Everyone is born with a set of skills, you might feel inclined to do certain things rather than others, since the early stages of your existence. If you’re able to identify such skills, try to use them, try to fulfill them by applying them in your daily endeavors. If you have doubts about which direction you should give to your life, my suggestion is to try to find some time to relax and focus inwardly, choosing a quiet location in which you’re not likely to be disturbed. Then focus on yourself, identify the things that you like to do, and the ones that you don’t like to do. If you feel drawn to any particular path, try to dig into the reasons behind that, and if you’ve not followed that path yet, start thinking about what has stopped you from doing that. It could be a person, a commitment, an emotion, anything. It could be a combination of those.

If any emotion comes up during this process, let it come to the surface, feel it without judging it, accept it, and then try to identify which of your beliefs has played a role into the birth and the evolution/growth of that emotion. If you’re unhappy with such emotion, try to ask yourself whether you’d like to stick to the belief that created it or if you wanna get rid of it or at least modify that belief. It is a process that takes quite some time and energy, and you will need a few of those sessions of inward focusing before you’ll start noticing some results.

Life is a journey, they say. Try to live it listening to your heart, try to connect to your essence within. It is the only real way to find purpose, your own purpose about what to do in life.

Many people have never tried meditation and they truly do not know what they are missing. Our world is full of sounds, sights, and other distractions. We are bombarded with these things every day of our lives. Meditation allows you to escape from this for awhile. A chance to truly relax

Through meditation can you truly get to know yourself, organize your thoughts, relax, and even improve your health. That quiet time can give you time to hear your own soul.

It takes practice. We are so used to living in a rush, it’s actually difficult for us to learn to totally relax and release all of the pressure we place on ourselves.

The things that must be considered include the length of time you need to devote to meditation, where you will meditate, your posture and your eye position, and very important, how to control your breathing.

There are many guides and books on proper meditation techniques and I suggest you research this. This one article is much too short to cover all of the proper meditation techniques. Here, I will stay focused on the many types of meditation.

One type of meditation that is definitely designed to help you stay healthy is called HRM, or Heart Rhythm Meditation. This type of meditation is used to coordinate the rhythms of your heart, your breath, and your brainwaves. It is supposed to help you create harmony within yourself. HRM incorporates several types of meditation into one.

Others include what are generally referred to as upward and downward meditation. As an example, HRM above incorporates several types of downward meditation. Other types of downward meditation include reality meditation, active meditation, lover meditation, meditation centered on the heart, in-life meditation, inclusive meditation, and awakening meditation.

Upward forms of meditation include religious meditation, meditation centered on the mind, monastic meditation, denial meditation, dualistic meditation, trance meditation, observer meditation, passive meditation, and fantasy meditation.

Upward meditation is described as drawing energy upwards and consciousness out of the body. That is where the term out-of-body experience is used. Downward meditation invites energy down into the body through the body’s third eye, or heart.

There are types of meditation that utilize both upward and downward meditation, but for the purposes of this article we will focus on those that are more specific.

Reality meditation has an obvious definition. It is based on reality rather than fantasy or imagination, while fantasy meditation relies on your imagination. In fantasy meditation you may imagine you are in another place, have become another person, or maybe even another type of existent or non-existent being.

Another two types of meditation that are the exact opposites of each other are passive and active meditation. In passive meditation, the type most people assume is the right way, the person tries to be absolutely still and do nothing, emptying their mind as much as possible. They may seem or actually even become asleep. If this was the goal, it is a perfect way to achieve sleep.

Active meditation is goal-oriented. The person focuses his or her mind outwardly toward that goal. The person attempts to remain in a state of meditation sending out waves to achieve the goal, usually used to bring peace to an otherwise tumultuous situation.

Denial and dualistic meditation are approximately the same. Many times the person is using this form of meditation to overcome pain or suffering. They focus their mind and tell themselves that they are not really suffering or in pain. Belief can heal, therefore they strive to create a reality where the suffering and pain are gone or it has no effect on them.

Trance meditation is used to diminish sensory capacity. The person uses it to achieve an ultimate calmness. This usually entails rhythmic chanting, suggestions of deep sleep, or submission. Hypnosis is an example of the use of Trance meditation.

The opposite of trance meditation might be alertness meditation or awakening meditation. The person won’t become sleepy as in trance meditation, but their senses will be heightened. The rhythm of the chants are usually faster and the rhythm changes. In a group it may change to keep in harmony with the others in the group.

