Unless you change how you are, youll always have what youve got.

We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: inspiration or desperation. Well, the late Jim Rohn aimed for the inspiration, always emphasizing the importance of taking responsibility for self-improvement and showing people how to reach for bigger, better lives.

Related:Rohn: Better Is Something You Become

Who inspired him? His mentor, Earl Shoaff, who told him this: If you want to be wealthy and happy, learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your job. And so began Jim Rohn's belief in the importance of self-improvement. In his classic book, 7 Strategies for Wealth and Happiness, Jim Rohn wrote an essay entitled "The Miracle of Personal Development" in which he explains why working on yourself is a never-ending pursuit:

Ever since Mr. Shoaff woke me up with that statement, I worked hard on my own personal growth, and I must admit that this was the most challenging assignment of all. But understand, this business of personal development lasts a lifetime.

Related:Rohn: The 3 Parts of Personal Development

You see, what you become is far more important than what you get. The important question to ask on the job is not, What am I getting? Instead, you should ask, What am I becoming? Getting and becoming are so closely intertwinedwhat you become directly influences what you get. Think of it this way: Most of what you have today you have attracted by becoming the person you are right now.

I've also found that income rarely exceeds personal development. Sometimes income takes a lucky jump, but unless you learn to handle the responsibilities that come with it, it will usually shrink back to the amount you can handle. If someone hands you a million dollars, you'd better hurry up and become a millionaire. A very rich man once said, "If you took all the money in the world and divided it equally among everybody, it would soon be back in the same pockets it was before."

It is hard to keep that which has not been obtained through personal development. So here's the great axiom of life:

To have more than you've got, become more than you are.

This is where you should focus most of your attention. Otherwise, you just might have to contend with the axiom of not changing, which is:

Unless you change how you are, you'll always have what you've got.

Related:Rohn: 13 Ways to Improve Your Life

Excerpt from:
Why Personal Development Is Critical to Success | SUCCESS

Integrated personal development [edit]integrated personal development - a modern alternative to traditional training for individuals and organizational development

Modern personal development is more than skills training. It offers useful alternative methods compared to coaching and mentoring too. Effective modern personal development now involves various integrated techniques, theories and behavioural concepts, that extend options around traditional ideas. This article provides examples of modern methods of developing people - enabling real personal growth and change - for individuals and organizations.

Optimising individual performance through progressive personal development significantly improves business performance too.

This example of an integrated approach to personal development is based on the work of UK-based psychotherapist Pam Weight, whose contribution of this free article is gratefully acknowledged.

Pam Weight's modern approach to personal and professional development is born out of the study of these contemporary models, which are explained in more detail later in this article:

The personal development process enables individuals to achieve critical personal changes, specifically to:

(In this context, 'congruency' means behaving and feeling naturally and comfortably - ie, true to oneself.)

The integrated personal development approach is highly beneficial for most people.

It is however particularly effective for people who have experienced little or no benefit from conventional training, especially where progress is blocked by issues raised in the training process.

Integrated personal development is also particularly helpful where one-to-one coaching or mentoring has had limited benefit, or has prompted surprising reactions.

Equally, those who want to develop themselves in some way, but cannot identify a particular direction, will also benefit from this sort of modern integrated personal development.

Modern personal development differs from conventional training methods, most importantly:

These fundamentals are rarely found in traditional skills training or coaching. The principles underpin the process of effective personal development.

Modern personal development tends to achieve results because:

These factors are not commonly present in traditional skills training or one-to-one coaching, and as such provide a useful alternative if traditional methods have not been effective.

Many situations benefit from the improvements arising from effective personal development, for example:

Traditional training can of course produce good results in these areas, however, some people require more focus onpersonal issues, which can be difficult for some types of traditional training to address.

Human development includes the 'nature and nurture' elements that determine who we are and how we behave. Human development is a lifelong process beginning with 'nature'. Our 'nature' elements are everything we bring into this world: from our genetic make-up, our conception, up until our birth. After we are born, the 'nurture' process begins; namely every influence we encounter that affects us: our environmental influences and behavioural conditioning by others. We are each also subject to a slow continuous forming process; a sequence of stages through which we each pass in the same order, over a number of years.

Throughout these stages other developments occur: brain development; motor development; cognitive development; social development and development of self concept and basic trust. In addition, and importantly, our emotional development.

The influence of these human development factors on people, and their response to change, is considerable.

Humanistic theories focus on our inner capacity for growth and self-fulfillment; with the emphasis on human potential. The early theorists referred to humans as being 'set up' or 'pre-programmed' for growth and fulfillment, unless thwarted by an environment that restricts growth.

