Full description :Adapted yoga poses can physically and mentally help prepare women for childbirth. This course will teach you how to adapt a yoga practice to each stage of pregnancy, to ensure a safe and enriching practice for mother and baby. You will learn about benefits of yoga in pregnancy and how to modify asanas for the changing body. We will introduce special poses, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques that will help to prepare women for a smooth delivery and explore how meditation and relaxation practices can help parents to welcome their new children. Throughout the course, the emphasis will be on how to build a safe and supportive environment in the classroom and support students emotionally through their pregnancy journey. The goal of the course is to give yoga teachers guidelines for teaching yoga to pregnant women. We will cover Swami Vishnudevanandas 5 basic Points of Yoga as applied to teaching yoga to pregnant women.

*15 hr Continued Education Certificate with Yoga Alliance upon completion.

If you would like to take the full 2 week Sivananda Adapted Yoga Teacher Training that includes the following courses:

Adapted Yoga AsanasYoga Asanas According to AyurvedaTeaching Yoga for Kids and TeensChair YogaPrenatal Yoga

Please click here for more information and registration options.

Daily schedule :Wednesday:Check in is at 15:00

Regular Ashram daily schedule

Thursday and Friday:6 am Morning Satsang8 am Yoga class10 am Brunch11 am Karma Yoga1 pm Course session4 pm Prenatal yoga class6 pm Dinner8 pm Satsang

Saturday:6 am Morning Satsang8 am Yoga class10 am Brunch11 am Check out of the room1 pm Course session3.30 pm to 6 pm Prenatal yoga class

**The course ends on Saturday August 11th at 6 pm. Please plan to depart a day after the course dates if needed. Please refer to the check in/out times.

Teacher :Sarada has been part of the Sivananda organization as a karma yogi and teacher for over 20 years, in South America, Canada and Europe. She is a kind and compassionate teacher, offering her vast knowledge of yoga to a wide variety of students. Currently residing in Germany, she also teaches classes for kids / teens with special needs.

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Sivananda Canada

Hygiene is a set of practices performed to preserve health.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases."[2] Personal hygiene refers to maintaining the body's cleanliness.

Many people equate hygiene with 'cleanliness,' but hygiene is a broad term. It includes such personal habit choices as how frequently to bathe, wash hands, trim fingernails, and change clothing. It also includes attention to keeping surfaces in the home and workplace, including bathroom facilities, clean and pathogen-free.

Some regular hygiene practices may be considered good habits by a society, while the neglect of hygiene can be considered disgusting, disrespectful, or threatening.

First attested in English in 1677s, the word hygiene comes from the French hygine, the latinisation of the Greek () hugiein techn, meaning "(art) of health", from hugieinos, "good for the health, healthy",[3] in turn from (hugis), "healthful, sound, salutary, wholesome".[4] In ancient Greek religion, Hygeia () was the personification of health, cleanliness, and hygiene.[5]

Hygiene is a concept related to cleanliness, health and medicine. It is as well related to personal and professional care practices. In medicine and everyday life settings, hygiene practices are employed as preventative measures to reduce the incidence and spreading of disease.

Hygiene practices vary, and what is considered acceptable in one culture might not be acceptable in another.

In the manufacturing of food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and other products, good hygiene is a critical component of quality assurance.

The terms cleanliness and hygiene are often used interchangeably, which can cause confusion. In general, hygiene refers to practices that prevent spread of disease-causing organisms. Cleaning processes (e.g., handwashing) remove infectious microbes as well as dirt and soil, and are thus often the means to achieve hygiene.

Other uses of the term appear in phrases including body hygiene, personal hygiene, sleep hygiene, mental hygiene, dental hygiene, and occupational hygiene, used in connection with public health. Hygiene is also the name of a branch of science that deals with the promotion and preservation of health.

Medical hygiene pertains to the hygiene practices related to the administration of medicine and medical care that prevents or minimizes the spread of disease.

Medical hygiene practices include:

Most of these practices were developed in the 19th century and were well established by the mid-20th century. Some procedures (such as disposal of medical waste) were refined in response to late-20th century disease outbreaks, notably AIDS and Ebola.

Home hygiene pertains to the hygiene practices that prevent or minimize the spread of disease at home and other everyday settings such as social settings, public transport, the workplace, public places etc.

Hygiene in a variety of settings plays an important role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases.[6] It includes procedures used in a variety of domestic situations such as hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, food and water hygiene, general home hygiene (hygiene of environmental sites and surfaces), care of domestic animals, and home health care (the care of those who are at greater risk of infection).

At present, these components of hygiene tend to be regarded as separate issues, although based on the same underlying microbiological principles. Preventing the spread of diseases means breaking the chain of infection transmission. Simply, if the chain of infection is broken, infection cannot spread. In response to the need for effective codes of hygiene in home and everyday life settings the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene has developed a risk-based approach based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), also referred to as "targeted hygiene." Targeted hygiene is based on identifying the routes of pathogen spread in the home and introducing hygiene practices at critical times to break the chain of infection.

The main sources of infection in the home[7] are people (who are carriers or are infected), foods (particularly raw foods) and water, and domestic animals (in the U.S. more than 50% of homes have one or more pets[8]). Sites that accumulate stagnant watersuch as sinks, toilets, waste pipes, cleaning tools, face clothsreadily support microbial growth and can become secondary reservoirs of infection, though species are mostly those that threaten "at risk" groups. Pathogens (potentially infectious bacteria, viruses etc.colloquially called "germs") are constantly shed from these sources via mucous membranes, feces, vomit, skin scales, etc. Thus, when circumstances combine, people are exposed, either directly or via food or water, and can develop an infection.

The main "highways" for the spread of pathogens in the home are the hands, hand and food contact surfaces, and cleaning cloths and utensils. Pathogens can also be spread via clothing and household linens, such as towels. Utilities such as toilets and wash basins, for example, were invented for dealing safely with human waste but still have risks associated with them. Safe disposal of human waste is a fundamental need; poor sanitation is a primary cause of diarrhea disease in low income communities. Respiratory viruses and fungal spores are spread via the air.

Good home hygiene means engaging in hygiene practices at critical points to break the chain of infection.[7] Because the "infectious dose" for some pathogens can be very small (10-100 viable units or even less for some viruses), and infection can result from direct transfer of pathogens from surfaces via hands or food to the mouth, nasal mucosa or the eye, 'hygienic cleaning' procedures should be sufficient to eliminate pathogens from critical surfaces.

Hygienic cleaning can be done through:

Hand hygiene is defined as handwashing or washing hands and nails with soap and water or using a waterless hand sanitizer. Hand hygiene is central to preventing spread of infectious diseases in home and everyday life settings.[9]

In situations where handwashing with soap is not an option (e.g., when in a public place with no access to wash facilities), a waterless hand sanitizer such as an alcohol hand gel can be used. They can be used in addition to handwashing to minimize risks when caring for "at risk" groups. To be effective, alcohol hand gels should contain not less than 60%v/v alcohol.

