A very centering principle for self-guided visualizing is to imagine nature because our bodies and minds sympathize with the healing aspects of nature. Whether sitting on a mountain we have seen, by a stream, or lake or forest, by engrossing all five of our senses deeply in nature, we stimulate the parts of our brain that really respond to these stimuli.

How To:
Sit in a calm, dimly lit place. Consider some calming music, a candle, or incense.
Breathe deeply, and smile to relax the facial musculature.
Imagine your favorite natural spot. Recall the little details and try to see what’s in your mind’s world around you: the more you ‘look’, the more the vision will grow.
Imagine a breeze, the smell, the sun, or the moon shine…
See the air around you as the most brilliant light, entering your body as you heal and releasing negativity, doubt, and fear, as you exhale.
Imagine from the base of your spine a thread connecting you to the magnum of the earth. As you sit up straighter, let the thread run through you to the sky.

The post Earth-Centered Meditation Guide appeared first on Somadome.

One way to practice active listening is during a conversation. While listening to what is being said, begin to focus on the sound quality and words being spoken. As you continue to focus in, you will tune out outside noises. Your attention on the words will shift how you relate to the person speaking, it creates a space for presence, strengthening your connection with who you are speaking with.

It is also possible to practice actively listening as a way to slow down. By reassigning your attention to a singular sound at a time, your mind and body begin to feel more grounded. Once you feel that shift, focus on another sound, from the busy streets to the sound of the wind, and so on. Stripping down sensations to individual elements brings a sense of awareness that opens up a sense of place and embodiment.

Another way to practice active listening is with music, which for many can become a form of active meditation.

Listening to music or making music, alters your senses and mood. Whether you are dancing or sitting down, close your eyes and “feel” the music, listen to all of its elements and notice the sensations that flow through you.

It is a particularly potent practice when dancing because the body becomes an active rhythmic meditation, allowing the senses to hear music, keeping the mind engaged on the elements of the sound while a flow state emerges.

No matter which one you choose to try out, practicing actively listening is a powerful way to connect with yourself and others.

The post Active Listening: A Guide appeared first on Somadome.

Connecting with them can help us understand and discover things about who we are and where we are going. So how can we connect and honor them?

Here are a few simple ways for us to connect and honor them.

We can find pictures of them and really look at them. By looking into their eyes, the windows to their souls, their facial expression, their body language, what they wore, and where the picture was taken, we can feel closer to them.

We can reflect on the time periods they lived and think about the life they had, the things they did, what they celebrated, what they ate, what they enjoyed and what they struggled with.

To honor them, we can hang their pictures or place their pictures among our precious things. We can also create a space, an altar, a place to express gratitude to call on them for guidance and through meditation, we may be able to hear or see signs of this guidance. Especially in certain times of day like 11:11, where the portals into the spiritual world opens allowing our ancestors to point to signs or make us think of something that points us in the right direction. If you pray, prayer directed to them with words of gratitude and forgiveness, can also help us remember what came before us and what lies ahead.

Without them, there would be no us and tapping into the unbreakable bonds we have with our ancestors can lead us down the path we are meant to be on.

The post Simple Ways To Honor Ancestors appeared first on Somadome.

Our body responds powerfully to the differentiation in our breath patterns, relaxing when feeling full of air, and tightening when out of breath.

In moments of stress and panic, breathing shortens and speeds up exponentially, restricting our body and carrying less oxygen to the brain. Our body responds with continuous panic, until we slow down our breathing and gain control of our mind.

Square breath is one way to slow down breathing. To do this, inhale to a count of four, hold to a count of four, exhale to a count of four, and hold again to a count of four. To maintain the cycle, it is necessary to place attention solely on the breath, and to maintain awareness of the body’s interaction with the mind.

Another yogic breathing technique is alternate nostril breathing where you plug the right nostril while breathing in through the left, hold, then release through the right, then reverse the process by breathing in through the right nostril while holding the left, then letting go and plugging the right. This also helps to balance the right and left hemispheres of the brain, enabling more creativity and analytical thinking as well as activities.

If these techniques are too complicated, you can place awareness on your breath and think ‘inhale’ with each inhale, and ‘exhale’ with each exhale. This helps the mind place attention on the breath, steadying a chaotic mind and body.

You can also try a visualization technique. For this, you picture yourself inhaling golden air, and exhaling dark energies from your body. As you keep inhaling golden air and exhaling dark air, you begin to feel the chaotic feelings clear, welcoming in healing energies and relaxation.

For each of these techniques, practice them for several minutes until the mind is calm. Remember, our breath is our lifeforce, the anchor to our consciousness and the peace to our panic.

