewer calories as fat. Reduced to half.

However, in addition to carbon and hydrogen contain oxygen (this means that the combustion or metabolism do not need oxygen from the outside) and because the human body is arranged in

the way that the metabolism and absorption of carbohydrates into the blood begins in the mouth (not as in fat and protein,

which is just beginning to digest in the stomach or even lower in the duodenum and small intestine), is an ideal fuel, and most important (and quickest) source of energy. Also stored out in the body.

They are always in stock and it’s easy to use for the body so we don’t fall into “hypo”, or we don’t lose blood sugar to the level, that we should eat something sweet immediately.

In carbohydrates group we count ib simple sugars (from one or two sugar molecules) that have a sweet taste, and made of sugar or starch (non-sweet taste).

We can enjoy one and the other should, but only quality once.

Now, with expert recommendation, we should not longer talk about all-over about carbohydrates, as a undesirable type of food, but we must sorted out,  to whether they are natural (eg vegetables, fruit) or processed (flour).

Ok, I will give you some rest after this post.. and will wrote more about carbohydrates in next post, as avoiding them is quite crucial to lose weight.

And once you get used to not use (eat) bad once, you will feel much better.

Yoga Asana, Prayer on one leg, as we also call the asana presented on the picture on left, improves body posture, movements’ coordination and concentration.

Furthermore also strengthen mental concentration and release tension.

It has a good effect on people with knees and ankles pain, which is caused by gout.

It’s a good benefit to those with good body condition and scarce. But, do not get me wrong, it’s also recommended for all people, no matter the age.

The only thing is, that you are aware of your abilities, and that you listen to your body.

To avoid eventual injury, you must be careful, not to lean your bend leg to your other knee.

Lift the leg as high as you can, but please do not exaggerate to get into ideal position, as you will soon lose balance.

And this wouldn’t be good for your body. No tension is good. If you are practicing yoga, do all postures to the limit you still feel comfortable in.

The final position in which you insist, do adjust to your current skills.

During practicing and holding in this asana, direct your look in one point, which should be in high level of your eyes and in front of you.

Similar to other asana postures in Hatha yoga, also Eko Pada Pranamasana Sanskrit name is not chosen by accident but describes its purpose and main features.

Eka means only-one (one), Pada means leg, and Pranam could be a name for prayer.

That’s way a lot of times this asana is also called “Prayer on one leg stand”.

This asana is classified as posture asana, which balances body and spirit.

Yoga master, Kostas Tselioa, has also give some instruction by practicing this asana, as a lot of people have trouble by maintaining standing posture, while they are just standing still, and also when they walk or sit.

Often they gain hanged shoulders, or even lean forward, and consequently poor posture eventually becomes habit.

Usually they become aware of, that they are not standing upright until someone doesn’t remind them of that or, more often when difficulties arise, especially back pain.

The correct posture consolidates with muscles exercise to gain strength along the spine and abdominal muscles.

Moreover, this gives small brains possibilities to control movement of the body and to try to maintain balance in body posture.

According to experience of Eka Pada Pranamasana helps us to balance function of nervous system and improves body coordination.

On a strictly physical level, with this asana we consolidated ankle and knee flexibility and increase the power of leg muscles in general.

Due to written above this posture is also a good benefit for people, which have problems with gout, joint inflammation, often have a sense of stiffness in the legs, cold feet or suffer from other problems in the lower limbs.

During practicing this asana direct your sight towards one point in the room.

Do select your point in eye level, where the distance should be between one and two meters from the point where you are standing.

Calm, focused look and deep, strong and steady breathing helps us helps to relax and calm the mind.

Any anxiety and tension in the mind and body cease out spontaneously, as they are totally focused on posture practice and holding asana still.

How you practice?

Get into standing position; feet should be slightly apart, but not so much that would be aligned with the shoulders, arms are next to the body.

Set us your body upright; you can you imagines that you are grabbed by a giant, who gently pull up your head up.

But do not over do it. Relax the shoulders and upper back.

When you stand still and stable, select the item or object in front of you at your eye level.

Look still at this object. When you are ready, bend the right leg and grab the ankle with your right hand, slowly try to lean foot to the internal part of left leg thigh.

The more flexible you are, the faster you will succeed, and on top of that, you will easily put your leg higher.

During movements do not draw back your look from your selected point.

When your foot is places in the inner part of your other knee, try to push your right knee out as much as possible, so far that the right limbs is almost aligned with the left side.

With your right hand hold your foot in the ankle, as long as possible, that you still keep balance.

When you are stable in this position, slowly abandon hand grip, raise it in front of the  height of breast, at the same time also raise your left hand and put your hands together in praying position.

Keep the position as long as you can, breathe calmly, deeply and constantly, and do not move look from selected point.

For the start it will be enough, that you stay in position for few minutes.

Strive to leave posture peacefully and pay attention, when you are losing your balances, and try to finish your pose calmly, before you lose balance.

Otherwise, there’s a chance you will fell on both of your legs.

It’s recommended that you go from asana to the starting position as slowly and calmly as you can.

No fast movements and chasing your balance are recommended.

First of all, pace your hand beside body, then release your bend leg and slowly put it on the floor.

After you do the same with the other leg. You should never forget, to do all postures on both sides, never just one.

Even though, you will notice, that sometimes is harder to asana with one side than the other.

