Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Mantra and Its Role in Healing


Mantra and Its Role in Healing

Meditation requires the individual to concentrate or reflect in order to relax the body and ease the mind. This type of self-hypnosis works well with traditional medicines in order to aid the self-healing process. Meditation encompasses a broad spectrum of relaxation techniques spanning from clearing the mind of all conscious thoughts to visual imagery or focusing on one particular word or image. While typical meditation requires stillness, others such as martial arts involve various movements.

Mantra, the continuous repetition of a word or phrase, forces the individual to focus on a single thought, thus preventing other distracting thoughts. Other forms of meditation allow the mind to flutter, acknowledging every thought without judging its importance while active meditation includes tai chi and qigong.

A saying from the Vedas states that “Speech is the essence of humanity”. This correlates with the definition of Mantra. During a Mantra yoga session, words are phrases are chanted thoughtfully and with attention to bring a physical effect. Mantras can be used to help ease the mind for any matter. They can be applied to change a certain incident or to regain a healthy state of well-being. Mantras are specifically made to produce a certain intent and vibration to promote a certain state of meditation. They are normally chanted until the mind, body, and emotions are transcended and the subconscious is revealed.

This type of meditation and yoga is used to bring the mind from its wandering state, to a more relaxed and focused one. The use has been anecdotally and scientifically proven to help in the recovery process of many ailments and diseases. This traditional practice has a long history of success, but has been overlooked by some since many populations rely of medicalized practices. Not only have people returned to Mantra yoga or meditation to alleviate everyday stresses, but they have used the technique to relax the body and focus on healing. Many doctors today have been recommending patients with a low-survivability rate cancer, such as non-hodgkin’s lymphoma or pleural mesothelioma, to adopt Mantra yoga, acupuncture, or another complementary therapy to go along with conventional treatments. Many have claimed to recover faster or that the symptoms of treatments are alleviated from these techniques.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cancer-treatment/CM00002
http://www.uscnorriscancerhospital.org/condition/document/37437
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/lymphoma-000103.htm
http://www.mesotheliomasymptoms.com/acupuncture
http://www.mantra-yoga.com/mantra.htm

Allison Brooks
Guest Blog Writer


Saturday, October 1, 2011

Meet Franco


Franco
I would like to introduce you to the newest member of my family.

I have been volunteering at a rescue shelter named Found for several months now. Found rescued Franco from Chicago Animal Care and Control. He was dumped there with a swollen left eye due to blunt force trauma. They think Franco was deliberately kicked in the face by a man (because he doesn't trust men). Since CACC has over 600 animals on a daily basis and lack the funds to treat them all medically,
Franco was placed on death row and was hours away from being euthanized.

Thank God Found saw Franco and rescued him!

I fostered Franco for a month without anyone wanting to adopt him.
Franco had aggression problems and would lunge at dogs and men.
He weighs 9 pounds yet acts like an attack dog.

I have been looking for another dachshund because Fritzl
knew only how to give love and I wanted a more gentle dog.

I have been going to a Pet Loss and Grief support at Chicago's Anti-Cruelty Society since Fritzl's passing to the other side. It assisted me in my healing.

To make a long story short, and with some expert training, tons of love, oceans of patience, plus plenty of doggie treats, Franco is now a loving and gentle dog too!

He is part Papillon and part
Chihuahua. He is between 4 and 5 years old.

Franco is always by my side. He is very intelligent, loves to take long walks,
and was a star in the German parade.

He wakes me up by kissing my face.

He has learned to sit, dance, and most of all, has stopped lunging and attacking.

Franco's heart would race and pound in his chest for no apparent reason.

As soon as I adopted him, that all ended.

Franco knows he has a furever home and will never have to worry or fear again.

Animal Rights Commercial - "Dog"


http://vthumb.ak.fbcdn.net/hvthumb-ak-snc4/158786_2013089815357_1005906636407_2484_1434_t.jpg


The Blessing Of Animals Oct. 4



The animals of God's creation inhabit the skies, the earth, and the sea. They share in the fortunes of human existence and have part in human life.

Our animal companions teach us how to love and care for something other than ourselves.

Those animals that live among us are our companions. Dogs, cats, goldfish, birds, rabbits – when we make them our companions we also assume a responsibility for them. We see that they have food and shelter, we see that they have exercise, we see that they are well cared for, and we truly become their guardians. We give them a home and a promise that they will be cared for and kept safe.

Our pets are a blessing from Creator. They come mysteriously into our lives and they love us unconditionally. They teach us how to love them, they teach us love itself. Let us thank Creator for these pets and send loving blessings upon them always.

Animals bless us in many ways. They give us permission to play. They are our best friends. They walk beside us, they listen to our troubles, and they are glad to see us no matter how depressed or sad we may be. They let us know that we are loved. That is the most important blessing that pets give us – unconditional love.

We, in turn, want to offer them a blessing, a prayer, a promise. We want to offer a blessing to honor the connections we have with them, to thank them for the simple joys they bring us. And by doing so to begin to feel more connected to the rest of God’s creation, or the interconnectedness of the web of all life.

We also bless those things we want to protect. We want to protect our pets, we want them to be healthy and happy.

We bless our pets in hope for being good stewards of their care, and in a way we are asking a blessing for ourselves. We ask that we may be the best kind of loving companions to our pets, as they are to us. Their very presence in our lives is already a blessing for us.

May their innocence, in turn, transform and bless us. Amen.

Blessing of Animal Companions

To my beloved animal companion ___. May you be blessed forever with love, nurturance, nutritious food, fresh water, and loving care. May you always have shelter and protection. May you be caressed with affection and wrapped in happiness and comfort. May you breathe fresh air and play joyfully. May you sleep in peace and dream sweet dreams. And may the love you receive be greater than the love you give.

May All That Is, who created all us creatures of this earth,
continue to protect and sustain us with grace and blessings.