As I said earlier in the article, this is written just to introduce you to the fact that there are various forms of meditation and each has its own uses. You may want to study the different types and look for the one that is right for you before you start.

Meditation isn’t something you should just do because someone recommended you do it. It isn’t something you should start doing because someone wants you to go to meditation group sessions with him or her. What works for them may not work for you. You need to explore the different forms of meditation that are out there and find one that specifically helps you.

Although American popular culture commonly refers to anything that looks Japanese or Eastern as a “Zen garden,” a true karesansui never contains water. Instead, it uses gravel and sand to symbolize water. Usually the gravel is white or near white in coloration, although this is not a hard-fast rule in landscaping. The reason that sand and gravel are used as water substitutes is because they can be intricately sculpted in ways that water cannot. Using only a rake, a landscaper can depict ripples, sea waves, rushing rivers, or still, quiet lakes. Every so often, the gardener will alter these patterns to reflect the Buddhism belief that the only thing constant in the Universe is change itself. Even those things that appear to be the most fixed of forms are slowly being altered by unseen forces all around us. In many Buddhist temples even to this day, monks remind themselves of this truth by raking the sand in their Zen gardens while they meditate, seeking a still mind in the perfection of linear form, and creative insight in curved patterns of motion that wrap harmoniously around alternating forms.

In most Zen gardens, rocks take the place of vegetation. This is another aspect of their design that makes these landscapes highly unique. Stones carefully placed in the sand create focal points in the endless fluidity that surrounds them, allowing an infinite variety of wave forms to accent their structure and positioning. Buddhist monks, long before Einstein, understood the relationship between matter and energy. The interplay of sand and stone directly reflects this relativistic relationship with a set of simple, natural symbols that are easy to work with and peaceful to behold. The relationship between light sand and dark stone is another important symbolic element, and directly correlates to the concepts of yin and yang. It must be emphasized that black is NOT a symbol of evil in the Eastern World, but instead represents the receptive elements of the mind. In a similar way, white has nothing at all to do with our moral concept of good. It symbolizes the mind’s ability to express itself through intentional action. The careful placement of darker stones in lighter sand (or vice versa) is therefore never intended to represent a clash of opposites. Instead, it is meant to represent the dual nature of the mind as it perceives reality through contemplation, then acts upon it through intention.

One famous Japanese text even goes so far as to state that the most important element of Zen gardening is the placement of stones. The text goes on to say that rocks should always be positioned where the most attractive side faces the viewer. It also states emphatically that there should be a greater number of horizontal stones (or “chasing stones” as they are called in Japan) than there are vertical stones (called “running stones” in the text). Again, this helps emphasize the rising force of intent coming up from the depths of the mind. Intent is mystery in Buddhism, but its effects are clearly evidenced by action.

The philosophical function of rocks is complimented on the practical level practical level by decoratively arranging them to represent objects that are commonly found in Nature. Ancient Japanese texts on the subject recommend creating such features as mountains, lakes, seashores, rivers, and cliffs out of rocks of varying sizes. The only vegetation typically found in an authentic Zen garden is moss, which is trained to grow over rocks in emulation of forests growing along river banks, lakeshores, and mountainsides covered in forests. Very small shrubs are used at times to frame a Zen garden, but only as a perimeter element, and seldom, if ever, as a central one.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/zen-garden-design-841812.html

About the Author:
Jeff Halper is passionate for Landscaping and wants to share infomation about that passion. At Exterior Worlds you can read more about Zan gardens or Landscape Design

There are numerous meditation techniques that people who are interested and want to learn to meditate can choose from. While all forms of mediation have some commonalities, the techniques do differ based on what part of the world and what culture the particular practice is rooted in. Zen meditation has developed out of Zen Buddhism. It is also known as Zazen and incorporates various seated positions, special breathing techniques and chakras.

The discipline of Zen meditation is essentially focused on enabling the practitioner to live their daily lives in complete awareness of themselves and their surroundings. Through the practice of this meditation approach, people can escape from the “auto-pilot” existence that is so prevalent and which robs people of experiencing their lives fully.

When people fall into the trap of operating primarily on automatic pilot, they rarely notice all of the things that are happening around them; even within their own minds and hearts. This certainly can interfere with a person’s ability to be enlivened spiritually or to be on the path to spiritual development. Zen meditation can help to break the cycle of automatic living and help a person to engage more fully in their own life.

