Love is painful because it creates the way for joy, for ecstasy, for bliss. Love is painful because it transforms you. Love is growth.

Love itself does not hurt. It is growth that hurts, the ego that stings.

Each transformation is painful because the old situation is being left behind for the new. Hence, fear arises.

The real problem is the mind. Fear lives in the mind and the mind wants you to hang on to a situation that is known and comfortable for you. The ego-mind resists change because it is afraid of losing control and feels insecure about the unpredictability of the unknown. Love means the death of the ego because love cannot be controlled, it can only be received, accepted. Love is fragile. One day it is there, the next day it may be gone, like the wind. We cannot grasp the wind in our fist. We can only enjoy and appreciate it while it is there.

For the mind, love is a dangerous path. Mind will advise you to avoid love but this is even more dangerous, because love is the central core of our lives. A life without love is a life that is withered and dried up.

It is because of the pain of love that millions live a loveless life, like a rotten seed that has never opened to flower to it’s fullest potential.If you don’t go into love, as many people have decided, then you are stuck with yourself. Then your life is a stagnant pool. You need to keep the energy flowing, like a river which keeps on flowing to the ocean.

So what do we do? Choose love! Always choose love because even though there is pain, to suffer in love is not to suffer in vain; it takes you to higher levels of consciousness. There is a positive, creative outcome for you. If you choose the mind you will also suffer but it will be useless suffering with an unproductive outcome. Life will be dull and you become neurotic from lack of love. To be afraid of love, to be afraid of the growing pains of love, is to remain enclosed in a dark cell.

The transformation is from control of the mind to vulnerability of the heart. And the agony can be deep. But you cannot have ecstasy without going through agony. If the gold wants to be purified, it has to pass through fire.

Love is fire.

Find your courage and love, fully and completely. Trust and live in your heart. Love takes you from the head to the heart and nurtures, comforts and heals you even as you pass through the fire. Love is ever-present to support you.

With love, the soul arises within you; the ego drops and the soul arises. Love is food for the soul.

You can ask yourself:”Is this pain for my growth?” “Is my heart breaking open to give and receive even more love?” Every time your heart breaks open, yes it’s painful, but it means your heart is expanding and deepening. The pain is good and productive for you.

LEARN from each experience, WATCH the ego and CHOOSE LOVE. Go through the dark night, and you will reach a beautiful sunrise. It is only in the womb of the dark night that the sun evolves. It is only through the dark night that the morning comes.

Here is a meditation to encourage and support you.

Meditation: Sixty-Second Stop
Benefits:
This powerful yet simple technique encourages the love in your heart to grow, and it attracts more love to you.

Close your eyes and become aware of your heart.It might help to place your hand on your heart. Bring in a memory of a person, place or event that brings you joy. Feel the happiness filling your heart with that memory. Do this technique whenever you feel disconnected from your heart or whenever you want to increase the love in your heart.

With love to you, my reader. I look forward to your comments.

Self-confidence is a deeply-rooted feeling that we are ok, that we are loved, that we matter…that what we say, do and feel…matters.

 When we are missing this key ingredient, life can be hell. So, let’s turn the hell into heaven right now with these 5 keys that work to unleash your self-confidence, joy and creativity. And here’s the good news: your self-confidence is already in there, just waiting to be freed up and expressed.

1. Laugh, a lot, every day!
Laughter is the first key because this is the easiest way to get your self-confidence going. You get a powerful kick-start from laughter to get positive energy flowing. Make a deliberate practice of bringing more laughter into your life, every day. You might have to “fake it ‘til you make it”, at the beginning, but soon laughter flows naturally and spontaneously. Every child is born full of laughter, and that includes you. Laughter provides many dimensions of benefits for your body, mind, heart and soul. It erases fear(you can’t laugh and be afraid at the same time!), unleashes your innate joy and creativity, and enhances all your relationships, not to mention bringing fun, relaxation and love into your world.

2. Meditate!
Practice the laughter meditation. Stage one: laughter. Stage two: sit in silence. This is the easiest way to get into meditation and combines with the first key! The powerful effect of the laughter in stage one helps you drop deeper down, in the second stage, to discover the inner wisdom, silence and stillness that reside within you. As a result love, peace, creativity, joy, self-respect, and self-love arise, naturally and spontaneously. Your self-confidence is innate in these qualities. You find the wisdom to know that what you say, do, and feel does matter. You don’t need another person to tell you, you just know.

