Students Of Success

When we first beginning to meditate, there are many
habits that we fall into that prevent us from achieving
a peaceful, state to make any real progress. There
are habits of worry, restlessness, judging
ourselves or our practice of meditation, excessive
movement which can become distracting,
overeating, overindulging in smoking or drinking,
complaining, and finding fault. There also are
certain habits that we can do to assist our mind to
get into a place of meditation, and to begin to
make some progress in your practice. Here are
some hints:

Consistency of Time: It is better to meditate at the
same time every day. It is also usually easier to
meditate early in the morning because the Earth is
more still, your mind is quieter and the day-to-day
activities have not started yet. But if you can’t do it
early in the morning, be consistence with the time that
you meditate during your day, and do this every day
if you are able.

Consistency of Place: It is also beneficial to have the
same place, so that your mind can make recognition
of familiar things that are around and begin to feel
secure there. The mind is like a small child that needs
routine. Chose a certain corner of a room or room of
your house that you will consider your meditation
space. If you cannot leave out your props each day,
collect them and then with each time you can display
and use them in that space once again. Consistency
of time and place assists the mind with that feeling of
safety and security.

Familiar Props: Having the same things that you
use consistently helps greatly in your meditation
process. Again it is a sense of trust, safety and
familiar that aids the mind to become quiet. A
suggestion of some props includes your choice
of prayer cloth, which can be draped over your person.
Drape cloth for an alter that you set up. An alter,
or table that will have all of your meditation items on it,
a bell or chime, or Tibetan bowls to announce the
beginning and end of your meditation, prayer beads
or mala beads, inspirational books, or prayer books,
candle or small light, incense, a mediation pillow,
mat, or roll, special pictures of landscapes or saints or
spiritual leaders, or special items like a feather, or
blessed materials, shells, small stones etc, small
tickless alarm clock.

Creating a Routine of Actions: In creating habits for
meditation, a routine says to your mind that it is time
to meditate and get quiet. The routine might include,
first a preparation of purification. This could include a
bath, or simply washing your face and your hands with
cool water, and then patting your face dry prior to
starting your meditation. Next an acknowledgement
to your higher self, or god, is appropriate. You could
do this by putting your hands together in prayer
position over your heart, which indicates you are
centering your heart, and opening your heart, then lift
your hands to your forehead, to acknowledge your
third eye or center of perception, and then bring your
hands back down to touch your heart. It is an indication
that you are coming back to your center and that is
where you will begin your meditation. It is also an
intention of purification of heart and mind. After
purifying yourself physically and mentally, you might
chose to light an incense, set out your props, and light
a candle. You could ring a chime or a bell and let the
sound resonate in your ears and through your body.
If you enjoy meditation with music it is appropriate to
turn on your music softly prior to your beginning. Next
you may begin your breathing to center your mind, and
cover yourself with your prayer shawl or blanket.

Meditation is the stillness of the mind and a
reconnection with your inner spirit. It could be a
time of reflection, and a period of question and
answers, or simple a time of less thoughts to offer
you peace. Here are some tools to help you get to
that quiet place.

First for the novice, an appropriate duration of time
is 5-10 minutes. Do not overtax yourself when you
first begin. As you progress the duration of time can
increase to 10-30 or 40 minutes, or for an hour or
more. When meditating, we try to shut out the
outside stimulus and force the mind inward.
This is one reason that you try to sit as still
as possible in the session. You are discarding all
physical distraction and sensations. It is important to
sit in the most comfortable position that you are able
so that you will be able to sit still for a period of time.
Prior to beginning your meditation, you could stretch
your neck and move your head up and down and to

either side, stretch your back a little and your shoulders.
When you prepare in this way it is more likely that you
will not be distracted by physical tension.

As you begin to meditate watch and observe your
thoughts without any judgments or condemnation.
When you have observed your thoughts for a while,
begin to call the mind back like a little child. “We are
breathing, we are letting go of these thoughts now.”
Refocus on the breath coming in through your nose again,
if you become disturbed or distracted. If you are fearful be
assured that nothing here can hurt you, this is a discovery
of your inner self and a return to your TRUE nature.
Once you have become accustomed to meditating you
will be more comfortable with your true nature and
realize that you are created to be naturally peaceful, and
joyful, and that is the natural state of your being.

There are different techniques to get you to that silent
and still place. Breathing is very important for trans-
porting you to that place, a sound mantra like OM i
s helpful, a guided meditation, an open eye meditation
that lets you have a focus on one particular object,
point, or picture or candle can immediately take you to the

still place, focusing on music, or particular elements of
the music can accomplish that stillness. You can chose
one or more of these techniques to get you there.

