Hungry For Hate

"If we were to live, we had to be free of anger."

Yearning for Love

No one wants to think of themselves as being a hateful person. We would much prefer to project to others and to ourselves an image of serenity - of happiness and joyous freedom. It is hard to keep up such appearances for long while suppressing anger.

It is impossible, in fact.

We are sometimes told to 'own' our feelings. This is misguided advice at best - a nefarious ruse at worst. While this may provide some temporary relief it ignores the source of our discomfort and we are soon besieged with anxiety and pains requiring either more "owning" sessions or else suppression. Suppression is God-separating and will ultimately kill.

It can be comforting, therefore, to realize that the poison of anger and the bitterness we can still experience is not ours to own. It belongs to something sinister - the not us. It enters when we respond improperly to pressures; to the cruel and unjust things around us. This is why we must remain vigil to them. Vigilance develops resiliency. Suppression turns us into victims.

 The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us.

Hate cannot be managed. It cannot be remedied by our own will or any will of any human being.

 The best trained psychiatric minds and counselors in the world cannot remedy hate. 

There is no human being on the face of the earth, whatever their worldly degrees, who can provide us a defense against the angry expression of internal hatred.

No matter how adamant they are about their "Anger Management" techniques all they can do is train a bitter man newer, sophisticated tricks to suppress.

These will always fail and can do great harm long term.

We can only yearn to be saved from resentment through humility and when we do so earnestly, we are.

Through meditation, we learn how to pproperlyresponded to internal thoughts and gain control over the stresses that come from the outside – not a self-control, but control never-the-less. We experience the loss of unmanageability that comes by a transferring our reliance upon our finite and flawed selves to an infinite and perfect divine source of power. Life becomes effortless and manageable - through a new Power that is not our own.

It is a Power that doesn't even originate within us but gains access through us - when we sit still for it.

Continue to watch for selfishness, 
dishonesty, resentment, and fear.

What of the terrible destructiveness that past stresses have had on us? A lifetime of cruelty - of "trespasses against us" - have already gotten inside; charging us with negative emotions, cropping up since the day we first drew breath.

The  physic intruder that has pried open our inner sanctum penetrating the psyche has also crawled in to feed itself to an ago that hungers for hate.

For that, we can use a Fourth Step inventory. It's simple. It's rudimentary. It works. Such an undertaking is a start toward comprehending the futility and fatality of resentment but it's a crucial beginning for many alcoholics.

It is surely not optional for those seeking a spiritual awaking through the Twelve Step method.

A completed Fourth Step inventory is a kickoff toward being free to love, which is to not hate. Tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies begins and we can grow - if only we awaken and remain awakened.

Steps Four through Nine get the ball rolling. Ten has its abecedarian place. Eleven, especially it's call for consciousness-improving meditation, gives open access to the breath of life - our daily bread.

Peace and  Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com

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5 Techniques to Help with Physical Pain

Initial  


It is always useful to begin with conscious breathing, which you pay attention to the physical sensation of the breath as it goes in and out of your body. Find a comfortable position, sitting or lying down and begin to breathe the spirit completely. Make a quick scan of your body from head to toe. If you feel all the muscles that are tense, try to relax. After a few minutes of this breathing, try these five techniques to see if they help relieve your physical pain. I recommend experimenting with each to see which ones work for you. Some of the techniques are adapted from what is called MBSR: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. I'd say it's Mindfulness-Based reducing pain!


Techniques


Focus first on the pain itself, and be aware of sensations that compose it.


And 'burning? And 'stabbing? And 'tingling? Heat? Cold? You hear the waves when the pain becomes more intense and less intense? This triggers the sensation known as "division of the senses." It helps us to understand what you're thinking of a permanent pain in the area of ​​uniform color is actually many different types of feelings are constantly evolving.


By separating the feelings this way, the pain is no longer a "thing" and making it much less likely to get carried away by thoughts full of stress in the field, such as, "This pain will not ever. "You can even delete the word" pain ", and just notice the sensations that arise from the experience and move on in your body. Doing this helps you see the ephemeral nature of this set of physical sensations we call "pain."


Final brings an attitude of kindness toward the feelings, even if they can be unpleasant. Your body is not targeted to make you suffer. Treat it as you would with a child in pain.