Then, whatever other people’s opinions are, YOU know that you have something special to offer the world and your presence here is important.We all matter.

3. Love Yourself!
Loving yourself is much easier once you have started your laughter meditation practice. Love arises naturally from laughter. In fact, laughter IS love, isn’t it? When we laugh, we open our hearts and are in loving communion with others, and with ourselves. Try it! Notice how you feel; notice how your own self-judgment is erased; notice how other people’s judgments are dissolved;and notice how your inner joy arises and fills you to overflowing with love,creativity, and a positive outlook. What we focus on expands. Keep your focus on loving yourself no matter what, and your self-confidence will soar. It’s true!!

4. Love others!
A natural outcome of loving ourselves is loving others. However, loving ourselves has to be the first step. We must fill up our own well first, then loving others naturally comes from our overflow. However, pay attention:loving others more than yourself creates resentment which grows like a cancer within you. And I am not saying don’t love others, I am saying keep a BALANCE and make sure the scales are tipped in your favor. The more selfish you are, the more you have to give. This might not be in alignment with what you were taught. For centuries women, in particular, have been conditioned that everyone else in the household is more important. It’s time to reverse that thinking and step into respecting yourself enough so that you know you deserve love as much as others. You cannot love others if you don’t love yourself.

5. Follow Your Passion!
Whatever your passion is, do it! There is nothing that sparks your self-confidence more than immersing yourself in what turns you on, what brings you joy. The activity doesn’t matter so much as your quality of presence and joy with the activity. It cannot be something that someone else thinks you should enjoy, it has to come from YOU. And it can be anything from scrap-booking, to roller skating, to travel, to studying Chinese. Throw yourself into your passion and miracles happen. It can be your work or it can be something you only do at weekends, as a hobby. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you are enjoying yourself, coming alive, getting to know what makes you tick. Your self-confidence will start to soar!

Implementing these 5 keys transforms your life into heaven on earth. Do it…and let me know.

I first heard of Brazilian healer, John of God, twenty years ago. A friend of mine had been diagnosed with leukemia and given just a few months to live. He visited John of God for a healing and the leukemia went into remission. After a second visit, the leukemia completely disappeared from his body. His doctors were astounded when they saw the test results. My friend is still alive and thriving today.

 
John of God, has been serving as a full medium to divine healing spirits(collectively called The Entity) for over 50 years. In that time he has helped heal hundreds of thousands of people around the world, (including best-selling author Dr.Wayne Dyer) from diseases such as cancer, malignant tumors, arthritis, blindness, and many other conditions. His full name is Joao Teixera and he prefers to be called “medium Joao”. He famously states that he doesn’t heal anyone, it is God who heals.

My reason for visiting medium Joao was a persistent lower back pain. After a lifetime of excellent health, I felt there must be a deeper cause for the pain.

Dressed in white, as we are all requested to do, my turn came to stand in front of medium Joao at the Casa,( located in Abadiania, a small town in the hinterland of Brazilia).  Within a split second, I was told “surgery – come back at 2p.m.”

That afternoon as I sat in the meditation room  reserved for the “surgery” participants, I kept my eyes closed, as did my other 40 or so fellow seekers-of-healing. Usually the healings are “spiritual surgeries”, as I had experienced several months before when John of God visited the Omega Institute in New York.

But this time, when we were asked to raise our hand if we wanted a “visible surgery”, I volunteered. When asked where I wanted the surgery, I replied”My heart”. Over the last several months I had come to realize that the root of the back pain was, in fact, in my heart. A residual emotional pain was still there from a terrifying and painful childhood.

As I was led to the front of the meditation room, I noticed medium Joao standing waiting for me. He was incorporated as Dr Augusto Almeira, a renowned 19^th century Brazilian physician. Dr Augusto has stated that he is dedicated to helping people heal their suffering which is why he works in this way now, through the hands of medium Joao.

