Transformational Counseling is about assisting others to transform their life.  Transformational Counseling is a process of assisting others to learn how to let go of the past and live fully in the present.  To live fully in the present is to become awaken to what is truly real and to our own natural power.  Much of our life is spent living in the past, and in the process, attempting to fix it, to make it something that it is or was not.  It is from living in the past that we also attempt to create our future, the result always being a living of life as it was in the past.  Transformation takes place when we learn to exist in and be present to the Now.     

The practice of staying present to our natural power and to that which is real is becoming conscious to what is so, to the Now, to the present.  What is so, the Now, has no meaning and exists outside of thought and language.  As human beings we tend to give meaning to everything, including other people, ourselves and even life itself.  It is in our meaning making that we leave the present and create our life from the past, a life that can be filled with a great deal of anxiety, fear and stress.  What is so merely exists and it is in the experience of the Now that we begin to live a life of power and freedom, a life and way of being free from our past.

A specific technique that is very powerful for practicing staying present to the Now is meditation.  It is in meditation that one creates the space to experience a very deep state of relaxation, a state that is very healing to both the mind and body.  As we know, in meditation ones metabolism slows down, including heart rate and blood pressure.  The consistent practice of meditation will reduce anxiety and stress.  For some the practice of meditation allows them to access true Being.  For others it is way of reconnecting to the Spirit within us.  It is in the consistent practice of meditation that the subject and object distinction inherent in language, thought and meaning making collapses thereby resulting in our access to the present, to the Now.          

The meditative process can be enhanced by the use of therapeutic relaxation music.  Music has always been a very powerful modality for promoting a very deep state of relaxation and even healings.  I have found that musical compositions that are harmonically slow, repetitious, with sustained voices, which are rhythmically, random in tempo assists an individual in experiencing a very deep state of relaxation.  A second important component of the use of therapeutic relaxation music is the use of binaural audio tones that have been interwoven into the music.  The binaural tones, through a process referred to as entrainment or frequency following, gently guides or directs the mind/body to generate more of the targeted frequency of brain wave activity for an even more profound state of relaxation. 

The meditative process of practicing staying present to the Now is as follows:

1.  Take a comfortable position in an upright sitting position.

2.  Allow your legs and arms to be open.

3.  Allow your eyes to focus upon a chosen object.  The chosen object could be a candle light in a darkened room or any point that you choose. 

4.  As you focus on the chosen object, allow your muscles to slowly relax from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.

5.  Take three slow deep breathes in through your nose as you inhale.  Hold each breath to the mental count of four.  Slowly exhale each breath out through your mouth.  Continue to breath at a slow pace after the three breaths.

6.  Continue to focus on the chosen object.  When your mind wanders to some thought or thoughts slowly and gently bring it back to your focused concentration upon the chosen object.  Simply let go of the thoughts that arise.  The thoughts are from the past.  Stay focused to what is so.  

7.  Continue the practice for a prescribed period of time and then go about your daily activities.  Each day that you practice you may even choose to lengthen the time you spend with this technique.

The ability to stay in the present, to access the Now, can be enhanced with the consistent practice of meditation.  What this will necessitate is one making the practice of meditation apart of his or her daily schedule.  With the consistent practice of meditation one will also create the ability to stay even more present to what is so even when not actively engaged in the meditative process.  It is through a commitment to the practice of meditation on a daily basis that one will begin to live more fully in the Now.       

Harry Henshaw, Ed.D., LMHC
http://www.enhancedhealing.com

All the best

Alan

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What’s so important about the here-and-now? Can the traumas of the past and the fear of a particular future event, really keep us chained to imagery that’s not real, yet seems real? How hard is it to stay ‘present’, when you’re broke, or you’ve done something bad, or someone has threatened to get you one day?

For me, the ’s**t’ of life happens and sometimes can’t be controlled. It impacts and you have to make decisions – and an action plan - about how you’re going to deal with it…then this ‘plan’ becomes in part what you livc. I’ve got caught up in this in the past…worry about something, make a plan, and then worry about the plan…change the plan and then worry some more…it’s endless if you allow it to be so.