2. Rest your attention on the part of the body painlessly.


At first you might think that there is such a place, but with perseverance, you can find it. It could be your toes, your face, your chest. Relax in the sense that no pain can be the predominant feeling, if you can, even if for a moment. This allows you to see that you are not just painful, because there is at least one place on your body that is pain free.


You can use this technology further and to engage in any movement without pain. I will reveal the secret because at least you will see me running. Sometimes you are on my back in bed and move my hand ballet movements. I like to watch my hands and fingers imitate the grace of a ballerina (fingers that can not possibly be considered as a ballet, as they folded arthritis!).


I got this idea from a teacher at a meditation retreat, several years ago. During the retreat, we alternated periods of sitting and walking meditation. In the latter, is the instruction to go very slowly, remaining reduced Fully aware of the physical sensation of a foot touches the ground the other foot comes off the ground. I had terrible back pain and found it too difficult to engage in walking meditation. I felt my whole being was "back pain", so I enlisted the help of a teacher.


She told me to lie down during the walk and just to maintain full awareness of the physical sensation of moving your hands in the air. I did not know the joy that I was playing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" for the rest of the course of retirement-with care! I doubt that is what the teacher had in mind but, more fun, I learned that my body was not only back pain.


3. Conscious attention to other sensory data are less than pleasant or interesting in the present moment.


Find as much as possible, watch and feel the sun shining through the window, the sound of cars passing, fleeting idea of ​​what you eat for dinner, the hum of the refrigerator motor, physical, emotional buffer in the hair on the cheek, the smell comes from the kitchen. Pay attention to sensory input as many as you can often relieve the pain, it leaves the back of it just one of many sensory experiences in your life is right now.


4. Try to picture


Bring to mind a place in the past when you were without pain. To the living image. My place is to the beach on horseback Molokai. I can imagine the sight of the waves, the sound of them on earth, the warm sand, smell the air. No matter where your place is, transport you there. Use pictures to take your mind off your pain, relaxes the body, including muscles around the site of pain. This can reduce your total pain management.


5. Describe your experience of the moment.


The basic technique is to land oneself in the present moment, shifting attention away from stressful thoughts and feelings of the past or the future, what will happen to you physically right now. To do this, you must describe in concrete terms what you are doing right now: "A woman in bed, reading a book", "A man is sitting on his chair waiting room".


To use this technique to help with the pain, describe what you feel in your body, but leave out the adjectives. In expressive writing, adjectives powerful tools to enhance the meaning of a word, but we do not want to improve our pain through our description of the living word! (The words of life often bring emotional punch.) So, if your shoulder is in pain, instead of saying "Woman in excruciating pain in the shoulder" or "Man of persistent shoulder pain," leave out the adjectives and simply say, "Woman in shoulder pain" or "man lying in bed with shoulder pain. "


Removing the "loaded" descriptive words, you are less likely to cause a lot of stressful thoughts and feelings about pain, such as "I hate this pain and I'm sure that will never go away."


When you repeat the adjective-less sentence several times, try the other techniques that I mentioned. Who knows? Perhaps you find yourself doing ballet moves her toes!


One final note. Be patient with yourself to try these techniques. If you try them and do not help relieve pain, take a deep breath, send not to judge the thoughts of compassion for yourself "is difficult to try these techniques and not to work immediately," and set the intention to try soon.

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Meditation & Panic Attacks

People who suffer from panic attacks start off by having extreme fear of whatever thing they are anxious about. It normally starts without notice, reaches a peak within minutes and subsides again. How sufferers feel during attacks and how long the panic attacks last mostly depends on the cause of the attack. The causes of panic attacks have been traced to various things. Some may be due to hereditary, fear, phobia, medications, personal loss and many other causes. 


Panic attack sufferers normally have shortness of breath, rapid heart rate, heart palpitations, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea, difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered, tingling or numbness in the hands, hot flashes or chills, trembling and shaking, sweating, trembling, a feeling of choking, chest pain, nausea, and dizziness. Meditation has been known to assist in panic attacks in various ways. Some types of breathing exercises - pranyama go a long way to combat panic attacks as you would will soon discover. You will find out why meditation helps in panic attacks and the role of diaphragmatic breathing in solving panic attack problems.