From a humanistic perspective, a positive self-concept is the key to personal happiness and success in life. Moreover,acceptanceandempathyhelp us to nurture positive feelings about ourselves, and that consequently we develop the capacity to extend and apply positive feelings to others. Overall, a humanistic perspective purports that people are basically good, and capable of self improvement.

(See alsoMcGregor's XY Theory, which includes aspects of humanistic thinking, and usefully positions them in the context of corporate organizations, management, motivational development, etc.)

Neuro-Linguistic Programming is a model of human experience and communication. It has also been referred to as a study of subjective experience and human excellence. Importance is placed on rapport: mutual trust and responsiveness. Rapport can be applied to your relationship with yourself and your relationship with others.

NLP states that the greater the mental, physical and emotional rapport with yourself, the greater your health, well-being and inner peace. As a result, the greater your ability to relate to and influence others. Other pivotal aspects are:

See also the detailed free introductory guide toNeuro-Linguistic Programming.

Energy Psychology is the collective term for a range of approaches focusing on the interconnectedness of mind and body. A principle of Energy Psychology is that psychological and physical problems can be treated through the body's meridian system and other bodily systems. Some of the approaches have their roots in traditional Chinese medicine energy healing, such as acupuncture.

From an Energy Psychology perspective; if the energy or meridian system balance is upset and left unchecked, there will be a physical manifestation. If there is a disturbance in the system, there will be impairment in thinking, and physical health. Clear the disturbance, and the body can do what it is meant to do - repair and/or heal itself, creating harmony and balance.

By carefully integrating and applying the behavioural models explained above, Pam Weight has developed a truly progressive and effective system of personal development. The approach is in tune with the needs of people living and working in the modern age, and provides a useful alternative to traditional training, coaching and mentoring practices.

Effective personal development must value the person's individual journey; acknowledge the person's learning from experiences; offer the opportunity for the person to update their system; and free the individual to consider their current capabilities and how and where to apply them. Truly effective personal development must be tailored for the individual, and be flexible and realistic, producing real and sustainable results, the basis of which must always be improved balance, less stress and more control.

Pam Weight is a psychotherapist with special interest in health and wellness, based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

The contribution of this article by Pam Weight is gratefully acknowledged.

Pam Weight's website, including contact information and services details, is at:www.pamweight.com

Read more here:
Personal Development - businessballs.com

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Personal development is such a nebulous topic. In reality every single book on this (now 200+ title) list is a great personal development book.

For the sake of this list, my choices for this section all revolve around books that are more about igniting passion and giving ideas rather than a step-by-step action plan. This list includes, the grandfathers of all self help books, and it also has some of the modern masters of inspiration, education and self-empowerment.

These books all DO have actionable steps to take, you will learn things, but I feel that their true purpose is as inspiration and motivation.

Any avid reader of self-help books will recognize Jack Canfield. Creator of the popular motivational Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Jack has been inspiring people for years. In Success Principles, Jack gives 65 methods for transforming your life. If you are looking for a single self-help book that gives you a ton of great ideas on how to improve your life and your success, this would be the one.

However, die-hard personal development fans may find some of these ideas to be rehashed versions of ideas they have heard before, not fresh new ideas. The principles are repeated here due to the simple fact that they work! Even if you know all 65 principles before buying the book, I believe it can be an excellent refresher on things you need to do to achieve the success you desire.

It could be very easy to think that a book about achieving success written 80 years ago and based on the success principles of men like Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford would be stale and out of date, like a dry history lesson. This simply is not true. While there are admittedly parts where you have to substitute modern methods of execution for old fashioned counterparts, the basic principles themselves are based on human nature and just as true today as they were 80 years ago.

This book is a classic and for good reason. Over the past 80 years many successful people have read this book and gained from it knowledge and insight that have helped them to achieve their own success. When a self-improvement book sticks around for as long as this one has, there has to be a reason for its longevity and success.

Most people who achieve any degree of success will tell you that attitude is a big part of the success equation. Positive thinking will not magically make success happen, as this books successor The Secret, would have you believe, but positive thinking can put you into position to make the most of it when it happens. So skip the Secret and go write to the first (and best) book on getting your mind right for success.

One slight negative is that many people complain because of some of the religious overtones of the book. While Dr. Peale is clearly a faithful Christian, I believe this book has merit for you regardless of personal faith. Just listen to the good advice.

Note: some of you may like The Secret. I mean no offense to you in this review. The positivity aspect of the book is fine, I simply have a problem with the idea that the universe will deliver success. I believe the only way you get success is to go out and work for it. Lets agree to disagree.

Outliers takes a scientific look at what it actually takes to achieve success. Unlike some of the other books on this list, it does not give a specific list of the things you need to do to achieve success. It looks at very interesting anecdotes that support the main point of the book, that success is not achieved by luck, attitude or even skill, but that the only real measurement is the time we put into our skills. People who achieve higher degrees of success almost always have more time building the skills they use for their success.