Medium Joao took my hand and led me to the front of the large room where he usually sits. There are approximately 50 mediums, dressed in white, eyes closed, who sit in this room to help amplify the healing energy. In addition there is a small “current” room, off to the left, where visitors like myself are invited to sit in meditation to assist with the current of healing energy. I was privileged to be invited to sit there on several occasions.

After a short speech in Portuguese, medium Joao made a small incision over my heart, then stitched it up. Nothing hurt. The Entity uses spiritual anesthesia so that no pain is felt. All who have experienced these “visible” surgeries say the same, that they feel no pain.

Then something remarkable happened. Medium Joao put his hand on my head and stroked my head gently and slowly. The energy coming from his hand was thick with love, and I felt the love pouring down through my head and into my entire body. Medium Joao is a large, tall man with big hands and I felt reassured, deeply loved, and totally trusting, like a child with a loving parent.

The healing was extraordinary. Throughout my life I have been loved as a mother, wife, and friend. But I have not been loved as a child. I received that love through this healing. When I raised my hand I was heard.(I was never heard as a child). When medium Joao took my hand and led me to the front of the main room, I felt  reassured, and comforted. The visceral experience of being a child was enhanced by not being able to understand Portuguese.

I now know how it feels to be loved as a child. I can recall that experience whenever I want, the same way anyone can who was deeply loved by their parents. A missing piece of my childhood healing has been filled in that I didn’t even realize was missing!

My wound has healed perfectly. It’s as if the wound had to be re-opened in order to be completely healed. I am deeply grateful for this experience. I can only imagine the benefits that will continue to come.

I look forward to hearing from you and send each one of you much love.

The winter solstice, December 22^nd, has been celebrated in cultures the world over for thousands of years. As the shortest day/longest night of the year, this start of the solar year is a celebration of light and the rebirth of the Sun. We have all completed one more official journey around the Sun.

 Many of the customs, lore, symbols, and rituals associated with the Solstice have survived into the 21^st century so let’s see how we can join in this ancient celebration to bring love, light, joy and meaning to this season.

 
Enliven your surroundings
with the color red.The color of the sun is energizing, and symbolic of love, courage, warmth, fire. Wear red sweaters, scarves and hats, light red candles, bring in red flowering plants(we are lucky here in California, the red poinsettia is in bloom). This has a powerful effect in the darkest days of the year to lighten your mood and create a festive, heartening atmosphere.

Adorn your home
with sacred herbs and colors. Decorate your home in holiday colors red, green, and white. Place holly, ivy, evergreen boughs, and pine cones around your home, especially in areas where socializing takes place. Hang a sprig of mistletoe above a major threshold, an evergreen wreath on the front door to symbolize the continuity of life and the wheel of the year. Bring in a Christmas tree with colored lights.

Convey love
to family, friends, and associates. At the heart of the Solstice was the custom of family and friends feasting together and exchanging presents. Continue this custom by visiting, entertaining, giving gifts, and sending greetings by mail and/or phone. Play games, enjoy children, roast chestnuts over an open fire(what fun!). Consider those who are and/or have been important in your life and share appreciation.

Honor the new solar year with light.
Do a Winter Solstice Eve ritual in which you meditate in darkness and then welcome the birth of the sun by lighting candles and singing chants and carols. If you have an indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire circle, burn an oak log as a Yule log. Decorate the inside and/or outside of your home with electric colored lights.

Party Hearty
on New Years’s eve, not just to welcome the calendar year but also to welcome the new solar year. Celebrate and remember how much the sun means to our planet earth, bringing heat, and light.

Contribute to the manifestation of more wellness on Planet Earth.
Donate food and clothing to poor in your area. Volunteer time at a social service agency. Put up bird feeders and keep them filled throughout the winter to supplement the diets of wild birds. Donate funds and items to non-profit groups, such as churches and environmental organizations. Meditate for world peace. Work magic for a healthier planet. Make a pledge to do some form of good works in the new solar year.

Pray 
Take time for self-reflection, contemplation, meditation. The darkness of the winter solstice time supports going within to give thanks, receive spiritual guidance, and set intentions for the upcoming year. This is one of my favorite prayers:

In my busy-ness, I sometimes forget to stop and give thanks for all the blessings in my life. I am truly fortunate to experience abundance, health and aliveness. I am grateful for the simple joys of laughter, for the ability to love and be loved, for the opportunity to witness everyday miracles.