The World Health Organization recommends handwashing with ash if soap is not available in emergencies,[10] schools without access to soap[11] and other difficult situations like post-emergencies where use of (clean) sand is recommended, too.[12] Use of ash is common in rural areas of developing countries and has in experiments been shown at least as effective as soap for removing pathogens.[13]

Correct respiratory and hand hygiene when coughing and sneezing reduces the spread of pathogens particularly during the cold and flu season.[6]

Food hygiene is concerned with the hygiene practices that prevent food poisoning. The five key principles of food hygiene, according to WHO, are:[14]

Routine cleaning of (hand, food, drinking water) sites and surfaces (such as toilet seats and flush handles, door and tap handles, work surfaces, bath and basin surfaces) in the kitchen, bathroom and toilet reduces the risk of spread of pathogens.[15] The infection risk from flush toilets is not high, provided they are properly maintained, although some splashing and aerosol formation can occur during flushing, particularly when someone has diarrhea. Pathogens can survive in the scum or scale left behind on baths and wash basins after washing and bathing.

Water left stagnant in the pipes of showers can be contaminated with pathogens that become airborne when the shower is turned on. If a shower has not been used for some time, it should be left to run at a hot temperature for a few minutes before use.

Thorough cleaning is important in preventing the spread of fungal infections.[16] Molds can live on wall and floor tiles and on shower curtains. Mold can be responsible for infections, cause allergic responses, deteriorate/damage surfaces and cause unpleasant odors. Primary sites of fungal growth are inanimate surfaces, including carpets and soft furnishings.[17] Air-borne fungi are usually associated with damp conditions, poor ventilation or closed air systems.

Laundry hygiene involves practices that prevent disease and its spread via soiled clothing and household linens such as towels.[18] Items most likely to be contaminated with pathogens are those that come into direct contact with the body, e.g., underwear, personal towels, facecloths, nappies. Cloths or other fabric items used during food preparation, or for cleaning the toilet or cleaning up material such as faeces or vomit are a particular risk.[19]

Microbiological and epidemiological data indicates that clothing and household linens etc. are a risk factor for infection transmission in home and everyday life settings as well as institutional settings. The lack of quantitative data linking contaminated clothing to infection in the domestic setting makes it difficult to assess the extent of this risk.[18][19][20] It also indicates that risks from clothing and household linens are somewhat less than those associated with hands, hand contact and food contact surfaces, and cleaning cloths, but even so these risks needs to be managed through effective laundering practices. In the home, this routine should be carried out as part of a multibarrier approach to hygiene which includes hand, food, respiratory and other hygiene practices.[18][19][20]

Infectious diseases risks from contaminated clothing etc. can increase significantly under certain conditions, e.g., in healthcare situations in hospitals, care homes and the domestic setting where someone has diarrhoea, vomiting, or a skin or wound infection. It increases in circumstances where someone has reduced immunity to infection.

Hygiene measures, including laundry hygiene, are an important part of reducing spread of antibiotic resistant strains.[21][22] In the community, otherwise healthy people can become persistent skin carriers of MRSA, or faecal carriers of enterobacteria strains which can carry multi-antibiotic resistance factors (e.g. NDM-1 or ESBL-producing strains). The risks are not apparent until, for example, they are admitted to hospital, when they can become "self infected" with their own resistant organisms following a surgical procedure. As persistent nasal, skin or bowel carriage in the healthy population spreads "silently" across the world, the risks from resistant strains in both hospitals and the community increases.[22] In particular the data indicates that clothing and household linens are a risk factor for spread of S. aureus (including MRSA and PVL-producing MRSA strains), and that effectiveness of laundry processes may be an important factor in defining the rate of community spread of these strains.[18][23] Experience in the United States suggests that these strains are transmissible within families and in community settings such as prisons, schools and sport teams. Skin-to-skin contact (including unabraded skin) and indirect contact with contaminated objects such as towels, sheets and sports equipment seem to represent the mode of transmission.[18]

During laundering, temperature and detergent work to reduce microbial contamination levels on fabrics. Soil and microbes from fabrics are severed and suspended in the wash water. These are then "washed away" during the rinse and spin cycles. In addition to physical removal, micro-organisms can be killed by thermal inactivation which increases as the temperature is increased. Chemical inactivation of microbes by the surfactants and activated oxygen-based bleach used in detergents contributes to the hygiene effectiveness of laundering. Adding hypochlorite bleach in the washing process achieves inactivation of microbes. A number of other factors can contribute including drying and ironing.

Laundry detergents contain a mix of ingredients including surfactants, builders, optical brighteners, etc. Cleaning action arises primarily from the action of the surfactants and other ingredients, which are designed to maximise release and suspension of dirt and microbes into the wash liquid, together with enzymes and/or an activated oxygen-based bleach which digest and remove stains. Although activated oxygen bleach is included in many powder detergents to digest and remove stains, it produces some chemical inactivation of bacteria, fungi and viruses. As a rule of thumb, powders and tablets normally contain an activated oxygen bleach, but liquids and all products (liquid or powder) used for "coloureds" do not. Surfactants also exert some chemical inactivation action against certain species although the extent of their action is not known.

In 2013 the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene (IFH) reviewed some 30 studies of the hygiene effectiveness of laundering at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 70C, under varying conditions.[24] A key finding was the lack of standardisation and control within studies, and the variability in test conditions between studies such as wash cycle time, number of rinses, etc. The consequent variability in the data (i.e., the reduction in contamination on fabrics) obtained, in turn makes it extremely difficult to propose guidelines for laundering with any confidence, based on currently available data. As a result, there is significant variability in the recommendations for hygienic laundering of clothing etc. given by different agencies.[25][26][27][28][29][30]

Of concern is recent data suggesting that, in reality, modern domestic washing machines do not reach the temperature specified on the machine controls.[31][32]

Medical hygiene pertains to the hygiene practices that prevents or minimizes disease and the spreading of disease in relation to administering medical care to those who are infected or who are more "at risk" of infection in the home. Across the world, governments are increasingly under pressure to fund the level of healthcare that people expect. Care of increasing numbers of patients in the community, including at home is one answer, but can be fatally undermined by inadequate infection control in the home. Increasingly, all of these "at-risk" groups are cared for at home by a carer who may be a household member who thus requires a good knowledge of hygiene. People with reduced immunity to infection, who are looked after at home, make up an increasing proportion of the population (currently up to 20%).[6] The largest proportion are the elderly who have co-morbidities, which reduce their immunity to infection. It also includes the very young, patients discharged from hospital, taking immuno-suppressive drugs or using invasive systems, etc. For patients discharged from hospital, or being treated at home special "medical hygiene" (see above) procedures may need to be performed for them e.g. catheter or dressing replacement, which puts them at higher risk of infection.

Antiseptics may be applied to cuts, wounds abrasions of the skin to prevent the entry of harmful bacteria that can cause sepsis. Day-to-day hygiene practices, other than special medical hygiene procedures[33] are no different for those at increased risk of infection than for other family members. The difference is that, if hygiene practices are not correctly carried out, the risk of infection is much greater.

Chemical disinfectants are products that kill pathogens. If the product is a disinfectant, the label on the product should say "disinfectant" or "kills" pathogens. Some commercial products, e.g. bleaches, even though they are technically disinfectants, say that they "kill pathogens" but are not actually labelled as "disinfectants". Not all disinfectants kill all types of pathogens. All disinfectants kill bacteria (called bactericidal). Some also kill fungi (fungicidal), bacterial spores (sporicidal) or viruses (virucidal).