This book is quite interesting with some really good stories and anecdotes. It is an enjoyable read.

I am not by nature an organized person. Due to this fact I would say that reading GTD for the first time was a life changing experience. Allen gives solid advice on how to plan all the aspects of a hectic life (both business and personal).

This book comes with a solution to all the chaos life throws your way. It can help you stay organized and on top of everything. I do not currently follow all the tenants of GTD. I have incorporated a more web based approach as I discuss in my book on Evernote. But I still feel Getting Things Done is a must read, even if you discard his specific approaches, the core ideas will still shed light on many ways to be more productive.

Everyone thinks time is the enemy. I cant count how many times I have heard, I dont have time for that or I wish I had the time. The central idea of this book is that people have it backwards. Loehr and Schwartz state that energy is the key, not time.

Success is about creating a series of life-sprints not a marathon. By laser focusing on tasks, then completely resting, you actually can get a lot more done in less time and live a happier and more fulfilling life at the same time. This book makes some excellent points. The next time you hear yourself saying, I dont have time to do something important, you should reach for a copy of this book. Unless you dont have time for that then I cant help you.

Just like the previous entry, Think and Grow Rich Carnegies book is another classic from the 1930s that still packs a ton of truth bombs in its nearly 90 year old pages. While T&GR was about the principles of success, Carnegie discusses the personal habits that lead to success. Included are: the twelve ways to convert people to your way of thinking, six ways to make people like you, and the nine ways to change peoples opinions without arousing resentment.

Regardless of what you intend to do with your life, other people will always be there. Carnegie gives you the tools to effectively recruit others to your cause, rather than have them potentially be obstacles. A must read classic on dealing with other people.

I have to admit, I have a few mixed feeling on Tim Ferris in general. On one hand, lets face it, the guy is a bit of jerk. Additionally while there is some great information, it might not pertain much to people who just want more from their 9-5 lifestyle, and are not really into the idea of a digital lifestyle.

On the other hand, however, this book does an excellent job of challenging people to rethink the status quo and evaluate how to make the most of their time. Time does an great job of explaining how to make the most of the digital lifestyle, how to get started with this business and does it all with a fierce energy that will get you motivated.

If the idea of making a living online appeals, this book should be a must read, and is likely already on your bookshelf. If you are just looking for tidbits to develop your personal productivity, attitude or health, this might be a book you can miss.

Crush It! has a few problems these days. Mainly is that the core idea of the book, fresh and new when it was first released, has become a bit dated. Most people have come to understand the revolutionary power of Social Media and the effect this can have on any and every single business.

However, a good portion of this book is also about following your dreams and turning your passion in a career. While this book no longer imparts what I would call new information, it is still extremely motivational. Gary Vaynerchuk has an incredible amount of energy and reading what he has to say is sure to get you motivated to get out and conquer the world.

Let Go! is Pat Flynns inspiring story. If you do not know Pat, he is a normal guy, trained as an architect who began to work as an online entrepreneur when the architect business got rough. In this inspiring story Pat shares the challenges he faced and the keys to his success.

Much like Crush It the value of the specific lessons are of less value than the inspiration it can give you to achieve success. If you want specifics for achieving success through Pats methodology his podcasts and website are chocked full of actionable information.

Yes, thats me. I wont give any qualitative review of this book, since I am biased. But I do think it is a good one.

Habit stacking is based on a method to incorporate small habits into daily life. These small habits are easy individually, but are often the sort of things that fall through the cracks in a hectic life.

Habit stacking makes it possible when you add DOZENS of small changes to your daily routine. Rather than trying to make dozens of individual habits part of your routine (something next to impossible) you only have to work to incorporate each stack.

By doing these small tasks in a block you can plan for the time to act on these tasks in your daily schedule and stick firm to implementing these habits on a daily basis.

These habits dont require much effort. In fact, most of these habits ONLY take five minutes or less to complete. by doing these small tasks in a block you can plan for the time to act on these tasks in your daily schedule and stick firm to implementing these habits on a daily basis.

The climate of business and personal success is changing. The times when going to college, working a job for 40 years and retiring a success are evaporating before our eyes. Altucher shows a path to creating art, make money and achieve success through non-traditional methods.

Altuchers sense of humor and brutal honesty make this book a great read. He doesnt pull any punches even sharing many of his personal failures as well as successes.

Choose yourself. Choose this book.

This is another book I struggled with the decision of whether to place on this list. On one hand Robbins has always seemed to me to be as much of a salesman of change as he is someone with fresh ideas. However, there is no denying that this book covers some important ground while still being inspirational.