So I started looking into and researching the benefits of living in the ‘now’. The first question I had was, ‘but what about the importance of learning from the past and planning for the future’? I discovered that these ‘aspects’ of our thinking, are important to who we are as individuals…I needed to attend to it, be aware of it, but also have a way to move on from it, when I needed peace…and I could only find peace in the moment.

Okay, obviously some here-and-now moments aren’t pleasant…like going to the dentist, or losing someone we love; but what are our choices in those moments? Yes, I could try and place my mind elsewhere which can help me minimise the pain of the moment…or I could stop resisting it and accept the reality of it at that time. Only I can assess whether one or the other actually helps me deal with and/or cope with the ‘reality’ of that moment. The truth is – or at least my understanding of it – that’s our moment and how we choose to deal with it will either free us from it, or bind us to it for an ‘x’ amount of time.

Despite the probability of future pain, or something in the past possibly coming back to bite me in the a*s, I found it increasingly important to always put some time aside to practise being in the here-and-now…taking a moment to appreciate what I have, clarifying what I want, drawing the spirtit’s energy into me, listening to the sounds of the moment just as they are. I have also found that one of the best times for doing this, is just before I go to sleep. I find that this ‘renewal’ travels with me into my sleep and into the next day. I know it would be good for me to also practise it in the morning, but I’m usually too sleepy.

Anyway, I’ll post some more on ‘transformation counseling’ next time. As always, let me know what you think if you got some time.

All the best

Alan

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You can also begin to do yoga when you are pregnant. There are some poses that you will want to avoid, but if you learn to avoid the harmful poses and master the poses that are suggested as prenatal yoga. You will want to learn about these poses before you begin to do yoga. You will want to ask your pediatrician about whom you will be able to contact. Be sure that you know what you are doing, because you don?t want to hurt yourself or the baby.

Yoga is beneficial because it is a mental exercise as well as a physical one. Those who try to learn and use yoga as a meditation tool, they are able to relax and control their breathing. This will help you during labor, especially if you are opting to give birth without the use of drugs. You will learn how to stay calm in your later stages of your pregnancy, since many new mothers can easily frustrated.

You will want to learn the rules that you will need to follow when practicing yoga when you are pregnant. First, stay hydrated, stopping often for water breaks. If you get too overheated, your core body temperature rises even more, which can harm the baby. For this reason, ‘hot’ yoga is dangerous and should be avoided while you are pregnant. You will also want to eat some extra calories since you are eating for two, however, you will want to exercise to burn the extra calories from yourself and the baby.

You will want to make sure that you avoid certain poses because they can be harmful towards the baby. Lying flat on your back, for example, can cut of blood flow to your brain and to the uterus, making you dizzy and causing developmental problems for your baby. After your first trimester you will not want to because it?s just not safe. Also skip positions that are inverted, or those that require great amounts of balance.

Remember that your stomach is growing every day, so you will never be able to fully get used to your new shape and stay balanced. Keep in mind that you don’t fall because it can hurt yourself or the baby. If the position includes major twisting or stretching in the abdominal region, they may also not be best for you and your baby. Finally, avoid transitions in which you must stand quickly from a laying or sitting position, since this can be uncomfortable and cause you to be dizzy, as well as restrict blood flow to your uterus.

There are a lot of positions that you will find to be helpful, however, most pregnant women will either practice yoga or they will do things to stretch their body. You will want to talk to your yoga instructor on what they recommend for your and your unborn child. You should also speak with your medical doctor and ask them if yoga will help you and your baby to stay healthy.

Good health to you and your baby

Alan

If you’d like more information, then I would recommend ‘The Fit and Healthy Pregnacy Guide’. You will receive two special report for free, when you sign up (The Dark Side of Food Pyramid for Pregnant Women’ and ‘How to Eliminate Pregrancy-Related Back Pain Without Drugs’).

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Bikram yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury. You will find that you will go and do yoga in a room that this 95-105 degrees hot. You will find that the room is also high in humidity. This will increase your body flexibility and it will lower the risk of muscular injury. The sweat from the heat of the room you will be able to get rid of all the toxins of the body. When you subject yourself to hot temperatures will help you to get toned and loss the weight. You will also find that it is strengthen the immune system.