An antibacterial product is a product that acts against bacteria in some unspecified way. Some products labelled "antibacterial" kill bacteria while others may contain a concentration of active ingredient that only prevent them multiplying. It is, therefore, important to check whether the product label states that it "kills" bacteria." An antibacterial is not necessarily anti-fungal or anti-viral unless this is stated on the label.

The term sanitizer has been used to define substances that both clean and disinfect. More recently this term has been applied to alcohol-based products that disinfect the hands (alcohol hand sanitizers). Alcohol hand sanitizers however are not considered to be effective on soiled hands.

The term biocide is a broad term for a substance that kills, inactivates or otherwise controls living organisms. It includes antiseptics and disinfectants, which combat micro-organisms, and pesticides.

In developing countries, universal access to water and sanitation has been seen as the essential step in reducing the preventable infectious diseases burden, but it is now clear that this is best achieved by programs that integrate hygiene promotion with improvements in water quality and availability, and sanitation. This approach has been integrated into the Sustainable Development Goal Number 6 whose second target states: "By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations".[34] Due to their close linkages, water, sanitation, hygiene are together abbreviated and funded under the term WASH in development cooperation.

About 2 million people die every year due to diarrheal diseases, most of them are children less than 5 years of age.[35] The most affected are the populations in developing countries, living in extreme conditions of poverty, normally peri-urban dwellers or rural inhabitants. Providing access to sufficient quantities of safe water, the provision of facilities for a sanitary disposal of excreta, and introducing sound hygiene behaviors are of capital importance to reduce the burden of disease caused by these risk factors.

Research shows that, if widely practiced, hand washing with soap could reduce diarrhea by almost fifty percent[36][37][38] and respiratory infections by nearly twenty-five percent[39][40] Hand washing with soap also reduces the incidence of skin diseases,[41][42] eye infections like trachoma and intestinal worms, especially ascariasis and trichuriasis.[43]

Other hygiene practices, such as safe disposal of waste, surface hygiene, and care of domestic animals, are important in low income communities to break the chain of infection transmission.[44]

Cleaning of toilets and hand wash facilities is important to prevent odors and make them socially acceptable. Social acceptance is an important part of encouraging people to use toilets and wash their hands, in situations where open defecation is still seen as a possible alternative, e.g. in rural areas of some developing countries.

Household water treatment and safe storage ensure drinking water is safe for consumption. These interventions are part of the approach of self-supply of water for households.[45] Drinking water quality remains a significant problem in developing[46] and in developed countries;[47] even in the European region it is estimated that 120 million people do not have access to safe drinking water. Point-of-use water quality interventions can reduce diarrheal disease in communities where water quality is poor or in emergency situations where there is a breakdown in water supply.[46][47][48][49]Since water can become contaminated during storage at home (e.g. by contact with contaminated hands or using dirty storage vessels), safe storage of water in the home is important.

Methods for treatment of drinking water,[49][15] include:

Personal hygiene involves those practices performed by an individual to care for one's bodily health and well being, through cleanliness. Motivations for personal hygiene practice include reduction of personal illness, healing from personal illness, optimal health and sense of well being, social acceptance and prevention of spread of illness to others. What is considered proper personal hygiene can be cultural-specific and may change over time.

Other practices that are generally considered proper hygiene include bathing regularly, washing hands regularly and especially before handling food, washing scalp hair, keeping hair short or removing hair, wearing clean clothing, brushing teeth, cutting finger nails, besides other practices. Some practices are gender-specific, such as by a woman during her menstrual cycle.

People tend to develop a routine for attending to their personal hygiene needs. Other personal hygienic practices would include covering one's mouth when coughing, disposal of soiled tissues appropriately, making sure toilets are clean, and making sure food handling areas are clean, besides other practices. Some cultures do not kiss or shake hands to reduce transmission of bacteria by contact.

Personal grooming extends personal hygiene as it pertains to the maintenance of a good personal and public appearance, which need not necessarily be hygienic. It may involve, for example, using deodorants or perfume, shaving, or combing, besides other practices.

Excessive body hygiene is one example of obsessive compulsive disorder.

The hygiene hypothesis was first formulated in 1989 by Strachan who observed that there was an inverse relationship between family size and development of atopic allergic disorders the more children in a family, the less likely they were to develop these allergies.[51] From this, he hypothesized that a lack of exposure to "infections" in early childhood transmitted by contact with older siblings could be a cause of the rapid rise in atopic disorders over the last 30 to 40 years. Strachan further proposed that the reason why this exposure no longer occurs is not only because of the trend towards smaller families, but also "improved household amenities and higher standards of personal cleanliness".

Although there is substantial evidence that some microbial exposures in early childhood can in some way protect against allergies, there is no evidence that humans need exposure to harmful microbes (infection) or that it is necessary to suffer a clinical infection.[52][53][54][55] Nor is there evidence that hygiene measures such as hand washing, food hygiene etc. are linked to increased susceptibility to atopic disease.[43][44] If this is the case, there is no conflict between the goals of preventing infection and minimising allergies. A consensus is now developing among experts that the answer lies in more fundamental changes in lifestyle etc. that have led to decreased exposure to certain microbial or other species, such as helminths, that are important for development of immuno-regulatory mechanisms.[56] There is still much uncertainty as to which lifestyle factors are involved.

Although media coverage of the hygiene hypothesis has declined, a strong collective mindset has become established that dirt is healthy and hygiene somehow unnatural. This has caused concern among health professionals that everyday life hygiene behaviours, which are the foundation of public health, are being undermined. In response to the need for effective hygiene in home and everyday life settings, the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene has developed a "risk-based" or targeted approach to home hygiene that seeks to ensure that hygiene measures are focussed on the places, and at the times most critical for infection transmission.[7] Whilst targeted hygiene was originally developed as an effective approach to hygiene practice, it also seeks, as far as possible, to sustain "normal" levels of exposure to the microbial flora of our environment to the extent that is important to build a balanced immune system.

Excessive body hygiene of the ear canals can result in infection or irritation. The ear canals require less body hygiene care than other parts of the body, because they are sensitive, and the body adequately cares for them. Most of the time the ear canals are self-cleaning; that is, there is a slow and orderly migration of the skin lining the ear canal from the eardrum to the outer opening of the ear. Old earwax is constantly being transported from the deeper areas of the ear canal out to the opening where it usually dries, flakes, and falls out.[57] Attempts to clean the ear canals through the removal of earwax can reduce ear canal cleanliness by pushing debris and foreign material into the ear that the natural movement of ear wax out of the ear would have removed.

Excessive application of soaps, creams, and ointments can adversely affect certain of the natural processes of the skin. For examples, soaps and ointments can deplete the skin of natural protective oils and fat-soluble content such as cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), and external substances can be absorbed, to disturb natural hormonal balances.[citation needed]

It is recommended that all healthy adults brush twice a day,[58] softly,[59] with the correct technique, replacing their toothbrush every few months (~3) or after a bout of illness.[60]

There are a number of common oral hygiene misconceptions. It is not correct to rinse the mouth with water after brushing.[61] It is also not recommended to brush immediately after drinking acidic substances, including sparkling water.[62] It is also recommended to floss once a day,[63] with a different piece of floss at each flossing session. The Effectiveness of Tooth Mousse is in debate.[64] Visits to a dentist for a checkup every year at least are recommended.[65]

Culinary hygiene pertains to the practices related to food management and cooking to prevent food contamination, prevent food poisoning and minimize the transmission of disease to other foods, humans or animals. Culinary hygiene practices specify safe ways to handle, store, prepare, serve and eat food.