Through Zen meditations, people experience each moment of a day directly and with awareness and responsiveness. They consciously practice being aware of everything that they encounter and try to enliven their senses by paying attention to everything that they might hear, see, smell, feel and taste.

Another way of expressing this concept is by attempting to be completely and fully aware, while engaged in any activity, at any particular moment. Some people also call this, “living in the moment” or “living consciously.” The idea is to “become at one” with whatever they are currently engaged in doing.

Some examples of this would be: when eating, the practitioner is totally focused on the meal and their actions involved in eating; when they are engaged in a Zen mediation session, they stay concentrated on the reality of that moment and they do not allow their thoughts, their feelings, or their sensations to preoccupy or distract them; when they are engaged in work, they only work; when doing routine tasks such as brushing their teeth, they focus on that task and do not let their minds wander to think about other things.

While the Zen practitioner does not have to be engaged in meditation all day, every day, regular meditation practice helps to calm, center and focus the mind so that the person is able to focus and retain keen awareness. The Zen practice recognizes that all thoughts are a natural and beneficial function of the human mind and that thought should not be ignored, rejected or stopped. Instead, the practice allows wandering thoughts to be acknowledged then set to the side, keeping the mind from being carried away by anxieties, worries, fears and other discursive notions.

This method of meditation practice allows the person to enjoy a sense of liberation from the “pollution” of negative thoughts that can often cloud the mind and confuse thinking. Zen meditation helps to alleviate unnecessary suffering of the mind and allows the person to focus on truth, clarity and spiritual enlightenment.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/zen-meditation-allows-a-person-to-focus-on-truth-566168.html

About the Author:

Mike Selvon portal offers free articles on meditation. Find out more about the zen meditation, and leave a comment at the relaxation technique blog.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/alternative-medicine-articles/zen-fountains-for-moods-and-wishes-809346.html

About the Author:
Amber Liddell is resource for the website Serenityhealth.com, your one stop shop for any type of  water fountains  and water fountain information.  You will find many outdoor fountains for your garden, wall fountains, tabletop fountains and even custom fountains. Visit Serenityhealth.com or call to talk to one of our water fountain experts.

Distress is defined as extreme mental pain or suffering. Stress is the reaction of your body different changes it is confronted with. They can cause both physical and mental health problems. Our bodies can react to stressors physically, mentally, or emotionally. These reactions can cause medical problems that doctors often misdiagnose.

Our bodies need a certain amount of stress in our lives. It keeps us sharp and helps us avoid many dangers in our lives. Destress and stress become damaging when our minds and bodies do not have enough time between stressful situations. Normal stressful situations that are not resolved can cause distress. Distress can lead to serious health problems.

Some of the adverse health problems caused by distress and stress are:

• *Headaches: A very large percentage of all headaches are caused by stress. Relaxing and alleviating the stressful situation can relieve the headache.
• *Upset stomach: Stomach issues can appear almost instantly in reaction to stress.
• *High blood pressure: Stress can cause your blood pressure to rise and increase your risk of cardiac issues.
• *Anxiety: Stress can cause extreme anxiety.
• *Insomnia: Stress can cause sleep disorders.
• *Fatigue: Distress and stress can cause extreme fatigue and tiredness.
• *Immune System: Prolonged stress can damage your immune system.
• *Depression: Stress can lead to manic depression.
• *Mental breakdown: Untreated stress can cause a complete mental breakdown. This mental breaking point is different for every person. It is not known why some people can handle stress better than others.

These are just a few of the adverse affects of stress on our bodies. Study continues on the negative effect of stress on our physical and mental state. Research also shows that stress can make any disease worse. People will often try to alleviate stress through the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. Studies show that the use of these substances only makes stress worse, and can lead to distress.

Stress can be caused by many situations in our lives. It can be something as simple as rising fuel prices. Some common causes of stress are:

• *Relationship conflicts: Conflict with other people is one of the number one causes of stress. How we deal with conflict in relationships is very important in lowering our stress levels. Each of us “Deal” with relationship conflicts differently.
• *Financial: Financial problems cause severe stress and can lead to distress.
• *Change: Change can trigger stress. Any kind of change confronting us can trigger stress. It can be as simple as roadwork or a traffic jam. Changes often trigger stress on top of other stress. This increased stress can lead to significant distress.
• *Nutrition: Quite often we do not have time in our busy lives to eat properly. Poor nutrition causes physical stress on our bodies. Proper diet and nutrition is critical to lowering your stress level.
• *Exercise: Lack of exercise can lead to undue stress in our lives. Exercise is also a way to eliminate stress. Regular exercise can increase blood flow and relieves muscle tension.
• *Negative attitudes: Being around people who are negative can cause stress. Watching depressing and negative news can cause stress. Being positive is important to relieving stress.
• *Cultural problems: These problems include things like war and politics. The problems that face the country you live in can be stressors.