This type of hot yoga will include about 26 poses and it will also including two breathing exercises. You will find that each breath exercise is performed twice within an hour an half. The room is carpeted and has mirrors. You will find that it is a very intense workout. You will find that the benefits of bikram yoga will help you to relieve chronic pain and even certain symptoms from some diseases.

Since this yoga master, born in 1946, is still living, he can file lawsuits. And he does. He refuses to allow his name to be attached to generic yoga practiced in a hot room, demanding that instructors of Bikram yoga follow his proscribed yoga methods and be properly certified from his institute, the Yoga College of India, founded in 1974. He has tried to copyright his series of 26 poses and tries to claim rights over all sequences that have substantial similarity. There are some people who are bothered by his methods of self-expansion (such as opening franchises of yoga studios). You will notice that he is an instructor at a yoga college in Mumbai, India, but he also teaches at other worldwide locations.

Many people will use the term ?hot? yoga so that they are able to avoid a lawsuit. Any yoga that takes place in a hot room might be called Hot Yoga; it may or may not precisely follow Bikram Choudhury’s precise proscribed methods. If you want to take a hot yoga class you will want to make sure that you go to a certified studio to teach you?re the method correctly. If you want to take a Bikram yoga class, make sure the studio you choose for your class is certified to teach the method.

When taking a Hot Yoga class, you must have your own mat and towel to handle the profuse sweat. Most students also choose to wear little clothing, to avoid overheating. You want to drink plenty of water and water only. You will find that it can make you dehydrated if you don?t drink water. Also, you will want to avoid eating within two hours prior to class. You should drink well over eight glasses of water on days you have Hot Yoga classes.

If you are an expecting mommy, you will not want to practice hot yoga. It will raise your body temp and it is not good for the baby. You will also find that you are going to have to have a high tolerance to heart and become accustomed to exercise and doing yoga. You don?t want to start off with this type of yoga, because you may find that it is difficult for you to learn and focus when in the hot environment.

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There are a number of class types of yoga, including Vinyasa yoga. You will find that this specific type of yoga you will be able to do poses that flow into one another and it is a consistent breathing meditation. The type of breathing-oriented posed yoga is rapid and dynamic. It is another way of saying that you are into Power Yoga.

In reference to poses, Vinyasa can describe the poses performed between repeats of “Downward Facing Dog” in a Sun Salutation: Plank, “Four Limbed Staff”, and “Upward Facing Dog”.

To get into the Plank pose from a downward-facing dog, you will have to bring your torso up until your body is straight and your shoulders are directly handling over your wrists. It?s like the push up position. Press down firmly through your forearms and hands, widen your shoulder blades, and press back through the heels, regardless of whether your heels touch the floor or not. You will want to make sure that your neck stays inline with your spine, but once you have mastered it, you can perform the pose with one leg lifted at a time.

From Plank, enter the Four Limbed Staff by bending your arms straight back, hugging your upper arms to your sides. Then you will want to lower yourself to the floor with your forearms and upper arms at a ninety-degree angle, while keeping your body level throughout the pose. Push back on your heels while pressing into your palms. (Beginners can leave their knees on the floor until they build the strength to hold up their bodies.) Then you can try shifting the pose while leaving one leg up from the advanced plank pose, but that is only once you’ve mastered the pose

To progress into Upward Facing Dog, tuck in your toes to roll over your feet as you come forward. Don’t let your thighs touch the floor. Make sure that you keep your legs tense and off the floor, but you will also pres into the floor with the tops of your feet and with your palms. Make sure your shoulders remain over the wrists, and drop your hips. Beginners might find it easier to transition by dropping their thighs to the floor, flipping their feet over one at a time, then raising their legs again to move into Upward Facing Dog.

These are just beginning yoga poses will require you to concentration if you would like to master it. You will also find that these are difficult for a person to master. You will want to get it a good go at learning how to do yoga. You will find that there are many difficulties that you will have with Vinyasa yoga.

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If you are thinking about starting a yoga class you will want to consider what you wear to the class before you go. You will find that yoga involves many different moves or positions while in a single routine. You will need to dress so that you will be comfortable and it won?t create problems for you if were to stretch or move a certain way. You will find that if you don?t wear the correct type of clothing you may not get everything that you would hope to get from a yoga class. You will find that there are many clothing companies that have a variety of clothing for those who are practicing or learning yoga. As you know yoga is increasing in popularity in the past few years and it is considerate for these companies to offer you the clothing.