Robbins point with this book is to take charge of your life in all the important ways: emotional, physical, mental and financial. All of these important parts dovetail together and work with each other for you to achieve greater success. Only when you are at the peak of performance in all categories can you truly be your best self.

Have you ever felt on the top of your game? Answers and ideas flow freely. You feel energized and alert. You feel happy and content. You are in control. This is a state Dr. Csikszentmihaly refers to as flow

The flow state happens to everyone from time to time, but it can be engineered to happen more frequently and when it does the happiness, content and satisfaction it brings can have a lasting halo effect on our lives. Part science and part philosophy this book does an exceptional job of relating to us not only how to get more done, but how to live happier and fuller lives due to having an understanding of the Flow.

This book is great at what it is, a summary of all the current thinking in the realm of peak performance. While not groundbreaking, it digests hundreds of self-help and personal development books and relays the important pieces succinctly and clearly. A wonderful book that will save you time and money giving you the highlights of the best modern thinking on the subject of improving your personal performance in all aspects of life.

One of the keys to success in life is self-motivation. Most people will perform when they have to at work or at home. Self-motivation means going that extra mile and not needing the external commitments to get things done. When you can become self-motivated, achievement will follow as surely as the sun rises in the east.

But self-motivation is not something that is always as easy as it might sound. Deci showcases all the current science on the subject of motivation and explains the hows and whys in simple to understand terms. You likely have ideas of what motivates you already, but reading this book will give you a clean and clear understanding of your motivation.

Being an introvert I kept saying. Thats right and So True constantly while reading this book. Another book on this list, How to Win Friends and Influence People does a great job of showcasing the importance of being a people person and how this can lead to success. However, this advice introverts (myself included) have a hard time following. Being the loudest and driving your ideas home to others does not necessarily make your ideas the best.

Susan Cain has a book that can make any introvert proud of their nature. She shows ways many introverts have achieved high levels of success, even in people person positions of authority. This is an important read for introverts to understand why we act the way we do and an important book for extroverts to help them understand the remaining 1/3 of the population.

This is a personal development book for a fairly narrow niche. These days many tasks can be outsourced and delegated, specifically if you have your own business or side hustle. Trying to do everything yourself is not a growth mindset. This book lays out clear paths to outsourcing significant amount of work in a methodical manner.

If you have no need for outsourcing this book is not for you. However if you have ever thought about the possibilities of outsourcing mundane tasks, then this book should be a must read.

Why do people say yes? Why do they buy things? Dr. Cialdinis classic book shows the science behind why people are persuaded.

This book will help you understand the importance of social proof, scarcity, authority, reciprocation and more on others and how it can help you to get the important yes or purchase in your business or at work. Peoples decisions are often not made by a rational argument and well laid out plans. It is important to truly understand why people really choose the way they do.

Procrastination is a problem that plagues many people. I might even be bold enough to say that MOST people suffer from procrastination from time to time. It is human nature.

However, there are good scientific reasons why people procrastinate and just as many good science backed methods to overcome procrastination. Dr. Neil Fiore gives an exhaustive overview of why we procrastinate and what we can do about overcoming procrastination.

If you enjoy reading nonfiction books, then I encourage you to check out the Blinkist app.

Blinkist is an interesting concept

Blinkist summarized over 2,000 of the bestselling books and put them into condensed 7 to 15 minute reads (or blinks). The idea here is to give you the key insights and important lessons without wasting your time on pointless information.

Blinkist book summaries are perfect for anyone who wants to maximize those random moments when you have to kill time. Like when you want to kill time before an appointment or youre standing on a long line at Starbucks.

You can use Blinkist to complete a book daily, learn the valuable lessons, and avoid the fluff that often pad longer books.

Click here to try a 1-Day Free Trial for Blinkist

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20 Best Personal Development and Self-Help Books

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Career Planning Course

This course enables students to understand valuable decision-making tools which aid long-term life and career planning. Emphasis is placed on recognizing skills, ideals and interests as well as navigating job markets and utilizing job search methods. Students are encouraged to develop multi-faceted and alternate career plans in order to prepare for uncertainties and changing employment conditions.

Here students gain a better understanding of their educational strengths and weaknesses in order to more aptly prepare an outlined college path for themselves. Through research and discussion, students outline a personalized method for selecting a college major. They then make commitments and implement strategies to help them achieve their educational goals.

For those who are habitually late, feel repeatedly overbooked or put off assignments until the last possible opportunity, this course investigates contributing factors to procrastination and schedule management issues, providing various strategies to more efficiently manage time and tasks. Students will learn from lessons and then implement their own unique time management plans.