Why Would Meditation Help Panic Attacks


Meditation normally allows sufferers to experience panic attacks with less fear so that they can see their way through the problem. This is why meditative practices like visualization where people are guided to visualize things is encouraged for people who suffer from panic attacks. Images that look disturbing during attacks can now be viewed with ease. With this new perception the image will pass through the mind without disturbing the victim. Regular meditation will enable the victim to get used to how panic attacks should be seen and handled.
Apart from this, meditation also plays an important role in easing the nervous system, the brain and the glands responsible for reacting to fear and panic. This is the main reason why experienced meditators don’t suffer from panic attacks. Some of the meditation techniques that are used for controlling panic attacks are guided meditation, muscle relaxation, yoga and diaphragmatic breathing. Techniques like yoga offer a wide range of stress-reducing tools. Now that you have seen why meditation would help panic attacks, let’s find out more about diaphragmatic breathing.


Here is a free audio to end anxiety & panic attack click here to download for free

What is diaphragmatic breathing?


Diaphragmatic breathing is a popular breathing technique because of the meditative and health benefits it gives to people who practice this form of breathing. This breathing technique is also called belly breathing, deep breathing, abdominal breathing or costal breathing. Though this type of breathing has been called various names this breathing technique is simply the act of natural breathing that allows you to contract your diaphragm during breathing. This allows your lungs to expand downwards without increasing the size of your rib cage.


Diaphragmatic breathing uses the diaphragm muscle (a strong dome shaped muscle) located under your ribs and above your stomach. Your abdomen expands rather than the rib cage in your chest when breathing.
It is generally considered a healthier and better way to intake oxygen, and is often used as a therapy for disorders like panic attacks. People who panic will find that diaphragmatic breathing not only calms the effect of arousal at the time of panic, but also provides an way to focus attention on their breathing, instead of on their panic symptoms. As diaphragmatic breathing becomes a habit, the nervous system is less susceptible to panic in the first place.
The main benefits of diaphragmatic breathing are to;

·                              Strengthen your diaphragm

·                              Reduce the effort you put into breathing by slowing down your breathing rate

·                              Reduce your oxygen intake during breathing

·                              Use less energy during breathing

This breathing technique can be practiced while lying on your back or sitting on a chair. These are the steps to follow while lying down.


Steps to Follow:


1.      Lie down facing upwards either on a flat surface or bed. You can raise your knees by supporting them with a pillow.
2.      Place your two hands on two different parts of your body. One on your upper chest and the other one on your abdomen. This will enable you to monitor the movement of your breathing.
3.     As you breathe in through your nose, feel your hand on your stomach move upward. Keep your shoulders relaxed. The hand that is on your chest should not move at all..
4.      Exhale slowly and gently through your mouth, as if you were going to whistle or blow out a candle. The hand on your stomach should move in as you breathe out.
5.      Rest and repeat.


Learning diaphragmatic breathing takes patience and practice. As you become more comfortable breathing with this technique, you will notice that you will be using it all the time. It is the natural way to breathe. It usually takes about two weeks to become accustomed to the feeling of diaphragmatic breathing, and about six months of regular practice to make it a habit.


Meditation can help panic attack victims a lot. You have seen the reasons why meditation helps people who suffer from panic attacks and what diaphragmatic breathing is all about. This knowledge can help you to find a solution to your panic attacks.

Here is a free audio to end anxiety & panic attack click here to download for free

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Meditation and Depression

Stress and depression are some of the problems that make people seek out meditation as a way out of their problems. There are two major types of depression - one is the type that is caused by external forces such as the way people treat you, circumstances around you, hardship, illness and other causes. The second type is caused by chemical imbalance in your body. No matter the cause of your depression, we all know that it affects mind. In other words, it is something we cannot see physically. Since depression manifests as a mental experience, one of the best ways to eliminate it is by meditating.

Not all meditation can be used in managing depression. People who suffer from extreme bouts of depression may not use meditation for two reasons. The first is that meditation takes practice. If you find yourself not doing it right the first time, you may revert to feeling that you are a failure. This feeling will not solve your depression problems. Secondly, you may also find yourself turning over issues in your mind over and over again. This also will not help you out. Extreme depression cases need professional guides in meditating. Guided meditation will go a long way to help. As you continue to read this article, you will learn about the major symptoms of depression and whether meditative practices can relieve negative thoughts.