The post Breathing Techniques to Slow Down appeared first on Somadome.

The theta brain state is in harmonious frequency with the soul, charging the connection between the spirit and the oneness of the universe. When we align with the universal frequencies, we can begin manifesting desires and dreams.

Manifesting our dreams and desires is rooted in the power of words, as each utterance is a statement of belief, or prayer. In history, prayer has been dictated by religious edicts and books but it is important to realize the power of prayer and each word we think, especially what we say.

When we are not aligned with our true Self and operate at base levels, our words are less powerful. To make our words more powerful, it is important to speak in an active voice that is present, clear and invokes feelings of love.

For prayer, or statements of belief, it is unnecessary to address a G-d but we must invoke the power of feelings and have gratitude for Self and the world around you. This gives us access to the higher realms of imagination, where belief lives.

Belief and prayer and similar higher states of consciousness are made stronger when in conjunction with others. Throughout history, we see examples of this going very badly through stereotypes and fervor; examples like the Salem witch trials call to mind an escalation of belief to consensus reality. Yet on the flip side, we see miracles happen when minds collaborate and manifest shifting realities.

To pray effectively, we don’t need to be on our knees to pray, or beside our bed looking at a bright star. The power of prayer is accessed when we are focused and emoting intensely. Holding dear memories, singing or dancing to invoke flow state, creates a passionate bond between heart and head, allowing our thoughts and words to vibrate at an intense cellular level to manifest realities.

The post Prayer and Belief: the effect on the mind’s manifesting power appeared first on Somadome.

The Egyptian Osiris mythology closely resembles the Christian cycle of Jesus’s birth and life. Aligned with the pagan celebration of the winter solstice, on the 25th of December, Jesus, and Osiris’s birthdate. This belief coincides with the earth’s cycle around the sun, in which the 21st – 25th of December, the darkest days of the year, and the sun returning on the 25th and regenerating its force.

On the other side of the world, the yogis of India worship the sun through postures called a sun salutation, dedicated to the deity Surya. Each posture, or asana, is supported by a different mantra, designed to align the waking body with the sun. Opening with standing posture, Tadasana, the yogi can hold in mind, ‘ॐ मित्राय नमः Oṃ Mitrāya Namaḥ’, meaning, ‘affectionate to all’, to awaken their empathy through the union of posture and breath and perhaps sound.

In China and Japan, our lifeforce energy is called chi, or ki, and prana in Indian yoga subsects called kundalini. Our bodies’ life force is made from subatomic particles that come, as everything does, from the formation of the sun, and is constantly nourished by the effect of the sun’s power on earth. The subatomic particles form a field of energy that can be affected also by different forms of meditation, like sun-gazing.

Sun-gazing is an Ayurveda practice, in which during the first 45 minutes of the sunrise, the sun does not harm the eyes. Practitioners gaze into the sun with slitted eyes, or indirectly, receiving the benefit to their mind and body. The gaze is intended to be an active open-eyed meditation, in which the sun is activating neurochemicals to release, allowing more love and understanding into the body.

The post Sun Worship: History and Benefits appeared first on Somadome.

Our minds work so fast; thoughts and ideas flood through all day and night, sometimes hiding the voice of the Gd-given intuition that is possible. Keeping memos, a journal, or diary, allows us to track our small daily genius, and reflect on them in times of inspiration.

Happiness chemicals like dopamine flood the brain when reminiscing. We know from chatting with old friends, how we respond to fond memories. Those who are journaling, know the experience of going back to old recollections and feeling the energy of the memory, and its counterpart in our soul, flood through with positivity.

We can remember our dreams and make small observations that could compound and help us achieve them. Our daily repetition of a dream, while awake, helps us intend truly, and harmonize with our universal factors, that can make the dream manifest into reality, as long as it is in our highest good.

Journaling how to:

Pick your medium: whether an app on your phone or in a notebook, find a solution you can bring anywhere and always have handy.

Organize: When we begin journaling, we sometimes make the mistake of diving in with chaotic thought. Take a moment to breath; organize your thoughts, then record. You will be happier coming back to it if the entry is clear and concise.

Inspiration: As we are, all is. Gd is creation, and sometimes we just don’t feel inspired; but shifting our focus outside of ourselves, from the greatest artist in the world to a baby, inspiration comes in waves. Wait for the proper moment, at the beginning, middle, or end of your day.

Manifesting: Writing down intentions should be approached with a calm mind. Try lighting a candle or incense and meditating for a while before starting writing.

The post Notebooks and the Benefit of Writing Things Down appeared first on Somadome.