Whether with college course selection, determining potential internship opportunities or other vital career-sensitive choices, the decision-making process can be extremely stressful and time-consuming. This course outlines models and tools that aid in analyzing decision positives and negatives, potential outcomes and various alternative options should the most desired outcomes become unavailable.

Here students investigate a variety of communication styles and attempt to determine their own communication tendencies. Emphasis is on the benefits of being assertive as opposed to simply passive or overly aggressive. Students strive to achieve a balance between successfully making their own points and listening to the points of others.

Continued here:
Personal Development Courses, Classes and Training Programs

The Locus of Creative Interpretation in Buddhist Thought and CultureEnlightenment through Celibacy or Celibacy through Enlightenment?Celibacy and Salvation in Sir Gawain and the Green KnightSaving MahatmaGandhiThe Early Vinaya Stand on Monastic Sexual BehaviourEnlightenment through Celibacy or Celibacy through Enlightenment?Is Celibacy Anachronistic?The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, by Lancaster and ParkDoing practice by Ganhwaseon in AmericaSeon Thought of Master Baegun GyeonghanThe Argument on Seon in Late Joseon PeriodGanhwaseon Practice in Europe: Present Situation and FutureThe Role and Significance of Korean Seon in the Study of East Asian BuddhismTheravda-Mahyna Dialogue: A Mahyna PerspectiveInterpenetration and Essence-Function in Wonhyo, Chinul and KihwaThe Theory and the Reality in Historical PerspectiveThe awakening of faith in the Mahayanasudden awakening-sudden cultivation, gradual cultivation Seongcheol Zen masters critical view on..The Hermeneutical Problem Of Truth Claims and Scriptural Plurality in the Mdhyamika Buddhism DUN : A Chinese concept as a Key to Mysticism in East and WestRita M. Gross This Buddhists View of Jesus Buddhist-Christian StudiesWas Jesus a Buddhist?Korean History: A Bibliography : Religion and Philosophy: BuddhismJnarbhadra and Jnavajra: Their Biographical Approaches..A Study on Mahyana Buddhism and VegetarianismStudy on character transformation and Zen therapyThe study on practice of hra(food, nutriment) in the Early BuddhismContemplation on the 25 methods of Jigye and practicing JigwanMisunderstandings of Enlightenment, and the TruthWisdom, Compassion, and Zen Social Ethics: the Case of Jinul, SeongcheolHuyan Theoretical Interpretation on Jinuls Sudden Enlightenment and Gradual CultivationA Comparative Study of the Humanistic Approaches for Zen TherapyThe Practical Thought of Chan and the Question of Self-realizationMeditation in GandhraMeditation in Multiple Contexts: Early Buddhist Manuscripts and InscriptionsKorean Seon Centers and their Present StateChoi Uisuns Zen Thoughts and the Spirits of Tea TaoOn the ecological culture of AhisMajo()s Idea of Tao() and its Ecological StructureThe Occurrence and Completion of Mercy in the nyat-vda of MdhyamikaThe study of activity and realistic recognition of an enlightened Buddhist monkDoing practice by Gan-Hua Seon in AmericaThe idea of the Saddharma-pundarika-sutra mentioned inThe Sudden and Gradual Problem in the Ganhwa MeditationThe Accommodation of Ganwhaseon and Its Characteristics in KoreaA Comparative Study Between the Theory of Mudogasu of ChuntaeDharmakrti and Taego Boowoo on the Transformation of ConsciousnessA Study on Mengshan De-yis Activity and His Relation with the Korean BuddhismThe real character of practice in the Khanwha-sn()The formations come into being of Ganhwa-Seon()The Spirit of Buddhist Monastic Precepts & Christian Monastic Rules: a Comparative StudyThe Buhyu Line Members Perception of the Lines and the Heritages of Master BojoKanhwasn Practice in Europe Present Situation and FutureHwadu Meditation and Contemporary SocietyThe Psycho-semantic Structure of the Word knti (Ch. Jen)The Correct Path of SeonThe Modern Significance of Sudden Awakeningsudden awakening-sudden cultivation / sudden awakening-gradual cultivationThe Antecedents of Encounter Dialogue in Chinese Chan BuddhismTo Become Truly HumanOn the Buddha-nature of Insentient ThingsBuddha Nature, Buddha PracticeSelf and meditation in Indian BuddhismThe Ecological Dimensions of East Asian Buddhism Critically Considered.A Response to the Critical Buddhist Position on ZenCritical Considerations on Zen ThoughtPRACTICAL PRINCIPLE OF HAKUIN ZENThe Linchi-lu and the Korean seon Buddhist TraditionThe Reflection On The Metaphysical Presuppositions Of The Korean BuddhismTHE SYSTEM OF PRACTICE OF THE PATRIARCHAL CHAN BUDDHISM ()The Role of Zen Buddhism in the Modern Scientific EraThe Tun-huang Text of the Platform Suutra : Reflection on and Prospect of Its StudyBodhidharmas Practice of Recompense and Formation of Chan BuddhismThe Role and Significance of Korean Son in the Study of East Asian Buddhism

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Buddhist Studies Zen Buddhism

Koan, Japanese Kan, in Zen Buddhism of Japan, a succinct paradoxical statement or question used as a meditation discipline for novices, particularly in the Rinzai sect. The effort to solve a koan is intended to exhaust the analytic intellect and the egoistic will, readying the mind to entertain an appropriate response on the intuitive level. Each such exercise constitutes both a communication of some aspect of Zen experience and a test of the novices competence.