Culinary practices include:

Personal service hygiene pertains to the practices related to the care and use of instruments used in the administration of personal care services to people:

Personal hygiene practices include:

Sleep hygiene is the recommended behavioral and environmental practice that is intended to promote better quality sleep.[66] This recommendation was developed in the late 1970s as a method to help people with mild to moderate insomnia, but, as of 2014[update], the evidence for effectiveness of individual recommendations is "limited and inconclusive".[66] Clinicians assess the sleep hygiene of people who present with insomnia and other conditions, such as depression, and offer recommendations based on the assessment. Sleep hygiene recommendations include establishing a regular sleep schedule, using naps with care, not exercising physically or mentally too close to bedtime, limiting worry, limiting exposure to light in the hours before sleep, getting out of bed if sleep does not come, not using bed for anything but sleep and avoiding alcohol as well as nicotine, caffeine, and other stimulants in the hours before bedtime, and having a peaceful, comfortable and dark sleep environment.

The earliest written account of Elaborate codes of hygiene can be found in several Hindu texts, such as the Manusmriti and the Vishnu Purana.[67] Bathing is one of the five Nitya karmas (daily duties) in Hinduism, and not performing it leads to sin, according to some scriptures.

Regular bathing was a hallmark of Roman civilization.[68] Elaborate baths were constructed in urban areas to serve the public, who typically demanded the infrastructure to maintain personal cleanliness. The complexes usually consisted of large, swimming pool-like baths, smaller cold and hot pools, saunas, and spa-like facilities where individuals could be depilated, oiled, and massaged. Water was constantly changed by an aqueduct-fed flow. Bathing outside of urban centers involved smaller, less elaborate bathing facilities, or simply the use of clean bodies of water. Roman cities also had large sewers, such as Rome's Cloaca Maxima, into which public and private latrines drained. Romans didn't have demand-flush toilets but did have some toilets with a continuous flow of water under them.

Until the late 19th Century, only the elite in Western cities typically possessed indoor facilities for relieving bodily functions. The poorer majority used communal facilities built above cesspools in backyards and courtyards. This changed after Dr. John Snow discovered that cholera was transmitted by the fecal contamination of water. Though it took decades for his findings to gain wide acceptance, governments and sanitary reformers were eventually convinced of the health benefits of using sewers to keep human waste from contaminating water. This encouraged the widespread adoption of both the flush toilet and the moral imperative that bathrooms should be indoors and as private as possible.[69]

Christianity has always placed a strong emphasis on hygiene.[70] Despite the denunciation of the mixed bathing style of Roman pools by early Christian clergy, as well as the pagan custom of women naked bathing in front of men, this did not stop the Church from urging its followers to go to public baths for bathing,[71] which contributed to hygiene and good health according to the Church Father, Clement of Alexandria. The Church built public bathing facilities that were separate for both sexes near monasteries and pilgrimage sites; also, the popes situated baths within church basilicas and monasteries since the early Middle Ages.[72] Pope Gregory the Great urged his followers on value of bathing as a bodily need.[73]

Contrary to popular belief[74] and although the Early Christian leaders, such as Boniface I,[75] condemned bathing as unspiritual,[76] bathing and sanitation were not lost in Europe with the collapse of the Roman Empire.[77][78] Soapmaking first became an established trade during the so-called "Dark Ages". The Romans used scented oils (mostly from Egypt), among other alternatives.

Northern Europeans were not in the habit of bathing: in the ninth century Notker the Stammerer, a Frankish monk of St Gall, related a disapproving anecdote that attributed ill results of personal hygiene to an Italian fashion:

There was a certain deacon who followed the habits of the Italians in that he was perpetually trying to resist nature. He used to take baths, he had his head very closely shaved, he polished his skin, he cleaned his nail, he had his hair cut as short as if it were turned on a lathe, and he wore linen underclothes and a snow-white shirt.

Secular medieval texts constantly refer to the washing of hands before and after meals, but Sone de Nansay, hero of a 13th-century romance, discovers to his chagrin that the Norwegians do not wash up after eating.[79] In the 11th and 12th centuries, bathing was essential to the Western European upper class: the Cluniac monasteries to which they resorted or retired were always provided with bathhouses, and even the monks were required to take full immersion baths twice a year, at the two Christian festivals of renewal, though exhorted not to uncover themselves from under their bathing sheets.[80] In 14th century Tuscany, the newlywed couple's bath together was such a firm convention one such couple, in a large coopered tub, is illustrated in fresco in the town hall of San Gimignano.[81]

Bathing had fallen out of fashion in Northern Europe long before the Renaissance, when the communal public baths of German cities were in their turn a wonder to Italian visitors. Bathing was replaced by the heavy use of sweat-bathing and perfume, as it was thought in Europe that water could carry disease into the body through the skin. Bathing encouraged an erotic atmosphere that was played upon by the writers of romances intended for the upper class;[82] in the tale of Melusine the bath was a crucial element of the plot. "Bathing and grooming were regarded with suspicion by moralists, however, because they unveiled the attractiveness of the body. Bathing was said to be a prelude to sin, and in the penitential of Burchard of Worms we find a full catalogue of the sins that ensued when men and women bathed together."[83] Medieval church authorities believed that public bathing created an environment open to immorality and disease; the 26 public baths of Paris in the late 13th century were strictly overseen by the civil authorities.[83] At a later date Roman Catholic Church officials even banned public bathing in an unsuccessful effort to halt syphilis epidemics from sweeping Europe.[84]

Modern sanitation was not widely adopted until the 19th and 20th centuries. According to medieval historian Lynn Thorndike, people in Medieval Europe probably bathed more than people did in the 19th century.[85] Some time after Louis Pasteur's experiments proved the germ theory of disease and Joseph Lister and others put them into practice in sanitation, hygienic practices came to be regarded as synonymous with health, as they are in modern times.

Since the 7th century, Islam has always placed a strong emphasis on hygiene. Other than the need to be ritually clean in time for the daily prayer (Arabic: Salat) through Wuzu and Ghusl, there are a large number of other hygiene-related rules governing the lives of Muslims. Other issues include the Islamic dietary laws. In general, the Qur'an advises Muslims to uphold high standards of physical hygiene and to be ritually clean whenever possible.

Continued here:
Hygiene - Wikipedia

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Strike out into new territory with confidence and skill.

Do you ever feel that you have no control over your life and work? Perhaps you feel dominated by your colleagues, or overwhelmed by the demands of your job. Or is your time outside the workplace spent tending to other people's needs at the expense of your own?

This sense of powerlessness can be immensely frustrating. But, no matter what personal challenges you face, you can always make choices that give you back control. Understanding this is the essence of self-empowerment.

In this article, we examine personal empowerment in more detail, and explore the tools and techniques that you can use to achieve it.

Personal empowerment is about taking control of your own life, and making positive decisions based on what you want.

It's closely linked to attributes like self-esteem and self-confidence , but true empowerment comes when you convert intention into action.

Personal empowerment means giving yourself permission to succeed. But it doesn't mean "going it alone." Chances are, you'll need the input, support and guidance of others to achieve your objectives.

And, in many cases, you'll need their permission, too, in the form of trust, resources, time, or autonomy, for example.