Any change that faces us in our lives can cause stress. Learning to deal with these changes is essential to our health and well being. Each of us will deal with stress in different ways. Often, we do not realize that stress is affecting us. A huge percentage of all visits to doctors in America are caused by stress related illnesses. Often, our doctors will not recognize that the illness is caused by stress. This can end up making the illness worse because the root cause, “stress” is not treated.

Learning what causes us stress and relieving it is important to our health. It can add years to our lives. You should always discuss the stress levels in your life with your doctor. It will often affect the treatment plan for your illness.

The first step to relieving stress is to understand its cause. Doctors will often send you to a therapist or your church pastor. Talking about the changes and issues in your life will lead you to the cause of your stress. Some things you can do to relieve stress are:

• *Nutrition: Eating properly is the first step in dealing with stress. Eating a proper breakfast is the foundation for your day. A good balanced diet is a very important part of reducing stress.
• *Exercise: Exercise is a natural stress reducer. It breaks down the tension in our muscles and body. It also increases blood flow and clears our minds.
• *Breathing: Deep breathing exercises will decrease stress levels. In our modern lifestyles none of us breathe properly. Most take shallow breathes which only provide oxidized blood to our major organs. Deep breathing exercises and training ourselves to breathe properly will significantly reduce our daily stress.
• *Meditation: Meditation can help us reduce the stress in our lives. Meditation is often used in conjunction with deep breathing exercises. You can use meditation to train yourself to handle change in your life in a better way.
• *Spiritualism: Attending church and praying has been shown to reduce and eliminate stress.
• *Therapy: If stress evolves into distress in your life you may need to see professional help. Talking about your problems can often help you cope with them.
• *Communication: Learning to communicate effectively with family, friends and co-workers can help you deal with stress. Communication leads to positive attitudes in your life. Positive attitudes in turn lead to less stress.

Each of us has different stress levels in our lives. Science does not understand why stress affects each of us differently. Learning to relieve distress and stress will enrich and lengthen your life. The first step is to understand that distress and stress are present in your life. Discover the cause and effect and you can then learn to relieve it.

The gardens were created to help the monks find enlightenment. The Japanese Zen garden was one of the world’s first forms of art. One might think that a garden would be full of plants and trees. Plants are not used in a Zen garden however.

Zen gardens are created with sand, gravel, and rocks. Rarely, they have moss and wood used in them. Each individual Zen garden is different. No two gardens are alike. A Zen garden is an individual expression of one’s thoughts. Others enjoy the garden but it is created from thoughts and spiritualism of one person. You should think about this if you are creating your own Zen garden. It should come from your inner self and be a place you can be at peace.

Zen gardens can be quite large. Some are over 30 meters in length. They are often meant to be viewed from one central position. Most outdoor Zen gardens are enclosed or have outside walls. These walls help define a garden and make it a quiet place.

The materials in a Zen garden have symbolism. They are:

• Sand: Sand represents water.
• Stones: The stones are the major parts of a Zen garden. Stones are very important to the Japanese people. They are more important than trees to the Japanese people. Stones represent the elements of nature. They can also represent fertility. Stones were passed down for generations in Japanese society. There are many different types of stones used in the traditional Japanese Zen garden. Some represent metal, some fire, they all have symbolism. There are five classes of stone shapes:
  1. Taido: Represents wood. They usually represent tall trees. They are often called body stones and are placed in groups.
  2. Shigyo: Fire. They are usually placed to the side or in front of other shapes.
  3. Reisho: Metal. They are usually placed low and vertical. They can be referenced as soul stones. They usually represent firmness.
  4. Shintai: Water. They are usually flat. They are usually referenced as base or mind and body stones. They are often used to harmonize rock groupings.
  5. Kikyaku: Earth. These tones usually look like they are reclining. They are often called root stones.
• 

White sand cones are used to represent the Shinto salt cones of purity and are used often. Rocks are used to bring a sense of power and tranquility. Gravel can be used in modern Zen gardens to help drainage. It is usually placed under the sand. The Zen gardens do not use water. This is often a problem for westerners. They have a hard time not having plants and water in their gardens.