You could also have a meditation of questions and
answers. It is important to write down the questions that
you wish to ask before you begin, so that there is a flow and a
direction of the meditation process. Have a note pad so that
you can write down the answers that come to you.
Usually it is the first answer that comes to you. Write that
down, even it you do not understand the reference. Write
down everything until it feels complete and then move
on to the next question. The question and answer period
may go on for a few meditation sessions so do not become
discouraged if you don’t get all of the answers immediately.

Also do not judge yourself or call yourself inadequate
if you are not getting the responses that you want.
Mediation takes practice and intention to do it well.
Also one needs to become accustomed to how s/he
receives that information personally.

Ring the bell, to signal the conclusion of your meditation
session, or turn off your alarm when it rings. After the time
is up and your meditation has ended, begin to stretch
and loosen your neck and shoulders, and your back and
perhaps your arms and legs. Breathe big breaths in to
bring you from that deep place. Do not force yourself
beyond your time that you told yourself would be the
amount of time for that day. There are other days to
extend the time.

Meditation takes a lot of practice and time.
There are many mental and physical obstacles to over-
come. The mind is always active and always
condemning. It judges you harshly without cause,
it holds you guilty, it keeps you in a fearful place,
it believes that it is under attack, it says empathically
that you can never change, it is full of resistance
and self loathing. The mind never speaks of
your true nature, which is joy, love, compassion
for all creatures, kindness, deep wisdom,
abundance, and the unlimited free flowing capacity.

It is also helpful to keep a journal of your
spiritual progress and your meditations.
Which techniques work best for you, how often
do you get to a still place, is there anything that
came up that you did not expect, are you
causing yourself stress in a process that is
designed to bring more peace and stillness for
you, are you judging yourself? Can you make
a change to comfort yourself, are you receiving
your answers during a Q & A period.

A Note On Meditation And Breathing.
Breathing can start out big and full and then
gradually become diminished and more silent.
It is part of your focus that leads you to that still
place. When you are meditating you are letting
the mind rest on a new focal point other than a
million thoughts of worry, anxiety, fear and what
you will do in the next moment or the evening.
Remember a funnel, it has a great capacity
coming into the top but it is coming down through
a progressively narrower opening, until it passes
through only a tiny opening. The same actions
are occurring when you are limiting your thoughts
to one or more focal points. Letting go of
distracting thoughts, worry, and fear, and focusing
on less and less until you are at a still place.

Focus: Earlier I told you that there are steps
to get you to that still place, the focal points that
draw your mind into a still and quiet place. One
focus is the present moment, only this moment is
what you are focusing on at this time. Another
focus is the steady breathing coming into your
physical form, or the OM sounds resonating
through your mind and body, still other focuses
include the elements of the music like running
water that you are training your ears to pick out,
or the music itself, in a guided meditation you are
letting images form in your mind and that
becomes a focal point, and in an open eye
meditation you are letting your eyes become trained
on a physical point that you can see, and gradually
you let your mind come to an internal focal point.
All of the focal points are designed to assist you to
get into the resting place of the mind where the
mind becomes secondary. When the mind is
resting and not complaining, condemning or
judging then you become aware of your unlimited
nature, of your gentleness, and divine essence.
It is a place of realization of your TRUE SELF and
in knowing and remember that you become
so comfortable with your expanding and unlimited
nature that you only wish to rest in that place.

My suggestions to you are practice, get relaxed,
get settled, don’t judge, do not compare yourself
to others, allow yourself to learn and progress at
your own pace, encourage yourself, and reassure
yourself when you need to, and keep on
practicing and challenging yourself out of your
comfort zone. Do not listen to the mind’s
condemnation of you. It is only false ramblings.
Reward yourself for your effort. Be good to yourself.
katscoolcorner@yahoo.com 201 970-9340

Yoga Kat-aka Katheryn Hoban is a yoga instructor with twelve years of experience. She teaches children’s yoga ages 3-6,7-12 and adults privately in NJ. She is the Author of the Book DAUGHTER BELOVED which is coming out next year. She has created a children’s affirmation CD (ages 3-6) and an adult affirmation CD. She is available for speaking or writing engagements. Yoga Kat can be reached at katscoolcorner@yahoo.com or 201 970-9340

If you are a first time buyer looking for a mortgage to buy your house then the following few points are worthy of your consideration. A mortgage deal is a long process. So being a first time buyer you should do some home work before plunging into the deal.

At a superficial level it seems that getting a mortgage for a First Time Buyer is not a great problem. And in reality, it is so. But to get a mortgage with favourable terms and condition is really tough for a first time buyer. The terms are important because if you fail to follow them then you may have to loose your house.