Bear in mind that "empowerment" is not the same as "entitlement." People who feel entitled tend to believe that benefits and privileges should come to them automatically, while empowered people achieve success through hard work, reflection and cooperation.

We all experience self-empowerment in different ways, depending on our personalities and our circumstances. Let's look at an example:

Nancy and Geraint work in a store as sales clerks. They've worked there for several years but neither has sought a promotion, even though they both have the skills and knowledge to move up the ranks.

Do they feel empowered?

In Nancy's case, the answer is actually "yes." Nancy likes her job as it is. She's been offered a more senior role, but she made a conscious decision to turn it down, because she didn't want the extra responsibility. However, she feels confident enough to apply again later if things change.

Geraint, on the other hand, is frustrated. He wants the salary and job satisfaction that come with promotion, but he's convinced that he would be rejected if he applied for a management position.

Geraint feels powerless to change his situation, so he doesn't try. It's a vicious circle: the lack of an opportunity to prove himself has reduced his motivation and sense of empowerment. As a result, his performance suffers, and he's overlooked by the people who could give him the promotion that he wants.

It can be difficult to see the way out of a situation like Geraint's. You desperately want to feel stronger, and to make a bigger impact, but how do you do it?

Consider this four-step process for self-empowerment:

When you feel that you lack power, your confidence and self-esteem can take a knock, too. Developing your self-awareness can help you to understand why you feel this way, and to take charge of your emotions and actions.

Start by considering your locus of control the extent to which you believe that you are the master of your own destiny, or that your outcomes are determined by external forces, people or events. Understanding this distinction can enable you to take responsibility for your own empowerment, and to adopt a mindset that fosters learning and growth.

Then, analyze your strengths and weaknesses . Listing all of the things that you're good at and that you could be great at can be hugely empowering in itself. Building on those strengths, and knowing how to deal with your limitations, can give you an even bigger boost.

Understanding yourself better is a core aspect of emotional intelligence (EI), a key skill in the workplace. Developing your EI allows you to see how your emotions and behavior affect the people around you. This will likely make it easier for you to get others "on board" to help you to achieve your goals.

Seeking help from a coach , qualified counselor or mentor can be a great way to begin your journey toward greater self-awareness and personal empowerment.

Pinpoint the areas of your life where you feel unhappy, or where you feel at the mercy of an individual, an organization, or a set of circumstances. If you're not sure where to start, our interactive Wheel of Life tool can help you to identify these areas.

Ask yourself whether you really do lack power in these situations. (Our article, Working With the Control Influence Accept Model , can be useful here.) Be honest. Are you being too modest about your abilities or achievements? Or, could you be afraid of success ?

Focus on the areas that mean the most to you, and which correspond with your personal values . At work, for example, you might want to take on more responsibility, to increase your expertise , or to ask for a change in your work schedule.

Frame these target areas as SMART goals . In particular, focus on making them achievable. Research suggests that your sense of personal empowerment increases when you track the positive effects of the changes that you make. So, set realistic goals and create an Action Plan for reaching them.

Learn new career skills every week, and receive our latest offers, plus get our Personal Development Plan Workbook FREE when you subscribe.

To feel empowered, you may depend on another person often your boss to confer power upon you. But it's no use sitting back and waiting to be promoted, or to be put in charge of an exciting new project. You need to earn that power.

To do this, you may need to learn new skills, or to refresh your existing ones.

Revisit your SMART goals and think about the skills or knowledge that you need. These could be personal qualities, such as tact or initiative; "soft skills," such as communication and conflict resolution; technical skills, like learning a new computer program; or a combination of all three.

To avoid becoming overwhelmed, start small, and work your way up to bigger steps. For example, you could speak up more often in meetings, volunteer for extra work in the field that interests you, or attend a training course.

You can measure the success of your personal empowerment process by the impact that it has on your life.

If your actions have moved you closer toward your goals, you have already succeeded in empowering yourself, and hopefully you will feel more empowered, too.

If that's not the case, you may still have work to do and that's normal. Personal empowerment rarely happens overnight. Once you've taken your first steps, ask for feedback from your co-workers, your mentor, or friends and family to help you to identify what you could do next.

Persistence and resilience are empowering in themselves, and gradually, as you learn from experience and refine your approach, your sense of personal power will grow.

The following techniques and exercises can help to support you during the self-empowerment process. Find the ones that suit you, and practice them regularly!

Personal empowerment is the sense that you are in control of your life. It enables you to make positive decisions, and to take action that will bring you closer to achieving your goals and ambitions.

To become more self-empowered, use this four-step process:

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What Is Personal Empowerment? - mindtools.com

Self-empowerment means that you take charge of your own life. This involves recognizing that within each of us is the ability to live from our natural being state. Another way to put it is to say that a self-empowered individual does not let go of the power as the expert of self. The main characteristic of self-empowerment is peace. This sounds so obvious, yet most of us dont achieve inner peace. To explore this concept further, lets look at it this way could you be self-empowered if you had the knowledge and tools necessary for the task? Find out how many people are transforming their life from dull and stressful to happy and stress-free.

Be Aware

Awareness involves recognizing your environment, yourself, and your power. To fully be aware, you must acknowledge that you can disengage from stressful things. Awareness is about defining why you disempower self from environment in the first place. Be aware of the power you possess inside to take back your life as your own.

Let Go of the Past

To achieve inner peace, you must live in the present moment or the now. Holding grudges leaves you laced with inner anger that interferes with this peace. When you judge, criticize, or regret, there is an inner self laced with guilt. That person will experience depression and anxiety related to the past. Let the past go and recognize it for what it is over. Forgiveness is part of the achievement of inner peace, a valuable part.

Develop a New Mindset

When you have willingness to expand and grow as a human being, you cultivate a new mindset. Think about your current dominant thoughts, habits, and beliefs. Are they serving you in a positive manner or negative one? Cultivate a new mindset so you can acknowledge that you have control of your mind, not the other way around.

Dont Worry About the Future

There is a fine line between the future and self-empowerment. Accept the truth regarding what the future holds for you. Surrender to what is going to be yours and what you have right in front of you. Accept each challenge regarding tomorrow as an empowering event, one you can constructively utilize in your journey toward inner peace.

Trust Others and Yourself

Trust is the quality that propels you forward toward being a better decision maker. Make your choices and stick with them. Trust your own judgment and ability to decide. Having trust involves having faith in the self-empowerment process, as well as in the process of life. Trusting others allows you to let go of worry, doubt, and dread.

Recognized What You Got

To see who you are, you must see what you got. Recognition is about the what, who, when, and where you give your power. Once you recognized your own abilities in this disempowering process, you can achieve self-empowerment. Identify and embrace the gifts and talents you possess. Dont wait on the world to acknowledge these attributes; you may be in for a wait.

Relax

Take time out from your daily life to relax. Meditation is an excellent way to free your body of stress. Take a few minutes each day to seek out and enjoy silence. Because meditation boosts serotonin (the brain chemical associated with mood), your attitude improves and your nights are more restful. Furthermore, meditation decreases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Be Responsible

To be more empowered, you must know exactly what you are responsible for in your life. Knowing this allows you to be guilt-free from life circumstances. Take responsibility for you and your life to be empowered and independent.