These are just barriers in our head, and will eventually disappear.

Do hurry slowly

Even though this asana looks very easy, a lot of people find it, while start practicing, quite hard to do it.

As it’s hard to keep balance for a long time in this posture. Important is, that you practice in harmony, and you don’t go into next phase, until you become very comfortable in posture you arte practice.

You will easily keep your balance if you keep your sight pointed in point in front of you.

For beginning out your leg up high as much as you can, but do not over do it, otherwise you will lose your balance.

For start it will be enough, that you place your bend leg beside your other leg, so that your fingers are barely touching the ground.

Eventually, you’ll put it higher.

Be careful, however, that you don’t rely your foot on your knee to hard, because you run the risk that you will be injured.

Eka Pada Pranamasana is suitable for people with good body condition and also for those with less body condition.

In particular, its impact on the acquisition and consolidation of mental alertness is very good and welcome to all.

Moreover, also is good for strengthening confidence and our will.

Yoga master Talios have once remind himself about one occasion, when he called up his yoga teacher to let him know, that due to his bad cold, he won’t come to practice yoga this day.

His teacher asks him, whether is he now, when talking to him in the Eka Pad Pranamasana?

He replied that of course not, since he is not feeling well. Teachers advised him to go into posture, and soon he will be able to come in yoga studio to practice.

On the same day he felt better already, and he went to yoga studio, just like the teacher had announced.

People are constantly looking for shortcuts and tools that would make them as easy as possible to achieve the objectives they have set for themselves. This is also the case with getting rid of excess body fat. Surely you have heard about fat burners, products that promise (quick) solution to your problem with the excess body fat. Some of you have positive experience with such products, while some others have came to the conclusion, that this makes only your wallet thinner.

What is the truth behind fat burners?

Use of fat burners is meaningful only in combination with a regulated diet and regular physical activity. If you are dreaming of a body without excessive fat, but at the same time you are not ready to lay off your favorite sweets and get up from your comfortable couch, your dream will not came true even with the most effective product. Do not expect miracles!

Some products that are marketed as fat burners actually have nothing in common with the combustion of body fat. One such substance is chitosan, which operates on the principle of tying fat which we intake with food and prevents it from being digested in the body. If you eat a balanced diet, which is the cornerstone of any effective diet, fat should be limited to so called healthy fats such as you do not want to exclude from the body. Therefore, the consumption of chitosan is in complete opposite with the logic of diet, which restricts the bad fats, but stresses the importance of healthy fats.

Active substances in fat burners

Fat burners, which can be found on the market, mostly contain L-carnitine or a combination of L-carnitine and other substances (caffeine, green tea,hydro citric acid). We believe that a lot of questions arise as reason due to the wide range of products. What are the differences between different products? What substances do they contain and how do they act? Which of the products is the most effective? Which is best for me? And finally, which is the safest to use?

L-carnitine

L-carnitine is a natural substance that is found in meat and dairy products. For decades it is a very popular additive for safe help in the matter of losing excessive body fat. L-carnitine transport of fat from fat cells in the cell mitochondria, which are oxidized and the resulting energy. Many studies confirm its support for the burning of excess body fat, greater levels of energy during exercise improved muscle endurance and maintaining muscle mass. Furthermore, it reduces the feeling of hunger and weakness, which may occur in the lower calorific intake.
Hidroksicitronska acid (HCA) – less appetite, inhibition of absorption of carbohydrates
Hidroksicitronska acid (HCA) comes from the fruit of exotic fruit garcinia cambogia. It helps in the loss of excess body fat, improve endurance and strengthen the immune system. The study is supported by its incredible ability to prevent the conversion of carbohydrates into fat, as inhibiting the functioning of an enzyme called ATP-citrate lipase. HCA has also proved successful as an inhibitor of appetite.

Extract of green tea – burning body fat, antioxidant functioning

Extract of green tea has recently become a very popular addition, the number of beneficial effects of scientific studies repeatedly confirm. All of us is well known to its antioxidant action, in addition, green tea also significantly contribute to speeding up the metabolism (calorie usage) and burning fat. Studies have shown that it contributes to the 4% increase in energy consumption throughout the day (which averages to about 100 calories). It is also diuretic, therefore, it reduces water retention in the body.

Caffeine – more energy and stamina

Caffeine itself is not fat burner, but it is one of the most popular stimulant. Located in plants, such as the guarana, kola nuts, coffee and cocoa beans, tea, … Caffeine increases endurance and the long-term physical exercise and also helps in short, high intensity exercise. Reduces sensitivity to pain during exercise and helps to improve concentration and memory. The function of the  fat combustion is reflected in the promotion of the elimination of fatty acids from fat cells, so it is advisable to consume, even in combination with l-karnitine. Studies have shown that consumption of higher doses of caffeine (about 5 mg per 1 kg body weight) increases the basal metabolism, which means higher energy consumption in the rest.

Caution: pregnant women and individuals that do not use food and beverages with caffeine do not enjoy a regular basis, do not tolerate caffeine well, or can suffer from high blood pressure, are recommend avoiding products with caffeine.

And do not forget – fat burners only help you in achieving loss of excess body fat, but are not a miracle pill that will do all the work for you. The cornerstone of any successful fat loss in a body is a regulated diet and regular exercise.

Coffee-black energy