A characteristic example of the style is the well-known koan When both hands are clapped a sound is produced; listen to the sound of one hand clapping. Sometimes the koan is set in question-and-answer form, as in the question What is Buddha? and its answer, Three pounds of flax.

Koans (from Chinese kung-an, literally public notice, or public announcement) are based on anecdotes of Zen (Chinese: Chan) masters. There are said to be 1,700 koans in all. The two major collections are the Pi-yen lu (Chinese: Blue Cliff Records; Japanese: Hekigan-roku), consisting of 100 koans selected and commented on by a Chinese priest, Yan-wu, in 1125 on the basis of an earlier compilation; and the Wu-men kuan (Japanese: Mumon-kan), a collection of 48 koans compiled in 1228 by the Chinese priest Hui-kai (known also as Wu-men). Compare zazen.

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koan | Zen Buddhism | Britannica.com

Johns Creek Yoga is the fulfillment of a long-held dream for Sheila. She began practicing yoga in 2000 with the idea that the postures would help stretch the muscles that were contracting as she trained for a half-marathon. What she discovered is that yoga stretched her mind and soul as much as it did her muscles. Her greatest pleasure is the opportunity to share the gift of yoga, and in that spirit, she resolved to bring a studio to her community in Johns Creek. In addition to daily classes at the studio, she facilitates Yoga teacher training and offers retreats and workshops both locally and internationally. Sheilas classes are focused on alignment and infused with spirit and soulful exploration of the body, but they are also light-hearted and fun. She relishes the playfulness of the practice and encourages her students to be fearless and attempt new things in a safe and supported atmosphere. As a former Professor of American literature, Sheila loves to explore the connections between philosophy, poetry, religion and yoga, often building class around a specific theme or ending with a favorite poem or quotation. Sheila completed her 200 hour teacher training at Peachtree Yoga Center in Sandy Springs, and she completed her 500 hour training at the Kripalu Center in Massachusettes. She has trained with many incredible teachers, and she is honored to carry forth the wisdom and guidance that she received from them. She continues to take advantage of every opportunity to train and learn and will forever consider herself a student of this beautiful and ancient practice.

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Home - Johns Creek Yoga

If youve ever crawled under the covers worrying about a problem or a long to-do list, you know those racing thoughts may rob you of a good nights sleep. Sleep disturbances, like having a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, affect millions of Americans.

The daytime sleepiness that follows can leave you feeling lousy and sap your productivity, and it may even harm your health. Now, a small study suggests that mindfulness meditation a mind-calming practice that focuses on breathing and awareness of the present moment can help.

The study, which appears in this weeks JAMA Internal Medicine, included 49 middle-aged and older adults who had trouble sleeping. Half completed a mindfulness awareness program that taught them meditation and other exercises designed to help them focus on moment-by-moment experiences, thoughts, and emotions. The other half completed a sleep education class that taught them ways to improve their sleep habits.

Both groups met six times, once a week for two hours. Compared with the people in the sleep education group, those in the mindfulness group had less insomnia, fatigue, and depression at the end of the six sessions.

The findings come as no surprise to Dr. Herbert Benson, director emeritus of the Harvard-affiliated Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. Mindfulness meditation is just one of a smorgasbord of techniques that evoke the relaxation response, says Dr. Benson.

The relaxation response, a term he coined in the 1970s, is a deep physiological shift in the body thats the opposite of the stress response. The relaxation response can help ease many stress-related ailments, including depression, pain, and high blood pressure. For many people, sleep disorders are closely tied to stress, says Dr. Benson.

Mindfulness meditation involves focusing on your breathing and then bringing your minds attention to the present without drifting into concerns about the past or future. It helps you break the train of your everyday thoughts to evoke the relaxation response, using whatever technique feels right to you.

Dr. Benson recommends practicing mindfulness during the day, ideally for 20 minutes, the same amount suggested in the new study. The idea is to create a reflex to more easily bring forth a sense of relaxation, he says. That way, its easier to evoke the relaxation response at night when you cant sleep. In fact, the relaxation response is so, well, relaxing that your daytime practice should be done sitting up or moving (as in yoga or tai chi) so as to avoid nodding off.

