4 A Betta Life

  Put on some rhythmic music that you like—and get ready to move. Begin by standing in a relaxed position, knees slightly bent and arms at your sides. As the music begins, shake your whole body, starting with your feet and legs and moving up the body. Involve your whole body for about 5 to 10 [...]

I love meditation, both in a group session, where the combined energy in the room is palpable, or on my own, listening to some appropriate music, as I slow my breathing and body and relax my mind. Manifesting some huge physical benefits through meditation is a wonderful treat you can give yourself. And something that [...]

The other night I was invited to supper by a friend. I had had rather a bad day and arrived slightly irritable and more impatient than my usual type A personality would allow. My friend could see I looked stressed, so suggested I shower, put on a robe and relax with a glass of Pinot Grigio. He is Korean [...]

We live in a noisy place, planet earth. All around us noise permeates our consciousness to such an extent that we are not able to think clearly for a moment or two. Over the past few years I have become more and more aware of the unpleasant and unwelcome noises that bombard our senses continually. [...]

Last night I went to a meditation evening with my meditation group that I joined about 20 months ago. I had not been for a while, as a result of the distractions my surgery for lung cancer had caused, and a few other factors. But the description of last night’s meditation really caught my attention, especially [...]

The concept discussed in this post is not for everyone. I am not even sure I am fully convinced yet,  but today I came across someone who believes in past lives and parallel universes.You’ve probably never heard of Burt Goldman. Well,  he’s the creator of the powerful (and some say controversial) visualisation-meditation technique known as Quantum [...]

We are approaching that frenetic period of Thanksgiving and the last weeks before Christmas. With that comes the frantic pace of getting last minute shopping done, preparing for the day itself and making last minute arrangements for the family holiday – all of which take its toll on one’s humour and state of mind. And [...]

I’m about to head home from San Francisco, to Sydney, and I leave behind  a city of fun, excitement and brimming with Christmas cheer. The Christmas decorations are everywhere, and hugh, impressive ones at that. Which, for many people, means just one thing…. Christmas stress. Christmas shopping, what to buy for him or her, that [...]

On Wednesday night I had a very enjoyable wine tasting and dinner with long-standing friends in Cape Town. It made me realize, once again, that with good friends, one can go away for a while (in my case it was 4 years since I was last in Cape Town) and when one gets together again, [...]

The department stores are starting to bring out their Christmas decorations, so that is a sure sign that what is a most stressful time for many people, is fast approaching. But Christmas needn’t be a stressful time at all, if events are planned well ahead of time, shopping for presents is started early and chores are [...]

We had a very intense meditation this evening which left me feeling drained , but this thought revived me in no time. “Every one has a purpose in life … a unique gift or special talent to give to others. And when we blend this unique talent with service to others, we experience the ecstasy [...]

I am fascinated by the concept of Noetic Science, ever since I read Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol. The word “noetic” comes from the ancient Greek word ‘nous’, for which there is no exact equivalent in English. It refers to “inner knowing,” a type of intuitive consciousness—direct and immediate access to knowledge beyond [...]

I have just returned from an experience that is a first for me – a full blown manicure and luxury pedicure at a local salon here in Dasmarinas, the walled village where I am staying in Manila. Boy was it a great feeling, to have my hands and feet trimmed, tickeled, tantalised and touched up [...]

My meditation group is meditating on compassion this week. Here are two comments on compassion that might ring true with you. “It is in deep solitude that I find the gentleness with which I can truly love my brothers. The more solitary I am the more affection I have for them…. Solitude and silence teach [...]

I received these though provoking words from my meditation group today, attributed to Alan Watts. “We could say that meditation doesn’t have a reason or doesn’t have a purpose. In this respect it’s unlike almost all other things we do except perhaps making music and dancing. When we make music we don’t do it in [...]

I was talking to a young friend yesterday who complained that his life was so stressful, what with work demands, study and assignment deadlines and so on and that he was not sleeping well. We all deal with stress in our lives and as I have written here before, I find that meditation on a regular [...]

At the start of a new week, it is a good idea to think about ways to stay calm and so be able to deal more easily with the stresses of living that will come your way. Here are four ideas to help you stay calm amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life. 1. Take [...]

After my post of yesterday about the power of positive thinking and the coincidence between writing the post and then picking up Dan Brown’s new Book, The Lost Symbol, where in the first few chapters this very subject is discussed, I decided to read more about Noetic Science to learn what it is all about. [...]

How often have we heard that positive thinking is the answer to many of one’s problems. And how often have we pooh-poohed that thought as poppycock and nonsense. Well, there are many stories around about how the power of the mind has led to positive outcomes and surprising results. After all, one’s brain is a powerful computer that is barely [...]

If anyone of you read, in your youth, ‘Travels with a Donkey’ by Robert Louis Stevenson, as a school setwork, you will know what I am about to embark on. I have this week decided to put my life – well my materialistic life  – into storage… and travel…. for the next 3 or 4 [...]

Tomorrow I will be meditating about self and being true to oneself, so I thought these words from Thich Nhat Hanh were ideal preparation for the meditation. “To meditate does not mean to fight with a problem. To meditate means to observe. Your smile proves it. It proves that you are being gentle with yourself, that [...]

Here are a few techinques to help you relax. Try them today. Weightlessness Spend some time in water; the ocean, a spa, a float tank, a swimming pool or a bathtub. Relax and let the worries and stresses of the day float away. “Relaxation means releasing all concern and tension and letting the natural order [...]

Our meditation evening last night was, for me, one of the best meditation and learning sessions for a long time. The theme of  ‘Who do you think you are?’ made me ponder deeply on that question. We all think of ourselves, certainly when we introduce ourselves to someone new, as “What do you do?” meaning workwise, [...]

As the Western economies continue to deal with the global financial crisis, the incidence of depression is likely to increase…. and even when the economies return to normal growth again, depression will continue to be more prevalent as people deal with the stresses of managing their once again growing financial portfolios. Research has shown that as economies [...]

Today’s Sydney Morning Herald had a great article about meditation and relaxation. A recent Harvard scientific study has now proven that meditation and the relaxation that goes with it affects the genes in the body with great beneficial results. When you are in a state of deep relaxation, the feel good hormone serotonin and growth hormone [...]

We had a great meditation session last night, guided by a visiting member of a Zen Buddist meditation group in San Francisco. He led us through a full body meditation and then chatted a bit about his experience with meditation over the years, under the guidance of some great masters. And he answered something quite [...]

Thanks to my meditation group and Cynthia James for this timely piece of advice that we can all take heed of. Dormancy is an important part of nature - a time of renewal and rejuvenation. Without this time, many species cannot bear fruit, or they simply die. So why do we, as human beings, not honour stillness [...]

Here are another 5 reasons for meditating 6. Becoming a regular meditator will increase your creativity, creating more space for new ideas to arise and to be noticed, and lowering any resistance you may have to new concepts and ways of thinking. 7. Meditating makes you healthier. Not only does it help you become aware [...]

As you know I have begun meditating and now do it regularly. I found an article by Jerry Kolber where he discussed his main reasons for meditating more clearly than I could. So here are the first five. By meditating daily he found the positive effects of the practice were so profound that when he didn’t [...]

If you have read ” The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, you will know that he extols the benefits of living in the Now, not worrying about what happened yesterday, or about what might happen tomorrow, or even in the next hour. Live in the moment, ‘surrender to the situation you find yourself in’ [...]