Share Your Greatness

Now that you know you are on your way to self-empowerment or empowered, share what you know with others. Allow people to see how great youve become because of your new found independence and peace.

Be Truthful

When you lie, you feel guilty. Guilt leads to shame. Shame leads to feelings of worthlessness. Honesty is really the best policy when it comes to self-empowerment. Dont treat yourself any differently than you treat others. Be truthful with yourself.

Learn about the limitless benefits of meditation, & how precisely designed brainwave technology (EquiSync) helps enable a deep, super-pleasurable, extremely beneficial state of meditation quickly, safely, & easily. Upgrade your life.

Whole Brain Synchronization

Meditation works to balance your left & right brain hemispheres, resulting in what doctors call "whole brain synchronization". In turn, you tap into a host of amazing benefits: more creativity, faster learning, better emotional health, & more. Upgrade everything. See charts.

Build 10 Key Brain Regions

Deep meditation upgrades 10 key brain regions. The result? So many benefits: great sleep, more happiness, deeper learning, better memory, higher IQ & EQ, less stress, more success, just to name a few. Change your brain, change your life.

With monumental health implications, meditation has been proven to naturally boost many of your body's chemicals: DHEA, GABA, Endorphins, Serotonin, Melatonin, & Growth Hormone, while lowering Cortisol. The benefits are staggering.

The power of your subconscious & unconscious mind are incredible. Here, we show you the vast benefits waiting under the surface, and how meditation is the best way to dive in, explore, and harness your deep mind. See detailed chart.

When it comes to what the human body "can" and "can't" do, a revolution is well underway. From extending life, to conquering "unconquerable" diseases, to rewriting genetic code, meditation's latest scientific findings are incredible. Become superhuman.

Why is meditation such a powerful anxiety reliever? From building neurotransmitters, to quieting mind chatter, to cooling the amygdala, this highly in-depth article discusses why anxiety is no match against meditation.

Known as the worlds happiest people, scientists love studying meditators' magnificent brains. From transforming psychology, to fully rewiring thought, to massively upgrading physiology, here we discuss why meditation dominates depression.

Even if you get the recommended eight hours each night, you may not be sleeping deeply enough to fully recharge your battery. Here, we discuss why so many of us have insomnia, and why meditation is the best solution to sleeping like a log.

Why dont meditators have addictions? From urge surfing, to masterfully dealing with stress, to uprooting deep seated emotions, to giving us a natural high, to unplugging naturally, here we discuss why meditation eradicates addiction.

Understand the degree to which meditation dramatically upgrades your body's stress response, effectively making you immune to anxiety, depression, addiction, and more. What is the secret to reaching deep, highly beneficial meditation? EquiSync.

Through a process called "Neurogenesis," doctors have discovered that our brain's "neuron count" is not set for life. Meditations well-proven ability to generate a "neuron fortune" has massive implications & big benefits.

Brain Power, Memory, & Focus

Did you know that your brain power, intelligence, memory, & focus can be dramatically upgraded, no matter who you are? Here, we discuss why scientists keep studying the marvelous meditating brain, and how you too can tap these awesome benefits.

Learn how precisely designed brainwave technology (EquiSync) helps enable a deep, super-pleasurable, extremely beneficial state of meditation quickly, safely, & easily. Charts included. Upgrade your life.

How can meditation transform your life? With links to detailed articles, here we have compiled more than 141 benefits of meditation. No stone left unturned.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about EquiSync's brainwave powered meditation system through our users most frequently asked questions (FAQ). Very helpful.

Happy EquiSync users send us their testimonials every day, we have posted a small sample here. Just the tip of the iceberg!

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10 Ways to Achieve Self-Empowerment - Operation Meditation

"Every now and then I come across someone who I recognise has something special and Caroline Labour is such a person. Caroline is passionate about helping others to tap into their highest potential and she would love to help you achieve your goals. Take the time to find out what she can do for you because I guarantee you, she can help you."

"I have known Caroline Labour for over a decade now. During this time I have seen her pursue excellence in a number of areas and seen her gain continual education in self-development which she now offers to clients. With determination and persistence she has challenged herself scholastically, in corporate and on an entrepreneurial level. Each time elevating herself in her pursuit of her dreams. Through her diversity of skills and talents she not only offers transformational but also strategic coaching which is a definite bonus and rarely offered by other coaches. I love Carolines well measured and intelligent conversations that encourages you to tap into your own uniqueness. Caroline guides you on your own journey that will empower you to solve your own challenges, to achieve personal and professional fulfilment. The Thinking Into Results program with Caroline Labour was an enriching experience that gave me many aha moments which lead to major breakthroughs. Carolines guidance was invaluable in the development and success of my website http://www.ontofood.com."

"After starting the Life Coaching with Caroline Labour program in 2016, I made several leaps and I thank you for making me push myself to do so. I developed the confidence to get up in front of 125 people and deliver a presentation on Employee Ambassadors in Social Media. I would not have been able to do so if it hadnt been for you so much gratitude to you Caroline."

"When you get to where you want to be by making very subtle changes that you didnt even think you were making at the time, thats the gift of coaching with Caroline.For me it was about addressing confidence. Through minor changes in thought processes and better understanding of mistakes of the past, a different light was shed on my approach to both professional and personal goals.Having achieved what I set out on both sets of goals thus far, Ive moved onto the next challenge. Im certainly more comfortable in my abilities to make that journey great. Thank you Caroline!"

"My husband and I started our first coaching session with Caroline from Personal Empowerment Academy 2 years ago. Through the program we were able to go from understanding our personal paradigms and learning to let go of these to dream big, set goals and devise concrete steps to achieve them. Today we are in a house in an area that we would never have thought possible without being equipped with the skills to make it all happen. Positive quotes, keeping a journal and Carolines support along the journey have made the dream a reality. The process is ongoing with the next dream coming to fruition using the same processes. Its a system that really works if you commit to it believing that it is possible!"

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Personal Empowerment Academy - Life Coaching

Personal Empowerment: The Basics

Personal Empowerment is something that all of us chase, at least to some degree and to some extent. And yet, many people fail to understand what the concept really means. Many people chase personal empowerment from the outside. They read books, they attend classes, and they seek out people who make them feel better about themselves.

All of these activities are certainly positive and worthwhilebut maybe its time to start looking at what personal empowerment really means.

To truly find empowerment, you need to develop it within yourself. This, unfortunately, isnt achieved in a monumental, profound moment of enlightenment or a miraculous healing eventbut rather, is something that we live and demonstrate on a day-to-day basis. Its a process that takes time, dedication, hard work, and devotion.

The biggest challenge that we all face, when it comes to finding our own sense of empowerment and self-worth, is that were usually habitual in our self-judgement and self-criticism. We reject ourselves out of habit, not because we have real, rational reasons to do so.

Please dont misunderstandself-doubt and self-criticism arent always so easily explained. Sometimes, these issues are very deep-seated and complicated. But in the words of the famous Sean Covey, we become what we repeatedly do.

If you make an effort to live an empowered life, and wake up every morning with a sense of intentionality and dedication concerning this goal, then youll find yourself much more likely to be successful.

The hard, cold truth is that self-empowerment really needs to be self-taughtand we can only teach it to ourselves by becoming what we wish to be. This means that you need to visualize the you that you wish to be one dayand then create that person with your words and actions.