To elicit the relaxation response, try these two simple steps:

Step 1: Choose a calming focus. Good examples are your breath, a sound (Om), a short prayer, a positive word (such as relax or peace), or a phrase (breathing in calm, breathing out tension; I am relaxed). If you choose a sound, repeat it aloud or silently as you inhale or exhale.

Step 2: Let go and relax. Dont worry about how youre doing. When you notice your mind has wandered, simply take a deep breath or say to yourself thinking, thinking and gently return your attention to your chosen focus.

To learn more about mindfulness meditation, try one of the free guided recordings by Dr. Ronald Siegel, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and faculty editor of the Positive Psychology Special Health Report. The recordings are available at http://www.mindfulness-solution.com.

Read more from the original source:

mindfulness meditation - Harvard Health Blog

Synchronicity High-Tech Meditation was created by Master Charles Cannon and is practiced by thousands of meditators world-wide for thirty years, provides a novel way to achieve balance, wholeness and fulfillment in a fast-paced Western lifestyle.

Designed to be practiced on a daily basis, High-Tech Meditation utilizes Synchronicity sonic technology (Holodynamics) to give individuals the opportunity to enjoy a precision meditation experience every time they meditate.

Synchronicity sonic technology utilizes comprehensive brain-wave entrainment technology combined with the energy frequencies of sacred geometry. It is the leading-edge of entrainment technologies designed to enhance the evolution of human consciousness.

The technology is available in the form of Alpha, Theta and Delta CDs (and downloads) that literally "meditate you," while they:

Over 20 beautiful meditation soundtracks available in CDs and Downloadable Soundtracks deliver precision High-Tech Meditation technology.

Recognitions is an at-home program of inspiration, education and High-Tech Meditation for actualizing modern spiritual experience in daily life.

Proceeds from sales go to benefit the Non-Profit Synchronicity Foundation

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Traditional methods of meditation worked when life was slow, quiet and simple. Today's high-tech, busy, noisy world makes it much more difficult to sit in peaceful contemplation. The many environmental factors beyond the meditator's control create a frustrating inconsistency in meditation experience.

Energetic environmental pollution and stress caused by television, computers, and microwaves as well as a world population of almost seven billion people, ever-increasing in conflict and dysfunction, all directly impact the human energy field, creating imbalance and making traditional methods used to experience stillness and expand holistic awareness trademarks of authentic meditation - largely ineffective.

Fortunately, Synchronicity's High-Tech Meditation harmonizes the chaotic energies that otherwise impede the meditative process. In addition, High-Tech Meditation requires no religious belief system or adaptation of the cultural conditioning often associated with traditional systems.

Research on Synchronicity meditators finds that:

Master Charles' work is on the cutting edgethese soundtracks allow people to quickly experience the benefits of long-term meditation.- Los Angeles Times

Master Charles' Synchronicity Contemporary Meditation Soundtracks combine science with the ancient art of meditationI found them to have an immediate effect, both calming and expanding, from the very first moment of hearing themof all the meditation soundtracks I have listened to over the last few years, I have never experienced any that delivered this particular noticeable effect so quickly.- Carol Kramer, EditorBody, Mind and Spirit

These soundtracks meditate you.- CBS Morning Show

Over 20 beautiful meditation soundtracks available in CDs and Downloadable Soundtracks deliver precision High-Tech Meditation technology.

Recognitions is an at-home program of inspiration, education and High-Tech Meditation for actualizing modern spiritual experience in daily life.

High-Tech Meditation works with all four brainwave frequencies -- Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta -- each of which correlates with specific states of consciousness. The one-of-a-kind "Brain Monitor" developed by Synchronicity Foundation's research team enables reliable measurement of actual brainwave changes over time.

Beta brainwave frequencies occur in the range from 14 - 24 Hz, and correspond to the typical "busy mind" experience common to most of us. The Beta frequency range is characterized by a chaotic, fragmented, unbalanced thinking typical of left brain dominance, commonly referred to as the "monkey mind."