 I give thanks for mother earth, for the animal kingdom and the marvelous wonders of the natural world. I am grateful for a mind that thinks and a body that feels and for my family and friends.

 I am thankful that I do work that I love and that I bring value to people. I am even grateful for the valleys, the dark nights of the soul, and the uncertainty that sometimes burdens my heart. It means that I’m alive and that I’ve allowed life’s betrayals to teach my heart wisdom and patience. 

 I am grateful for the Light of a new day and infinite possibilities waiting to be born. Thank you for allowing me to witness random acts of kindness in a sometimes dark and hurried world. It gives me hope and allows me to see the Divinity in every human being. Thank you for absolutely everything, for my life and for this breath.

Celebrate
As you think about setting goals for next year, take some time to write down and CELEBRATE everything you have accomplished this year. Keep your focus on your successes. Be careful of negative self-critical thoughts coming in when you remember the goals you did not achieve. Put those on your list for next year.

CELEBRATING keeps our focus on the positive and attracts more for us to celebrate. The Take this energy of CELEBRATION with you into the New Year and keep it with you throughout the whole year.

However big or small the occasion, look for excuses to be in a state of celebration. You can celebrate failures too. They open doorways for something new to come in. Your positive attitude will make sure you attract more positivity and goodness.

    “Forgiveness is choosing to love. It is the first skill of self-giving love.”
       – Mahatma Gandhi

Do you find it easy to forgive people who have hurt or abused you in some way?    I didn’t until I started to understand that I was hurting myself more by maintaining a tight knot of resentment and anger towards the people who had wronged me. As I learned to love myself, and make loving myself more important than hating the other person, a profound shift happened within me.

I felt more loving not only towards myself, but towards everyone and all situations in my life. This shift in perspective produced  a feeling state of relaxation, ease, and trust that all was right with my world, that I was divinely taken care of, that I was ok. I gained in self-confidence, courage and compassion.
(Forgiving your abuser does not make what they did ok,  nor does it mean that you have to spend time with them. If they are truly remorseful, then perhaps you can patch things up. If they are not, continue on your way.)

This feeling state of choosing to love, rather than being resentful, takes you to a higher vibrational level of the Law of Attraction to attract good things to you. It’s a win-win for YOU. As regards the other person, that is not your business.

Mind Your Own Vibration:

Your business is to mind your own vibrational level and keep it high with love, happiness and joy. This takes focus, energy and attention and reaps rich rewards. When you take focus off the other person and keep it on yourself, you don’t get sucked into the vibration-lowering energy of blame, resentment and anger. Being unforgiving keeps you at the lower vibrational level of your abuser. Forgiving is a choice that raises your vibrational level as high as you want. You move from victim to mastery of your life. How wonderful is that?

Watch the Ego:

Here we have to be vigilant because the ego likes to be right. It wants to take revenge, get even, hurt back. Now, here’s where you have to be careful.  It’s highly likely, almost certain, that you are right: that person should not have hurt you. However, getting revenge does not serve YOU. Know that the abuser is creating their own negative vibration and activating Newton’s 3^rd Law of Motion which states that every action creates an equal and opposite reaction, sometimes known as the Law of Cause and Effect, sometimes known as Karma, or “what goes around comes around”.   We must choose, therefore, between being right and being happy. And, believe me, being happy is the best choice!

Feel Love Expanding:

As you continue to put your energy, attention and focus on being happy, a miracle occurs. Love grows and expands, filling up your inner well and then overflowing for others to share and enjoy.

Experience Gratitude Arising:

A further gift we receive is experiencing the ease with which gratitude arises. Being thankful for all our experiences magnifies our happiness. Gratitude lifts us into a realm of possibility where dreams really can come true. It helps us access a place where trust, creativity and imagination reside.

As you live joyfully and contentedly, regardless of the situation, regardless of what you have or don’t have, you discover that joy is not dependent on anything, or anyone. It arises from within you. It is already there, you already have what you seek.

Meditation: Choose Love

Benefits:
When you choose love over a negative reaction, you bring yourself to a higher vibrational level of joy, peace and happiness. You therefore attract more love. Your life becomes easier, more fulfilling, and purposeful.