That is why it is necessary for a first time buyer to take preparation before applying for a mortgage. Now the first thing a First Time Buyer should be careful about is his income. He will have to find out the amount he is fit to borrow so that he can repay it successfully.

Then carefully consider the various sort of interest rate and decide which one suits you most. Remember, rate of interest plays an important role in a mortgage. So choosing the right kind of rate will save a First Time Buyer a reasonable amount and vice versa.

After that carefully choose the length of the mortgage. Both short term and long term have their advantages and disadvantages. So a First Time Buyer should choose the one which meets his need best. Among the other few things consider the fees, early repayment penalty, and down payment.

Before applying for the mortgage, take quotes, from various lenders and compare them. Finally go through the online lenders to ensure a hassle free deal.

About The Author The author is a business writer specializing in finance and credit products and has written authoritative articles on the finance industry. He has done his masters in Business Administration and is currently assisting Adverse-Credit-First-Time-Buyer as a finance specialist.

For more information please visit http://www.adverse-credit-first-time-buyer.co.uk

1. Know your current financial situation. Know you debts level. Calculate your income and expenses by taking into account the following:

Mortgage repayments
Personal tax
Loans and overdrafts
Living expenses
Emergency funds
Car expenses
Entertainment
Holidays
School fees
Credit card debts
Family commitments

Before you start investing your money on any investment products, you should know how much you could spare each month for investment. General rule is that, you should clear your debts first, then save and invest later. That is to say the more money you put aside now, the better it will be for your future. I would say put aside 10% of your income for rainny days. 10% is a small amount that you won’t feel a pinch. Save it until you have managed to build a “dam management funds”.

2. Prepare funds for dam management. This goes in line with point 1. You need to keep at least 3 to 6 months ofyou income as dam management. After you have managed to do that then additional money that you saved can be used to invest.

3. Protect yourself and your family first. By this point, I mean you should have the basic life insurance that insure you and your family against terminal diseases and accident. This is very important as even though you might loose all your money through investment and if you or your family members need medical attention, it will be well taken care of.

4. Know your risk level. If you are not able to take big risks, short term investment and swing trading is notfor you. It’s better to invest in mutual or trusts funds which will give a steady payout and have lower risk.If you are a high risk or medium risk taker, you can try invest in stocks, growth and hedge funds.

5. Diversify your investment. Expert would tell you it is a must to diversify your investment. Your investments needto have a steady mix of stocks, mutual funds and/or bonds. Beside that, your should invest in different industryand/or different regions. This will help you minimize your risk as fluctuations in the markets will not have a big impact on your investments. Your ideal mix will be 20-40% stock and the rest mutual funds and bonds.

6. Do your homework before you invest. It is good to seek expert advice. But, the money is ultimately yours. So you need to do some research and make a sound decision on what to invest even though your financial advisors might have already worked it out all for you. This is to make sure you know what you are investing and able to keep track of them. If your investments suffer loses you will be able to make a right decision whether to sell or hold if you know your stuff well.

7. Do stock take yearly if not frequently. Your investment might already be reaping in profits. But, it is good to know how well you fare at the end of the day. Reinvest the profits and celebrate if you have success. This will serve as motivations for you and will make you more determined to acheive your financial goals.

Copyright 2006 Jason Chew

Jason Chew is an aspiring Entreprenuer and Investor. He is webmaster of an online investing resources and guide: http://www.investyourwaytosuccess.com
We like to here your views, give us your #1 question on investing here:
http://www.investyourwaytosuccess.com/questionaire.htm

Ulcerative colitis is a serious condition involving inflammation, ulceration, and bleeding of the colon. It is considered to be an auto-immune condition for which conventional medicine has no cure. The person is generally given steroids and other drugs to control flare-ups and bleeding. The only cure conventional medicine has is to remove a person’s colon. This disease can either be minor with occasional flare-ups, or debilitating and severe. The internal bleeding can cause severe anemia. The diarrhea can cause a loss of fluids and electrolytes. The pain from intestinal spasms can be extreme. It can get to the point that a person does not want to eat for fear of the pain and the problems they have due to ulcerative colitis.

There are a number of natural ways to manage and control ulcerative colitis, and even potentially put the disease into remission.

First of all, there are methods of modulating the immune system and reducing its tendency to create inflammation without the use of steroids. Steroids can have numerous side effects, especially used long term for a chronic condition like this. They can cause bone loss, water retention, severe insomnia, psychosis (means you go crazy), and impairment of organs. Researchers are also looking into the possibility that the euphoric high some people get from steroids like prednisone may cause psychological dependency.