This doesnt mean that you pretend to be something youre not. It means that you habitually correct one negative behavior at a time, until the process becomes automatic. And when this happens, youll realize that the change wasnt an act. It was real, genuine, and effective.

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Category: Personal Empowerment - Mary L Bondi Lmhc

PD 004: Personal Awareness Group

Concepts of emotional health and effective interpersonal behavior. Lecture and group discussion will guide students on how to effectively deal with life situations and improve student success.

Focuses on specific strategies for achieving academic and personal success. Students come to understand motivation and learn how to identify and overcome self-defeating behaviors.

Limitation on Enrollment: Eligibility for EOPS/CARE Program required EOPS/CARE only. Orientation to acquaint students with campus, college procedures and policies, as well as programs. Graded Credit/No Credit.

Students clarify their educational objectives and develop the skills necessary to reach them. Topics include time management, reading and study skills, goal-setting, career planning, and communication skills.

Introduction to the campus and its resources for adults returning to school. Topics include study skills, time management and coping with the transition to being a student again. Graded Pass/No Pass.

Provides an overview of the American higher education system as well as an orientation to the college and its student support services. Students learn about cultural patterns and adjustment issues, US classroom culture and college resources that are available to provide ongoing academic support.

Introduction to the campus and its resources for first-time to college ESL students. Topics include study skills, time management, coping with the transition to being a student in the United States, and an introduction to SBCC educational programs.

Students assess interests, values, skills and personality traits, and learn skills to link up careers and college majors. Topics include career assessment, decision-making, researching careers and majors.

Designed to empower students to achieve academic and personal success. Strategies and success factors for single parent students. Addresses the need for developing good study habits, time management skills, and support systems. Students learn to identify and understand self-esteem and self-defeating behavior; develop strategies for change; and emphasize attitudes beneficial to achieving optimum academic performance.

Comprehensive approach to career planning. Exploration of interests, personality traits and values through career assessment inventories. Topics include choosing a major, educational planning, value clarification, skills analysis, decision-making and goal-setting. Job search skills include researching occupational information, on-site interviews, interviewing and resume writing.

Students develop the skills necessary to effectively manage their time, develop and set realistic goals, and improve their ability to overcome issues that cause procrastination.

Development of peer education skills around healthy lifestyle choices, with emphasis on the effects of alcohol and other drugs, HIV prevention, sexual health, relationships, self-esteem and stress management. Designed to enable students to participate in formal or informal campus, community or personal peer education and prevention programs. National Bacchus and Gamma Peer Education Certificate optional.

Learn and integrate effective coping strategies to promote self-awareness, personal wellness, academic success, and model these strategies, including managing symptoms of stress and other psychological conditions.

Concentration is critical in this digital age of multi-tasking. Stabilizing the mind and re-training it to focus attention and be aware of awareness can lead students towards clearer thinking, enhanced learning, satisfaction, creativity, more sustained balance, and mastery.

Mandatory course for all student-athletes participating in intercollegiate sports for the first time at SBCC. Students learn critical information on athletic eligibility and NCAA transfer requirements, and develop a long-term educational plan. Includes skills necessary for college success: time management, study skills and test-taking strategies.

Students clarify their educational objectives and develop the skills necessary to attain them. Topics include time management, reading and study skills, goal-setting health occupations, career planning, and communication skills.

Introduction to academic planning, leading to the completion of a comprehensive Student Education Plan (SEP). Students learn to incorporate the major design elements of an SEP by utilizing resources and educational planning software to identify educational requirements and appropriately balance a course schedule.

Introduction to educational planning which leads to the completion of a long-term Student Education Plan (SEP). F1 visa students will learn to incorporate the major design elements of an SEP by utilizing resources that identify educational requirements and appropriately balance a course schedule.

Introduction to educational planning which leads to the completion of a comprehensive Student Education Plan (SEP). STEM students will learn to incorporate major design elements of an SEP by utilizing resources that identify educational requirements and appropriately balance a course schedule.

Self-paced, individualized career planning course to include career assessment and testing, career counseling, independent career research. Students prepare a personal portfolio that includes short-term and future educational career plans and goals; and activities designed to achieve these goals. Course available through Internet assignments or through independent research conducted at the Career Center, with some class meetings required.

Individualized course to help students find better patterns for success in mathematics.

Designed to help new/first-time students understand the role of college, and to develop skills that promote academic persistence and personal adjustment.

This course focuses on the assessment of individuals strengths, interests, values, personality and abilities in the context of career and education planning. Students will improve decision making skills by exploring their own decision making styles and applying specific decision making models to their career planning process.

This class is designed to help students develop and implement a strategic career and job search plan. Students will learn about sources of occupational information and how to utilize this information in the career planning and job search process.

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Personal Development: Courses - Santa Barbara City College

Developing self awareness The 5 stages of awareness mastery

When I was young I remember listening to my elders promulgating that knowledge is power.

Learn, my child, they used to say, for knowledge makes you smart and smart people have a chance to thrive in this world we inhabit.

Their words sounded vague to my callow ears. What is the knowledge they are referring to? Knowledge of mathematics? Knowledge of physics? Knowledge of languages? Street knowledge? Knowledge of human relationships?

Unable to properly fathom their equivocal advice, I grew up to become a generalist. That is a person with a wide array of useful knowledge. Although I did complete my studies in Electrical Engineering and Business, I didnt choose to specialize in them. I preferred to use them as a stepping-stone to acquire more knowledge. Knowledge that could help me achieve generalist status.

I did that hoping that a generalist reality can grant me access to a huge network of information that will allow me to view reality from a holistic perspective. For I thought that this was the secret to decoding the hidden message of the knowledge is power adage. I thought that this was my only good chance of finally understanding.

I cant really say that I regret my decision. The generalist pathway urges you to delve into different topics and, eventually, try to develop an interdisciplinary approach when it comes to thinking. I started to think in systems and this mode of cognition led me to deeper states of consciousness that challenged the way I interpreted the world. I became more aware of my own existence, my own limitations, and my own potential.

And thats when it dawned on me.

The elders were right, but not right enough.

In their quest for knowledge, bewildered by its intimidating nature, they ignored the true essence of what knowledges purpose actually is.

Knowledge is indeed power. But the path from knowledge to power is not immediate. There is a succession of steps one needs to follow and it could be summarized in the following sequence:

Knowledge -> Awareness -> Control -> Power

Knowledge breeds awareness. That is the consumption of knowledge leads to a collection of wisdom nuggets that, when properly construed, can raise awareness. Awareness is the ability of the individual to make sense of oneself and, consequently, of the world around him. Once this process manifests itself, one is able to transition from a state of cluelessness and incompetence to a state of control and power. For power transpires when you focus on things you can control. And you can control only what you can understand what you are aware of.

So the imperative word here is not knowledge, but awareness.

Allowing oneself to embrace this word and immerse into the totality of its nucleus is akin to allowing oneself to become totally free. For awareness has always been the key to a life defined by clarity, intent, and cohesion.

Apropos, there is a path that one needs to follow in order to properly grasp what constitutes awareness and where its real potency lies. And this path I endeavor to lay out today.

In the following paragraphs, I will examine 5 stages one needs to cover in order to develop extreme self-awareness. For awareness does not develop overnight. It is a gradually evolving process that is predicated upon the willingness of the individual to battle through the obstacles encountered in every stage.