You can use wood to create a pathway or bridge in your garden. If you put up lighting make sure they are wood lamps. This keeps with the natural setting of the garden. Remember, traditional Japanese Zen gardens only use natural materials.

A rake or stick is used to create circles or swirls in the sand of the garden. These shapes help represent water in the garden. They are often interpreted to help channel your mind during meditation. Zen perceives reality in all things and has special reverence for nature. The traditional Zen garden uses only stones, rocks, and sand.

In recent years the Western Zen gardens have included water and plants. Traditionalist, do not recognize these as Japanese Zen gardens. You should remember the idea behind the garden and create it so that it suits your needs. The end result is a place where you can meditate, heal, and become one with all things.

A full scale Zen garden may not be possible where you live. In this case you can create a miniature Zen garden inside or on your porch. You use the miniature Zen garden in the same way that you would a full scale one. Use it to help you concentrate and meditate. Change the shapes in the sand is much easier for the miniature. Shaping the sand should be methodical and spiritual. Meditate while performing this task.

Miniature Zen gardens are available over the Internet and often in book and gift stores. You can also create your own. If you wish to create your own you will need:

• *A small box or container. You can create your base box with one flat piece of wood. You can use 1×2’s for the sides or even one inch dowels. Cut the bottom and sides to the size you are comfortable with. Use wood glue to piece together.
• *You can use small stones of any color. You can collect stones from anywhere. Collect ones that speak to you.
• *Purchase any color sand you want to use. White is often used. You can even use sand found near your home.
• *Use a twig as a small rake.
• *If you want to make a modern miniature you can use water.

You can often find small plastic boxes to make your Zen garden in. If you want to keep with the natural materials you will want to use wood.

Miniature Zen gardens are used in cities and highly populated areas. They perform the same function of helping one meditate and relax.

Your local newspaper is a great place to find out what’s happening in your local area. Some activities for your day off will depend on your geographical area. Some places to find great things to do on the weekend are:

• Local Newspaper
• Local Radio
• Local library bulletin boards

Some ideas for your weekend are:

1. Rent a video: This is a very affordable activity that the whole family can enjoy.
2. Movie Theatre: Take in a great motion picture at your local theatre. Affordable and will not take a great deal of fuel to get there.
3. Garage Sales: One man’s garbage is another man’s treasure. This is an activity that can be great fun.
4. Art Gallery: Visit your local art gallery.
5. Museum: A visit to your local museum can be educational and fun at the same time.
6. The drive in: Drive in movie theatres is becoming popular today. Pack up the family and take in a movie at the drive in.
7. Tennis: Tennis is great fun and a good cardio work out as well.
8. Jogging: We often do not have time to exercise during the week. A nice jog on the weekend will clear your mind.
9. Hiking: A daytrip hiking can be very rewarding.
10. Camping: Take the family on an overnight camping trip. Get one with nature.
11. Swimming: The heat is rising as summer arrives. It is the perfect time to cool off in the local swimming hole.
12. Softball: Get your friends together for a game of softball. Have fun and get some exercise.
13. Dinner: The weekend is the perfect time to go out for that special dinner.
14. Play: Take in a play.
15. Sky diving: Get your heart pumping with this great sport.
16. Sleep: The weekend is the time to catch up on some much needed sleep. Turn off the alarm clock and sleep late.
17. Email: Spend some time catching up on your correspondence.
18. Night out on the town: The weekend is time to let your hair down. Spruce up and head to your favorite club.
19. Bike ride: Cycling is a good way to get some exercise. It is something the whole family can do together.
20. Gardening: Gardening can be very relaxing. It is also rewarding to eat something you have grown.
21. Read a good book: Relaxing with a good book is a great way to spend some time on the weekend.
22. Game night: Get out the cards and board games and have some fun.
23. Barbeque: Have some friends over and throw a steak on the barby.
24. Massage: Take an hour and get a wonderful massage.
25. Beach trip: Visit your local beach. Even if you do not live close to the ocean there is a beach near you. Many are unaware that there are beaches to visit on river banks near them.
26. Go tubing: Just about everyone lives near a river in America. Get a tire tube and head to the river.
27. Catch up on your television: Curl up on the couch and fire up the DVR. Catch up with your favorite TV shows.

These are just a few of the activities you can do on your day off. Whichever activity you choose, we hope you do it with someone you love.