Love is Truth. Whenever you speak your truth, love is there. Love for yourself, that is, because the other person might not agree with or like what you say. Love, however, has a depth and a resonance that will keep you in alignment with your true self and serve you. You might not understand how right away, but in time all things become clear.

Always choose love. Bring love to the situation, even if you are the only one doing so.

—————-
A dear friend of mine, 6-Time Emmy-winning producer Shawne Duperon, is in the process of creating an incredible documentary www.ProjectForgive.com I am a pledged participant myself and would love for you to join me. Please check it out.

Are you having trouble  staying in a positive state of mind when challenging circumstances present themselves? The Universal Laws state: so within, so without. Everything is a mirror.  We cannot change the reflection but we can change the original(ourselves), and then, automatically, the reflection changes. 

Here are my top five keys that can help you cultivate not only a positive mindset but also the feeling state necessary for the positive Law of Attraction. The more you focus on bringing awareness to accepting and loving yourself, the more your inner beauty and harmony is reflected in the outer circumstances. The Sufi master who designed the Taj Mahal based his work on meditation. It shows, doesn’t it?

1.     Relax, and Accept

Relax, and accept the challenging situation. Don’t fight it because that will make it worse. The more relaxed you are, the more productive you are. Creativity arises out of a relaxed state. And it’s creativity that you need to come up with solutions to the situation you are in. And notice that I use the word “situation” and not the word “problem”. There is no such thing as a problem, only a situation. When you shift your perspective and see the situation as it is,without negative commentary, then you come up with creative solutions, and/or you find the right person to help you.

2.     Watch the Mind

Make a practice of watching the thoughts of the mind with non-judgment and compassion for yourself. It is not the thoughts that are the problem, it is our identification with them, that creates stress and anxiety.

For 5 minutes a day sit with eyes closed, body relaxed, and observe the thoughts of the mind. You don’t have to censor them, or force them to be other than they are, simply observe with non-judgment, and let them pass by. Over time, you become less identified with the thoughts, and more  connected to your creativity, wisdom and clarity.

3.    Create Positive Thoughts

A powerful way to undermine the influence of negative thoughts on your well being is to create a practice of saying positive thoughts to yourself. At the beginning these might seem tedious or silly, but, believe me, it works! The easiest way to break a bad habit of self-judgment and criticism is to create positive phrases that you repeat to yourself as often as possible. Even if you don’t really believe them in the beginning, say them anyway! Over time they become a habit and the negative thoughts simply disappear.

4.    Surround yourself with Positive People

Be alert to people who like to complain, bad-mouth others, and/or have a depressed outlook on life. AVOID THEM. Keep yourself in the company of positive thinking people. This is a powerful way to keep yourself in a positive energy field which will LIFT YOU, rather than bring you down. Your life is not determined by outside circumstances, but rather how you respond to those outside circumstances.

Remember that all things are possible, there is a lot going on that is unseen to you. The more you keep yourself on a positive vibrational level, the greater your chances of having positive outcomes to challenging situations.

5.     Be Grateful, Laugh, Celebrate

Be grateful for what you have. If things are really bad, be grateful for being able to breathe, get out of bed in the morning, use your legs. Be grateful for the sunrise and sunset, for the beauty of the sky, the trees, the birds and flowers. There is always something to be grateful for. Put your focus there and celebrate what you have. Laughter is a powerful attractor factor. Seek out ways to bring more laughter into your life. You will be amazed at the miracles that occur.

Meditation: Befriending the Mind

Benefits:
When you befriend the mind you will be surprised how radically life can change. It becomes much easier to disidentify from the mind’s constant chattering and see yourself, and life’s situations, with more clarity and objectivity. You see life’s dramas with perspective and compassion, and insights and understandings arise naturally.

Find ways to befriend your mind. The mind is our bridge from the subconscious to the conscious, our gateway of expression to the outer world. Be grateful for it. Find ways to appreciate the insights, understandings, and creativity it brings. See it not as an enemy but as a friend. 

As this friendship with the mind deepens, your mind no longer disturbs you. You are not fighting it; you are simply letting it’s thoughts pass by.The mind and the ego want to make it complicated, but it is not. Life sings a different tune when you are not controlled by the mind. Your natural joy, spontaneity, self-acceptance, love and compassion arise quickly and easily.