The major issue young people face and have always been facing is cluelessness and incompetence. Empirical investigation has led me to believe that the reason for that is twofold and has little to do with intelligence or experience.

The two major forces that enforce this circumstance are the education system and the development of our frontal cortex.

A brief history of how modern education came about (you can read the detailed summary here) reveals that from the 17th century onwards the purpose of school was to create better workers, not better humans. Employers in industry viewed school as a means to teach future employees the rules of punctuality, following directions, tolerance for long hours of tedious work, and a minimal ability to read and write. On top of that, as nations became more centralized, national leaders saw a great chance in schooling to lay the foundations for the facilitation of future patriots and soldiers.

In essence, the school was not a place where the child could enjoy a holistic education and develop a healthy personality. It was more like a prison where he or she would, eventually, lose his or her identity, become a virtual nonentity and blend into the uniformity of collectivism.

Prolific biologist Robert Sapolsky revealed in one of his lectures something groundbreaking: The frontal cortex is the last part of the brain to fully develop.

The red part is the prefrontal cortex Wikipedia

On average, the frontal cortex manages to completely mature at the age of 25. This astonishing finding postulates two things:

If we take into account these two factors and combine them with the proclivity of humans to, usually, choose the path of least resistance when it comes to action taking, we find ourselves in a very unfavorable situation. Developing self awareness under such circumstances becomes a far-fetched goal. We end up with a huge amount of the population feeling not only clueless about who they are but also lacking the necessary context that would empower them to discover their individual constitution.

Nonetheless, the first stage is possible to overcome, firstly if the individual understands his or her limitations and secondly by methodically accruing knowledge relevant to the alleviation of these limitations.

How to stop feeling clueless: Patience is key here and when coupled with an incessant tendency to question conventional wisdom, it can produce extremely interesting outcomes. My suggestion would be to delve into the fundamentals of personal growth and attempt to internalize them. Such fundamentals include: Meditation, working out, improving productivity, improving social skills, to name but a few. 30 Challenges 30 Days Zero Excuses is a great place to start.

The prominent maxim know thyself has been echoing through history since its first usage by Plato in his dialogues. There are at least six instances during which Plato employs the maxim, and in every one of them he does so in order to stress out the importance of self-discovery in the development of the individual.

Plato Wikipedia

Although the context in each instance is different, the rationale remains the same. A self-aware individual is a conscious individual. Individuals who cant partake in the process of self-exploration will systematically fall victim to their own lack of awareness and to the ramifications that such a state begets. Some of the ramifications include:

Essentially, a lack of self-awareness is the main source of dogmatism in society today. Sam Harris, during one of his podcasts, while examining why dogmatism can ruin a persons life, stated beautifully:

The state of being dogmatic is the state of believing in things strongly, despite an absence of evidence or even in the face of counter evidence. That is the state of having no error-correcting mechanisms in your worldview. Youre simply not available to reality and you will continually bump into hard objects wherever you go.

Sam Harris Wikipedia

Humans will always seek to belong and this lust for tribalism can often yield friction within society. Most people who cling to certain (usually extreme) ideologies do so because they havent sorted themselves out. The absence of a strong individual identity destabilizes the substrate of their being and they are constantly in the look for more stable worlds to grab onto. These stable worlds are often dogmatic worlds that reject certain aspects of reality in an attempt to deal successfully with its innately chaotic nature. Religions, political movements, cults, extremist groups, all fall in that category and are there to remind us what a lack of self-awareness can engender.

In a way, people who belong in these groups are manifestations of a persons inability to face the concept of the shadow as Carl Jung put it forth.

Carl Jung Wikipedia

The shadow is the unknown dark side of our personality. Dark because it is very obscure and also because we need to dig very deep within our psyche in order to discover it. It is a conglomeration of all our fears, desires and impulses like sexual lust, power strivings, selfishness, greed, envy, anger or rage, and due to its unenlightened nature it operates in a subconscious level. A person can never reach the state of self-actualization if they havent managed to face the shadow until they can understand it, deal with it, and eventually internalize it.

Plato also pointed out that understanding thyself, would also result to a greater understanding of the nature of a human being. Syllogistically, understanding oneself would enable a person to form an understanding of others as a result. Which is our next stage.

How to understand yourself: In order to understand yourself, first you need to understand your past and how your past affects your present and your future. The operative word here is past, but I use it to allude to both our past as individuals, but also to our past as species. From an individuals perspective, psychoanalysis is the most pertinent tool one can use to explore certain aspects of their personality. Major events in your past have played a critical role in shaping your persona. Going back to these events, facing them and creating associations with current ones can significantly raise self-understanding. From a species perspective, humans are a work of evolution in progress and our current state cant be fathomed if we dont examine closely the practices and habits of our ancestors and draw parallels to current behavioral patterns.

The complexity of our social fabric is an omnipresent conundrum across the span of our lives. We are egotistical creatures that perpetually try to balance individuality with togetherness. Usually, we fail dramatically in that attempt but it doesnt always need to be that way.

The way a person forms their understanding of social dynamics is fostered during childhood and depends largely on the way the upbringing functions. Within the household, a child can get a glimpse of how real society operates and adopt certain characteristics that will help him or her transition smoothly from the microcosm of his or her family to the wilderness of the real world.

Therein the child develops an intuitive ability to interact and cooperate with others. Hence most people make judgments about others based on intuition. Intuition is indeed a powerful skill but alone is not enough. It can offer a rough understanding of social patterns, but if you want to understand the mechanics deeply, you need to enhance your social repertoire with more skills.

In that respect, I am going to briefly touch upon three major areas one needs to be aware of:

Our perception is usually confined within the limits that our ego dictates. We are raised to think individually and not syllogistically. That process seriously hinders our capacity to understand and cooperate with fellow humans and our ability to form mutually beneficial connections suffers dramatically.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It is the process that leads to a complete re-engineering of a persons worldview since it can offer them a completely new perspective on life.

Cultivating empathy is the first step into unweaving the mysterious entanglement that encompasses our social life.

Humans are evolved primates with an extremely sophisticated set of cognitive tools. The way, however, our social structures are formed rely more on power rather than sophistication. For years we have attempted to evolve our social edifice from a dominance hierarchy to a more egalitarian constitution. For years we have failed miserably to do so.

That reality is a result of an eclectic amalgamation of reasons such as cultural discrepancies, environmental influences, intelligence, tribalism, nepotism and a general lack of affinity towards forming collective views. It seems that, on average, our primitive mind tends to dominate our more rational one and the future doesnt look much promising in that respect.

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Developing Self-Awareness The 5 Stages of Awareness Mastery

Best gold ETFs to invest for 10 years2 Aug 2018, 01:16 PM IST

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Investment: Best money investment ... - The Economic Times

An Interview catching glorious moments of spontaneous, joyful and sincere exchanges between Osho and a member of the International Press.

Life is everything all together, and we allow our people to live in all dimensions. If somebody is crying and weeping, nobody is going to stop him here. Somebody may give him a hug and go on his way. That hug was not to stop his tears, but just a spontaneous response.We believe in life in its totality, in its days, in its nights, the sunny days and the cloudy days. We believe that everything in life can be enjoyed. You need just a little more awareness, more consciousness of what is happening.

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Read more here:
OSHO: Life Is A Very Mysterious Phenomenon - YouTube