The beginning of balanced brainwave activity occurs in the Alpha frequency range, between 8 -13 Hz. Alpha brain-waves are very often produced in bursts (trains of waves) or pulses (single waves), but experienced meditators tend to produce continuous trains of alpha waves. By looking at an individual's alpha brainwave production, it is possible to determine not only whether they are a meditator but also the length of time they have been practicing meditation. The more alpha waves that a person is able to produce in ordinary states of consciousness, the easier it is for them to access deeper meditative states. Alpha waves may occur when you are sitting or reclining with your eyes closed, and you may experience:

In the Theta frequency range, between 3.5 - 7 Hz, balanced brainwave activity increases. The Theta state corresponds to the experience of visionary, creative and intuitive levels of experience. It is characterized by "inner" images and visions that correlate with increased theta activity. At this stage, the meditator is likely to experience:

The Delta frequency range, between 0 -3.5Hz, brings a level of balance that corresponds to the "beyond the mind" experience at the subtlest levels of meditative awareness possible. This is the range in which meditators experience what is called unified consciousness (unity with all things). Deepened experience in the Delta range generates:

Synchronicity offers an at-home meditation correspondence course called The Recognitions Program which utilizes the Delta level of sonic entrainment technology.

Recognitions is an at-home program of inspiration, education and High-Tech Meditation for actualizing modern spiritual experience in daily life.

The most expansive level of Synchronicity digital technology is only available in the Recognitions Program. This is the leading - edge of the High-Tech Meditation experience.

Because of its impact, facilitation is required and included the support and guidance of anexperienced and qualified coach which is an integral part of the Recognitions Program.

The Recognitions Program also provides inspiration and education in the philosophic principles of modern spirituality which support the experience of living the Holistic Lifestyle and Meditating the High-Tech Way.

The Recognitions Program is modern spirituality in the digital age. It is the harnessing of technology for the evolution of consciousness.

Compared to those who utilize traditional, orthodox (low-tech) systems of meditation, Synchronicity meditators have been found to experience rapid and measurable changes in their states of consciousness. These results are based on studies comparing brainwave patterns of Synchronicity High-Tech Meditation users with those produced by individuals using traditional meditation systems.

There are a number of documented cases based on groups of meditators using classical methods of meditation. A study of the Dalai Lama's attendants (roughly twenty monks), was conducted during the early seventies. More recently, Tomio Hirai reported on a study of forty Zen monks in the book Zen Meditation and Psychotherapy.

These studies represent the very best results that can be expected from classical meditative disciplines, as these individuals were totally immersed in the contemplative lifestyle. Even residents at the Synchronicity Sanctuary do not have the fully structured, meditative lifestyle of cloistered monks. Further, most participants in the Synchronicity Recognitions Program live everyday lives in cities, work normal jobs, and raise families ... not at all what one would define as a contemplative lifestyle.

The results of the two studies of classical meditators revealed that:

Research on participants in the Synchronicity Recognitions Program showed the following:

The following Brain Monitor graphs are typical of our findings. These include both residents of the Synchronicity Sanctuary and non-resident participants in The Recognitions Program. None has more than seven years experience with Synchronicity High-Tech Meditation, yet they continually demonstrate brainwave patterns consistent with advanced meditators (twenty years or more experience) in the Buddhist monk studies. Thus, they empirically validate the fact that Synchronicity High-Tech Meditation represents a four-fold acceleration factor over classical methods of meditation.

I love the recognitions program as it is working on me from several different levels! I learn more about myself and am growing through working the the various components I study every month! Meditation is very deep and transforming! I started in march of this year and can definitely know I have changed! - Desmond Clark

My whole life was turned around when I met MC. I had taken time out from work and was pretty depressed, but one day I heard a tape a friend was playing and it entrained me into a meditative state - and while I was eating lunch! When I inquired about the music I discovered MC and as soon as I could arrange it I was on the Recognition program. Subsequently, I found myself in good health and back studying at University. Words cannot express my gratitude to MC for the support and encouragement he has given me over the years. - Phyl Graham

I am on Recognitions - Phase Three and although I am not really noticing anything special during my meditations, I notice that at times out of the blue I seem to be in a transcendent or translucent state of mind. At that time, it seems that nothing in my outer world is real or of any importance. There is a moment of inner laughter and joy. - IB

I was listening to the meditation soundtrack, while at the same time mentally reciting a mantra. All of a sudden, it was like a veil lifted, and the world utterly disappeared. There were no forms, bodies, or anything, only formless clarity and infinite Consciousness. When I finally came back to awareness of my body, I realized that I had been perfectly still for nearly three hours, almost as though my body locked in place during this time. I am not even sure if I was breathing! What I do know is that for weeks after I experienced a spiritual elation and the world seemed pervaded with sweetness. Everything is different now. - SB

The Recognitions Program is for anyone who wants to earnestly follow the path of meditation. This is not for those who only want to lower their blood pressure, although meditation can help with that. Recognitions is for the person that wishes to realize the benefits that come from daily practice of meditation and a balancing life style. My experience over the years and continuing today is that this meditation program works! It greatly assists me in going far into the fruits of meditation in a much shorter time frame than traditional non-technological meditation. I highly recommend the Recognitions Program! - CC

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High-Tech Meditation - Synchronicity Foundation for Modern ...