Would you like to be more focused, confident and relaxed, even in the midst of chaos? Have you ever found yourself distracted in a situation in which you needed to be focused? An ability to focus and be highly productive is one of the greatest benefits I can credit a consistent practice of expressive meditation techniques.

Let’s define the word focus. Think about this: when you take a magnifying glass, aligning it with the sun’s rays and focusing it on a piece of paper, at some point the paper will catch fire. You have harnessed the power of the sun’s rays for a specific result. This demonstrates the power of harnessing your energy to focus on something specific to get a very powerful outcome. Not that I am suggesting that you ignite everything visible! But once you understand how to do this with your own energy, everything becomes possible for you.

Focus is a quality you can bring to any activity, a quality of relaxed alertness, presence, clarity of mind, and creativity. It means being 100 percent present. Imagine, for example, walking along a beach, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, listening to the waves crashing on the shore, aware of the sand touching your feet, tasting the salty tang of the sea air, seeing the blues of the sky and sea and the yellow of the sand. All five senses are involved with enjoying every moment. You are fully present in this in-the-body experience.

Why are we so easily distracted? Have you ever been in a meeting or talking with your partner and discovered that you were drifting when you knew you were supposed to be focusing? Why does that happen to us? Because we are full to overflowing with mental clutter, emotional turmoil, and physical stress, and it just plain is difficult to stay focused.

Would you like to know how to eliminate all that inner clutter? Do an expressive meditation technique.

The Gibberish meditation, for example, allows you to dump out mental overload and physical and emotional stress so that your mind is fresh and uncluttered.

The Gibberish Meditation:

Stage One: Close your eyes. Put on a blindfold if you can because it helps keep the eyes closed. Start speaking in gibberish, any nonsense sounds. Don’t worry about what you sound like. Just go totally mad. This is therapeutic madness. Make any sounds you like; just don’t speak in a language or use words that you know. Allow yourself to express whatever needs to be expressed within you. Go consciously crazy. Sing, cry, shout, scream, mumble. Let your body go free, stamp, stomp, jump, skip, lie down, run in circles. Do whatever you feel like doing without harming anyone. Do not let up. Keep a steady stream of sound going. If you are doing this meditation with other people, don’t get distracted by what they are doing. Stay with what is happening with you. If you cannot make loud sounds, for example if you live in an apartment complex, then mouth the sounds silently but with the same force as if you were shouting out loud.

Stage Two: Sit in silence and watch with non-judgment.

Start with five minutes of each stage and increase the amount of time if you wish. Spend the same amount of time on each stage.

Other emotions, such as joy, excitement, sadness and grief—indeed, our full spectrum of emotions—can also be expressed with this technique, resulting in emotional balance, calm and inner peace.

The Laughter meditation is a great way to release emotional, physical, and mental stress, resulting in increased creativity, joy and a greater ability to focus. Through the laughter meditation technique, you can make a conscious practice of using laughter to release your tension and help you to drop deeper into inner silence and stillness. Laughter serves as a bridge to take us deeper into our inner silence.

The Laughter Meditation:

Stage one: start laughing and laugh for no reason.

Stage two: sit in silence and watch with non-judgment.

You can do this for any amount of time that you choose, just do the same for each stage. Start with five minutes of each stage.

This structure helps keep the balance between the extroverted nature of stage one and the introverted nature of stage two. It is the balanced awareness and expression of both of these energies that brings you to a deeper harmony and peace within yourself.

The Dancing meditation is a great way to direct your energy inward, to release tension or unwind. Dancing invokes your joy, your creativity, your life force energy. Feeling free in your body allows your mind to expand, your heart to open, and your spirit to fly.

Dancing Meditation:

Stage One: Put on some music that you find uplifting and fills you with joy. Dance with eyes closed – make sure you clear some space first!

Stage Two:
Lie down in silence with eyes closed and allow the energy you have generated through the dance to take you into deep meditation.

This technique allows the dynamism of the dance to move to your roots, to the very core of your being, liberating great feelings of joy and positivity.

