Interesting Articles and Videos 28th June

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31 Ways to Appreciate The Present Moment and Feel Happier Right Now

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ~Arthur Ashe

It’s frustrating, isn’t it?

You dream of a life where you have more freedom—your work nourishes your mind and soul, your home is organized, and you have ample time to exercise and eat right.

It’s not that your current situation is awful, but you long to do more of the things you love. Yet when you contemplate radical changes, your heart rate quickens, and you convince yourself it’s just not the right time.

So you keep waiting for the big moment when you can make that big change that will lead to happiness.

Well, you’re wasting your time …

Our ability to feel happier comes from inside ourselves, not from external circumstances. You don’t need to quit your job, move to an exotic location, or lose weight to be happy. You can embody happiness right now.

Over the years, I’ve gotten better at aligning my life activities with my purpose.

I teach at my own yoga studio. I assumed this would make me happy 100 percent of the time, but I get derailed sometimes. I ruminate about the small things like our cluttered house, and the endless details of running a yoga studio. I forget the big picture. I forget all that I have. I get grumpy and start to nitpick.

I have to catch myself and find my happiness from within again. It might take a few minutes, hours, or days, but I use these mini-habits to help me get there. They cost little to nothing and are portable.

No matter your situation, you can start right now. The following habits will help you stand a little taller, smile from your heart, and shine a little brighter.

For Your Mind

1. Breathe deeply.

Inhale deeply, and exhale completely ten times. Deep breathing slows your thoughts, relaxes your nervous system, and brings you closer to your own intuition.

2. Use a mantra to change your mind-set.

Sha is a Sanskrit root word meaning peace, as in “shanti.” Say “sham” slowly ten to twenty times. By combining sound, breath, and rhythm, mantra channels the flow of energy through the mind-body circuit and calms your nervous system and mind.

3. Zone out.

Spend a few minutes daydreaming. Your logical mind, the prefrontal cortex, is constantly planning, analyzing, and thinking about the future. Give it a rest, and just be for a little while; you’ll feel refreshed.

4. Express your love.

Write a note or tell a loved one how you appreciate them. Communicating positive emotions lowers stress hormones, bad cholesterol, and blood pressure, and it strengthens immunity.

5. Rejuvenate your mind.

Close your eyes for a few moments. What do you see in the darkness of your mind’s eye? Notice the patterns that form. This is a simple meditation that rejuvenates and refocuses your tired mind.

6. Explore healing aromas.

Plants like rosemary, lavender, and sage can improve our moods. Create your own natural spa. Put your favorite essential oils in a spray bottle with a little water.

7. Swap a thought.

Make a list of your positive traits and attributes. When you criticize yourself, refer to this list. Keep this pattern up and you’ll transform your inner dialogue.

8. Allow yourself to be.

Accept all your feelings about your present situation. They are valid, whether you like them or not. Accepting your current situation is the first step to feeling happier.

9. Loving-kindness meditation.

Loving-kindness builds positive emotions, which increases mindfulness and purpose in life. Spend a few minutes letting feelings of love and kindness for someone wash over you.

10. Meditate.

When thoughts come, return to your breath without judging. Deep breathing clears your mind and decreases your stress levels, which will allow you to feel happier.

11. Declutter one spot.

Declutter one surface or area. Starting small is easier. But when your home and workspace are clear from clutter, your mind feels more spacious.

For Your Body

12. Lighten up.

Once a day, laugh at yourself. When you make a mistake, see the humor in your error. Laughing is great medicine, it improves your mood, and it relieves stress and tension.

13. Stretch your body.

Sitting in a chair? Push away from your desk. Inhale, and as you exhale, bend forward, moving your ribs toward your thighs. Breathe deeply. Get out of your mind and into your body and the present moment.

14. Stretch your breath.

Hold onto the back of your chair, and breathe deeply. This opens up your rib cage and lungs, allowing you to breath more deeply. The added oxygen to your brain will make you feel alive and alert.

15. Give yourself a massage.

Use coconut oil or sesame oil on your skin, massage it on your whole body, and then take a warm shower to help your skin absorb the oil. This is a home spa treatment that is used all over India. Touch is calming, and you can reap its benefits without buying expensive massages.

16. Take a bath.

Relax and enjoy the simple pleasure of a warm bath. Light some candles, and put on your favorite music. Soothe your body with this simple ritual. Why dream about getting away when you can create a calming environment in your home?

17. Place your palms over your eyelids.

This relaxes your eyes and mind. This is especially helpful if you have a headache or feel fatigued.

18. Practice Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep).

Take ten minutes to relax your whole body completely and then each part of your body in turn. This magical practice is as efficient as taking a longer nap.