A number of essential fatty acids and enzymes can reduce the inflammatory response of the immune system. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish oil and in flaxseed oil. This has been shown to be beneficial for people with all sorts of auto-immune conditions including ulcerative colitis. Another fatty acid is called cetyl-myristolate, also called CMO. CMO has been used successfully to treat a number of auto-immune conditions, including ulcerative colitis. One enzyme that seems promising for the treatment of ulcerative colitis is serrapeptase. Serrapeptase is excellent for managing the pain and reducing inflammation in the colon, and in other areas of the body.

Certain vitamins are helpful for ulcerative colitis. Highest on the list is vitamin C. Vitamin C is known to regulate the immune system’s response and reduce inflammation. Sublingual B-vitamin complex can also be beneficial. The B-vitamins can aid the nervous system, reducing a negative response to stress, which is often the source of people’s flare-ups.

Pectin and liquid soluble fiber have been shown to be useful in controlling ulcerative colitis, and preventing flare-ups.
Many people have found that colloidal silver, taken regularly, can put their ulcerative colitis in remission.

The long chain mucilaginous polysaccharides found in aloe vera gel, made from the inner leaf of the aloe vera plant, can heal the damage and the ulcerations formed in the colon during a flare-up of ulcerative colitis.

The Chinese herbal formula, Jianpiling, has been used on over 10,000 people in China with ulcerative colitis. It has been shown to put 66% of cases into remission within 3 months of taking the formula. Some people needed to take the formula again a year later to go back into remission, but the majority still had no flare-ups one year after the study. When examined via colonoscopy, erosions, mucous accumulation, and bleeding spots were shown to be eliminated in 90% of patients.

A Chinese herbal remedy that has been commonly used for all sorts of internal bleeding has been shown to help stop bleeding from ulcerative colitis as well. This formula is called Yunnan Paiyao. It contains pseudoginseng, which has hemostatic properties. Other Chinese herbs used to stop bleeding from ulcerative colitis include mume and sanguisorba.

If a person does take corticosteroids to control ulcerative colitis, they can reduce the dosage they take by also taking licorice root. Licorice root has components that are similar to cortisol. As a result, taking the root magnifies the effects of corticosteroids, making it possible to get similar effects from a smaller dosage. If you take this route, be sure to work with your physician to wean yourself to lower dosages slowly.

As you can see, there are many natural methods of managing ulcerative colitis. All natural remedies require consistency over time to see the best results, since they are generally milder than chemical drugs. Natural approaches also work best if you work on your health in between flare-ups and don’t wait for the situation to become extreme before addressing it. If you are ready to be diligent and take charge of your own health, then the natural route to treating ulcerative colitis may be the best option for you.

Dr. Khan is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and Licensed Acupuncturist. She offers information, products, and phone consultations on the web at http://www.yinessence.com She offers Jianpiling for colon health. You can reach her at farah@yinessence.com

Wedding favor ideas can be as elusive as the perfect man – you can spend forever looking for the right one amongst a whole range that just don’t seem quite right! Traditional wedding favor ideas might seem a little too predictable, or just not quite what you had imagined. So how can you think up wedding favor ideas that are just right for you?

First of all, don’t write off all traditional wedding favor ideas too quickly – they have earned their traditional wedding favors ideas status by proving ever popular. Perhaps the perfect wedding favor idea for you and your spouse might be a traditional one, but with a personal twist of your own.

Instead of the traditional candle wedding favor idea, you might choose a novelty shaped candle that represents something personal to you. Gardeners might enjoy the wedding favor idea of a candle flower in a pot, while animal lovers might like a dog or cat shaped candle.

You will want your favors to be as unique and special as your wedding day, and what better way to find wedding favor ideas than the ones you create yourself. Make your own wedding favors ideas can be difficult to come up with, but the trick is to create something that is representative of you.

Think of make your own wedding favors ideas that speak to your own talents, or those of your spouse – card makers might create a commemorate booklet, while musicians could produce a CD, or even write a special song. The best make your own wedding favors ideas are those that will remind your guests of something special about you and your new spouse.

If all else fails, a good way to come up with new wedding favors ideas is to look at what others have used in the past – tried and tested wedding favor ideas are often the best! Think about weddings you have attended in the past – what did you, as a guest, love and hate about particular wedding favor ideas?

Just remember to find the wedding favor ideas that are meaningful to you. Because your guests will love your favor, so long as it reminds them of you and your special day.

Looking for wedding favor ideas isn’t easy, but worth it to get it right.

For a website totally devoted to Wedding Favors visit Peter’s Website The Wedding Favors Guide and find out about Homemade Wedding Favors as well as Wedding Shower Favors and more, including Cheap Wedding Favors and Wedding Favor Ideas.