As you use these, and other expressive meditation techniques, to clear out your inner clutter you attain clarity of mind, emotional integrity, and greater access to your sense of humor and creativity. Your ability to focus greatly increases for longer periods of time. Meditation is a quality of presence, offers clarity of mind, and opens the door to creativity. It means being 100 percent present. You can bring to any activity that quality of relaxed alertness. Do you remember? This is exactly how we defined focus!

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– at Work, at Home, at Play (Penguin)

“I highly recommend this extraordinary book.”
- Margot Anand, author of The Art of Everyday Ecstasy

Read an excerpt / more information

Everyone feels better after a good laugh, don’t they?

Have you any idea how beneficial laughter is for our physical health?

It is phenomenal what the research shows. Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan of Loma Linda University in California, amongst others, have studied the effects of laughter. To date, this is what their studies have shown.

Aerobic Exercise:

Laughter provides a workout for the diaphragm and increases the body’s ability to use oxygen.

Keep Fit and Lose Weight

Laughter is exercise and helps keep us fit, giving us a good cardio workout.

Muscle Relaxation:
Laughter results in muscle relaxation. While you laugh, the muscles that do not participate in the belly laugh, relax. After you finish laughing, those muscles involved in the laughter start to relax. So, the action takes place in two stages.

Reduction of Stress Hormones:

Laughter reduces at least four of neuroendocrine hormones associated with stress response. These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopac, and growth hormones.

Immune System Enhancement:

Clinical studies have shown that laughter strengthens the immune system. Laughter raises levels of infection-fighting T-cells and disease-fighting proteins called Gamma-interferon and B-cells.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.

Pain Reduction:

Experts believe that, when used as an adjunct to conventional care, laughter can reduce pain and aid the healing process. For one thing, laughter offers a powerful distraction from pain. Laughter allows a person to “forget”, at least temporarily, about aches and pains.

Cardiac Exercise:

Laughter is equivalent to “internal jogging”. Laughter can provide good cardiac conditioning especially for those who are unable to perform physical exercise.

Blood Pressure:

Laughter prevents hypertension and reduces blood pressure. In addition, dopamine levels decrease with laughter. Dopamine is involved in the “fight or flight response” and is associated with elevated blood pressure.

Respiration:

Frequent laughter empties your lungs of more air than it takes in resulting in a cleansing effect – similar to deep breathing. Especially beneficial for patients who are suffering from emphysema and other respiratory ailments.

Decreases Disease:

Laughter brings in positive emotions that can enhance –not replace – conventional treatments. Hence it is another tool available to help fight disease.

Dementia:

New studies have shown that laughter can help people with dementia to be less agitated.(Aol Healthy Living, September 21, 2011)

MEDITATION:

It is well-known that meditation techniques help reduce anxiety, and depression, allowing you to tap directly into your own source of natural well-being. Meditation techniques also improve brain functioning, decision-making, and increase happiness.

Laughter Meditation techniques bring all the benefits listed above for laughter AND for meditation. Imagine how much better you will feel if you make a deliberate practice of laughter meditation. Join us for the Laughter Meditation Teleclass Program.

Enjoy all these benefits and have fun!

Laughter Meditation:

Stage One: Laughter

Stage Two: Sit in Silence.

You can do this meditation technique for any amount of time that you choose, for example one minute or more of each stage. Just be sure and do about the same amount of time for each stage.

Pragito is interviewed by Hale Dwoskin, founder of The Sedona Method.

They spent almost a half an hour talking and laughing and there was a lot more laughter than speaking. Be sure and listen all the way to the end for the longest period of laughter. Have fun!

Pragito is interviewed by Hale Dwoskin, founder of The Sedona Method.

Laughter meditation heals fear, anxiety and worry.

Even just listening to this recording will bring you anxiety relief and will help you feel more relaxed and calm.

Laughter is a great natural tranquilizer.

It triggers the brain to release endorphins which foster a sense of relaxation and well-being.

Laughter may not immediately solve all your problems, but what it does do is unleash your creativity, bring you clarity of mind, optimism, and hope. In this positive frame of mind it is much easier to find solutions and attract good things to you.

Pragito is interviewed by Hale Dwoskin, founder of The Sedona Method.

I hope you enjoy this recording and that it ignites your passion and joy of life and reminds you that the more we share in laughter and love, the more support we receive in difficult times.

Love and blessings,