19. Eat with complete attention.

Put away all your screens. Savor your meal by noticing all its tastes and textures. You’ll improve your digestion and feel more relaxed as a result.

20. Move every day.

Even if you have very little time. You only need five minutes to stretch or walk outside. Building a little movement into your day is better for your health than one longer weekly workout.

21. Hug someone or something.

Like your friend, pet, or even yourself. Soothing touch is relaxing and calming.

For Your Spirit

22. Stop and pay attention.

Are birds chirping? Horns blasting? Voices passing? Notice your world right now, and see the beauty that is unfolding under your nose. You’ll feel a little better about your situation.

23. Make a mini-gratitude list.

What are three things from the past twenty-four hours that can go on your list? Making gratitude a permanent trait is proven to make us happier, healthier, and live longer.

24. Give thanks for your meals.

Saying thanks for having enough will remind you of how much you have. Remember that eight million people don’t have enough food to lead a healthy, active life.

25. Get outside and unplug.

Spend time outdoors without your digital devices. Notice the small details of your surroundings — the flowers, the trees, even the small ants on the sidewalk. You’ll feel peaceful and calm as a result.

26. Spend time with friends.

Socializing is a secret of the world’s longest-lived people. Set a weekly meeting. Go for a walk, drink tea, or simply enjoy each others’ presence.

27. Listen.

When people talk, listen to them. Be 100 percent present with your company, and you’ll get their appreciation in return.

28. Love your furry friends.

They can be our best friends and show undying loyalty. Spending time petting a dog can improve your mood and even strengthen your heart.

29. Find a beautiful natural thing around you.

Pick a flower, leaf, twig, or fruit. Remind yourself of all the natural wonders that surround you right now. It’s easy to overlook the beauty in the present moment.

30. Take a mini-vacation.

Once a week, I take my toddler and dog to the park for a picnic lunch. We relax and listen to the birds. Leave your busy life for a few moments to be with loved ones who are crucial to your happiness.

31. Give a little bit.

Carry canned food for people asking for food. Make eye contact. Recognize the common human spirit in every person you meet, right in your neighborhood.

The Secret That Holds The Key To Your Happiness

Your happiness isn’t dependent on where you live, how much you weigh, or what you do for work. The key to happiness is appreciating what you have at this moment. Sure, we all want to make changes sometimes. But one change, no matter how big, is unlikely to transform misery into elation.

Small things that help you appreciate yourself, your loved ones, and the world around you will add up to big changes in your mind-set.

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The Tipping Point at the Crossroads of Time

19th June 2015

By Zen Gardner

Contributing Writer for Wake Up World

It appears we’re hitting that infamous tipping point in many arenas of late. So much is getting revealed and reaching the collective consciousness as the truth manifests. Remember, to finally tip a scale it just needs that last grain of sand to completely reverse perceived reality in the mass mind.

Just look at not just the grains, but the flood tide of truth being released into the public mental, spiritual, economic and political domains, never mind the profound vibrational morphic field shifts with so many souls awakening in a whole range of areas. It’s astounding.

There’s still a lot to be done but the landscape is changing fast.

No doubt the external world situation grows more direful by the day, but it’s important for people to be able to identify these powerful shifts now taking place for their own encouragement and inspiration. While the forces of abuse and control seem to be making monstrous strides toward their end game, their machinations are becoming more obvious and clearly malicious. As people are able to step back and identify the fact that their world is a completely manipulated one they shed their fear of it and soon find their true spiritual and consciously aware footing.

This is the very definition of empowerment and drastically weakens the power structure’s control over people’s minds. As a result the flame of true freedom grows brighter continually, further propelling humanity’s awakening and empowerment.

The Alternative Mosquito Swarm

Every email, every blog, every website, every post, every conversation, every independent media outlet broadcasting the truth is a massively powerful influence towards turning the tide in the perception of our world and hence its actual operation. It happens one seemingly small act at a time, but it’s spreading like wildfire, in spite of the doubts of naysayers and and even alternative cynics.

Doubt is akin to fear, and its end result is apathy; i.e. disempowerment and inaction. It’s similar to one of the biggest lies ever perpetrated in the heart of mankind. “After all, what can little me do to make any kind of difference that matters? I’m just one little person.”

The absolute opposite of the truth. As the oft used expression goes;

“If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

Now picture multiple swarms of truth-bearing mosquitoes, replicating as they go. Can’t you just see the wicked minions in assumptive power fleeing their pretentious little bastions of lies and pompous superficial sandcastles as a result of such an onslaught? Absolutely glorious!

The Power of the Awakening Factor

Few realize the power of change, whether it be conscious awareness or fundamental knowledge tools. What we have been handed is a very limited viewpoint that needs continual challenging, especially once we become aware of the vast social engineering programs.