Being mindful can happen at all parts of the day.
Here are a few tips to come into the present moment whenever you feel the need.

Body Scan: Whether standing, sitting, or lying down, we often position ourselves in ways that are not aligned. A body scan is an internal check, going from bottom to top, to assess our comfort. Often a body check will result in a change of stance or proper posture.

Sensation: We have five core senses, and arguably more less sentient. Checking into one, or all five, is a good way to enter the present moment. Smelling an essential oil, listening to good music, tasting a candy, feeling something smooth, or repeating a mantra, allow us to still our mind with concentration on the sensation.

Self-Massage: Our hands and feet are incredible maps of pressure points that represent the rest of our bodies including all of our major organs, and our jaws hold the tension of our hips. Kneading, pressing, or just holding our sensitive parts helps to nourish the body and bring the mind into awareness. There are plenty of self-massage videos on YouTube- but it’s intuitive, find what feels good. Here’s one that shows the 10 most helpful acupressure points.

Stretch: If you know any form of yoga, you know how gratifying it can be to take a few moments in an asana. Stopping whatever you’re doing and taking time to stretch is a good break to still the mind. Breathe deeply as you stretch, visualizing white light entering your body.

Gratitude: Look around you: really notice what is surrounding you. What is beautiful? What is happy and helpful? Say a few words of thanks for the particulars in your surroundings.

The post Five Easy Ways to be More Mindful This Minute appeared first on Somadome.

During REM (rapid eye movement), or deep, dreaming sleep, the brain is emitting a much higher frequency wave than what goes on in normal day to day functioning. Moving from Delta to Theta brain states, the mind is busy conjuring images, producing a film for the sleeping mind.

The Theta brain state is also associated with deep visionary meditation, also called the ‘twilight window’ in which the principles of manifestation are most charged, and the Universe is in harmony with the frequencies of our thoughts and dreams. When we are dreaming, we are attracting our needs and desires to us through the brain’s charged activation and resonance.

In Tibetan Buddhist practice, there is a form of yoga, called yoga nidra, or dream yoga, in which the yogi slips into the state in between sleep and dream called lucid dreaming. The yogi calls to mind the image of deities to be with them in their visions, and then embarks on a quest of the soul.

Tips for active / lucid dreaming:

Intention: Before falling asleep, as you are lying in bed, set an intention for your dream. This may be a question, a person, or a task you are focusing on, or it may be totally individual to your desires. Repeat the intention out loud or in writing and visualize it with your mind’s eye until you fall asleep.

Visualizing: Employing the mind’s eye to see cues about your intention will spark the mind’s attention to reaffirm your intention.

Write it down: It is tremendously important for dream recall to keep a diary of your dreams, recorded as soon as you wake up from them. We all know the experience of waking up and suddenly totally forgetting our dreams. Making notes of people, places, and occurrences helps us recall the dream later, where clues might be found to trace patterns and uncover answers to questions to which we’ve been seeking answers.
Herbs: Drinking certain teas and tonics, like Blue Lotus, Kava Kava, Kalea sacatechichi, among others can boost your dreaming abilities.

The post Dreams and the Subconscious Willpower appeared first on Somadome.

Thoughts of beneficence carry a positive vibration. The word love is one of the most felt words in existence, radiating likewise love to those who engross themselves in the feeling. Negative thoughts carry a negative vibration, which is why thoughts of hate and worry usually return the negativity back into the life of the sender.

The same theory applies to spoken word, as is easy to see from typical conversation. When we interact with peaceful, happy intentions, it is returned to us by our conversing partner. When we argue, it is typically reciprocated.

The universe is listening; as everything is, Gd is, and it is always processing and interacting with our thoughts and words, receiving, awarding, and denying us what we desire depending on our behavior. Words in an active voice and present tense are more potent to interacting with the currency of the universe than worry and fear of future or past or would or could. Words with a positive intention are rewarded with action, and negativity is given passivity.

How to begin to change your thoughts:

The opposite game: When you think or say a negative thought, immediately think or say the opposite, to counterbalance and train your mind into the positive.
Breath centering: When thinking negative thoughts, we tend to reel from worry to more severe panic quickly. Coming back to an attention of the breath, while realizing the worrying feeling is inside, and only inside, can distract us and return us to an equilibrium.
Wonder: If breath centering is hard, when having negative thought streams, as soon as possible find another sensation. Whether a soft fabric, a beautiful color, or a favorite song, enter the realm of the present, and give your attention to sensation. Stop the flow of sadness and invite gratitude.

The post Say what you mean: the power of your words appeared first on Somadome.