Choose yoga clothing that is comfortable for your body when you are moving. Clothing that is too tight may ?ride up? and shift in uncomfortable ways as your limbs rub against one another, for example. You will want to wear clothing that you feel good in and that you feel good about your body. You will want to feel comfortable no matter what size you are so that you can feel less self conscious if you think that your pants are too tight or such. In all honesty, everyone is probably too engrossed in class to notice what you are wearing, but poor clothing can be a mental block and prevent you from learning.

You will also find that poor clothing choices can be quite embarrassing. Remember that yoga involves inverting your body in many cases. Don?t go with too loose of clothing because the sag or fall of the clothing may show off more than you want to. Not only is this embarrassing for you, but you will also notice that everyone else will feel uncomfortable. Clothing that is too tight can be stretched too far and rip during class. Tight clothing can also be too revealing if there are members of the opposite sex enrolled in your yoga class. Always be respect towards those who are around you and always wear things that are comfortable.

Yoga is an exercise, and like all exercises, you will sweat. Take this into consideration when choosing the fabric that you want to wear. Also, think about the fact that some fabrics will absorb the sweat so that you can remain dry during the workout, but still burn those calories. If your clothing is wet, it could be dangerous to attempt some positions, and the same is true if your clothing is too loose.

If you aren?t sure what clothing you will want to wear to your classes, you will want to do some of the basic moves and see how you feel or look in the clothing. You will want to choose outfits that are comfortable and that you feel good in. You will want to also ask your teacher for any suggestions. You will find that your clothing is very important when it comes to beginning a yoga class.

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Yoga is developing as a part of life. It is a way that you can integrate body poses and breathing exercises with added meditation to give a peace of mind to have peace with the world.

Meditation comes from intense concentration, where the individual focuses so thoroughly on a single object that he or she thinks of nothing besides his or her awareness of that object (Some religions may find that their idea of prayer could fall under this definition). Yoga will take things a little bit further by making meditation the highest point of the Eight Limbs of Yoga.

These “eight limbs” define Yoga as a lifestyle: your attitude to the world around you is followed by your attitudes towards yourself, physical posturing, breathing exercises, withdrawing the senses, concentrating, contemplating, and finally enlightenment. You will go into an state of bliss that will result in the use and development of the other seven. Meditation combines withdrawing the senses, concentrating, and contemplating to be the final state that can be accomplished before bliss.

At any rate, meditation calms the mind and offers a number of health benefits even before enlightenment. With regular mediation will help reduce all the stress and anxiety. It will also lower your blood pressure and it will decrease your risk of a heart attack. It can improve concentration, clarity of thought, and release your creative side.

With some research, mediation with yoga will increase the matter of the brain?s cortex, and it will help with cognitive, emotional, and sensory date of the brain. Meditation may also slow natural shrinkage of the frontal cortex due to aging. The 20 participants on average meditated for 40 minutes a day. Actually, most change happens in the brain?s right half.

Meditation really isn?t easy though. Clearing the mind of extraneous thought is difficult, and all thought even more so. Learning how to do meditation will take some time and hard work.

You will want to sit somewhere with your back and head straight, to start out. You will find that you will want to learn some basic breathing exercises first to help you. You will then want to close your eyes, breathe in through your noses and exhale through your mouth. You will want to focus on your breath. You will be able to get cool air to enter through and the warm air leaves. You will want to make sure that you focus on the way that you breath. You will want to redirect all of your wondering thoughts and then just focus on the warm air leaving. You should start off with some short meditations that last a few minutes. Most beginners will start off counting their breaths so that they can focus on the breathing, but you will only want to count to four and then start over again.

Alan

PS: Have a look at Brainwave Entrainment. It’s a great site and has everything from atral projection, manifestation, lucid dreaming and chakra tuning, to aura viewing, energy lift, creativity, stress relief and meditation (NB. Free samples available)

PSS: I would also highly recommend the Fireball Yoga Club – see below – and a great club to part of and has everythink you might want to know about yoga – breathing positions, lotus positions, manta yoga, master fear etc.

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