Researchers have discovered a very powerful dynamic in our social milieu, something we know in our hearts to be true but sometimes it’s good to have it affirmed by so-called scientific evidence.

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority of the society. The scientists, who are members of the Social Cognitive Networks Academic Research Center (SCNARC) at Rensselaer, used computational and analytical methods to discover the tipping point where a minority belief becomes the majority opinion. The finding has implications for the study and influence of societal interactions ranging from the spread of innovations to the movement of political ideals.

When the number of committed opinion holders is below 10 percent, there is no visible progress in the spread of ideas. It would literally take the amount of time comparable to the age of the universe for this size group to reach the majority, said SCNARC Director Boleslaw Szymanski, the Claire and Roland Schmitt Distinguished Professor at Rensselaer. “Once that number grows above 10 percent, the idea spreads like flame.” (More)

Pretty damn powerful, and personally empowering.

Turning Tides

Just look how the ISIS “terror” operation cover has been blown open for what it truly is, a ploy masterminded and funded by cooperative surreptitious interests out to destabilize and control the Middle East and beyond. This recent attack on Yemen by Saudi Arabia, of all despotic nation states, is another massive blip on the radar, as if that fascist state is interested in representative rule, all with the full on backing of Israel, the US and NATO.

And into another spectrum, how about the moon mission being thoroughly debunked as NASA admits they can’t pass the Van Allen radiation belt? This fact has been known for a long time but is now evident to all. Not only the whole space program, but all of the information coming from NASA all these years comes into question.

A new 9/11 novel titled Methodical Illusion by a former airline stewardess is chock -a-block with real information regarding what really transpired that day that’s going viral in the mainstream media, with pilots buying the book by the box to pass out to friends. The truth is being revealed by the minute in all kinds of arenas.

Clearly multitudes are seeing the world’s economy is manipulated by central banksters, and that the unending war on this scripted illusory concept of terror that they keep propping up with new false flags and boogeymen has become a worn out old saw for anyone even half awake to see. Now rapacious Israel has openly declared its intentions to eviscerate Palestine and other foes while its vice like grip on America is laid bare before the world.

And more examples are proliferating by the day. The obvious nature of this world game is now naked in the eyes of millions of people worldwide, despite Amerika’s comatose state – and these realizations are rapidly growing as lives change in the light of this awareness.

Yet you won’t hear a peep about any of this in the scripted media. After all, big money and control rule all in this metastasized Orwellian spin off to which we’re subjected. Another aspect is the vast discrepancy between fat cat incomes and the rest of humanity continuing to distend as these psychopaths think no one is noticing, all while subjugated citizens’ income and food supplies run thin as the elite’s bankrolls blossom and our food supply is systemically attacked.

The outrage is boiling and reaching the tipping point, in multiple ways. The tide will certainly shift, and already is in massive undercurrents. But now is the time to put our shoulders to the wheel of change while we can still operate freely in order to stave off as much of this draconian insanity as possible.

It’s time to rise.

Let it rip. Express these realizations loud and clear in whatever way you can to make the message heard while encouraging others that are sensing this same reality. The doors of opportunity are closing fast. If and when the temporally induced night comes, we need as many hearts ablaze as possible to light up the darkness while our work continues.

When Humanity Awakens and Arises

We’re about to see some fantastic cataclysmic changes on our planet, but way more importantly within human consciousness. This is not so much “their” doing even in lieu of the obvious socio-geopolitical arena, but is of cosmic proportions in ways they will never see coming. This awakening is what they inherently fear, as global takeover progenator Zbigniew Brzezinski articulated, and the very thing the would-be controllers are preparing for in their attempts to kill off, drug, cripple, transhumanize and militarily control humanity.

The tide is turning, the scales are tipping. This is not wishful thinking. It’s fact. The question does remain however: what will we do with this empowering dynamic? Observe, or participate?

Change, awareness and activation don’t just happen on their own. They work through you, they work through me. If we respond to them the changes happen. If we just observe, pass the buck and let it all just pass, it doesn’t happen or meet up to its full potential.

It’s a choice. It’s yours, it’s mine. To not enter in at this point is stupefied insanity.

Will you go all the way? Because that’s the type of commitment it will take at this stage of the game. All it is is simply responding to the need at hand. It’s not all that difficult. When push comes to shove most everything people are now preoccupied with will vanish as if it were a dream. That’s when the remorse sets in for all those who refused to take action.

Something to think seriously about. We are now at the crossroads. What world are we helping to manifest? Or will we irresponsibly let things slide along as they are? The answer is up to you.

It’s ours in which to participate. Passionately and with dogged determination. Because everything is at stake. Here and now.

Fulfill your calling.