What are the Major Symptoms of Depression?


How do you know that you or someone is depressed? This is a question some people would like to find answers to. Before answering this question, we need to clearly distinguish between grief and depression. This distinction is necessary so that you don’t confuse grief with depression since they share many similar symptoms. Grief is an entirely natural response to a loss while depression is an illness. Grief has an identifiable cause and is usually a relatively short situation.


A person who suffers from a major depressive disorder (also referred to as clinical depression or major depression) must either have a depressed mood or a loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities consistently for at least 2 weeks. Doctors normally classify depression according to the symptoms. These may be mild, moderate or severe depression. In mild depression, there is some impact on your daily activities. In moderate, there is significant impact while in severe depression, your daily activities can be completely crippled.

The symptoms of depression include:

1.    Constant feelings of sadness, irritability, or tension

2.    Decreased interest in usual activities or hobbies

3.    Loss of energy, feeling tired despite lack of activity

4.    A change in appetite, with significant weight loss or weight gain

5.    A change in sleeping patterns, such as difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or sleeping too much

6.    Restlessness or feeling slowed down

7.    Decreased ability to make decisions or concentrate

8.    Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or guilt

9.    Thoughts of suicide or death

Can Meditative Practices Relieve Negative Thoughts?


One of the best types of meditative practices that can relieve negative thoughts is guided meditation. You may either follow a laid down structure or script or use any form of media like recorded videos or CDs that have been organized by a professional for that purpose. Once you follow the simple guidelines of sitting comfortably on a chair or cushioned floor, wearing lose clothing, focusing on your breathing and replaying each negative thought one after the other in your mind; you can relieve your mind of such thoughts if you intentionally allow them into your mind and do away with them. When you do this continually, you will totally relieve your mind of negative thoughts. Mediation has various benefits  that will greatly reduce depression and bring peace of mind.

Meditation combats depression if you know exactly how to go about it. Once you notice the symptoms, try to do away with depression by meditating. You can do this by actively reviewing and throwing away negative thoughts. This will help you to come back to your normal self as fast as possible. If, however you are suffering from extreme bouts of depression, you need to enlist the services of a professional who can help to identify the best meditative practice for you.


You may also like Relaxation Music

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The Basics of Transcendental Meditation

Transcendental Meditation is a simple, natural, effortless procedure practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. Transcendental Meditation is not a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. It’s the most widely practiced, most researched, and most effective method of self-development.

The Transcendental Meditation technique allows your mind to settle inward beyond thought to experience the source of thought — pure awareness, also known as transcendental consciousness, or the unified field. This is the most silent and peaceful level of consciousness — your innermost Self. In this state of restful alertness, your brain functions with significantly greater coherence and your body gains deep rest as the mind is quiet and stops thinking.

The Transcendental Meditation technique is based on the ancient Vedic tradition of enlightenment in India. This knowledge has been handed down by Vedic masters from generation to generation for thousands of years. About 50 years ago, Maharishi — the representative in our age of the Vedic tradition — introduced Transcendental Meditation to the world, restoring the knowledge and experience of higher states of consciousness at this critical time for humanity. When we teach the Transcendental Meditation technique today, we maintain the same procedures used by teachers thousands of years ago for maximum effectiveness.

There are many forms of meditation, with many goals. Other practices most often involve some concentration or control of the mind and others involve contemplation—thinking about something. These practices keep the mind engaged in some way, for example, by focusing on an object or on something like your breath. Others keep us aware of thoughts, or images. These practices keep the mind active in some way on the surface thinking level. TM allows the mind to simply, naturally and effortlessly transcend thinking and to experience a deep state of restfully alert consciousness. The holistic benefits that have been found to result from the practice of the TM technique are the automatic result of this unique experience.

Transcendental Meditation is one of the easiest meditation techniques to learn. When you learn TM, an instructor gives you a word or phrase-your personal mantra-which you promise not to divulge. You are told to sit quietly with your eyes closed and repeat the mantra over and over again for 20 minutes at a time once or twice a day.
The mantra functions to focus your mind on a single idea, representing the "oneness" of the universe. You're instructed to assume a passive, accepting attitude while repeating your mantra. When distracting thoughts intrude, you're instructed to simply observe them, accept them and gently return your mental focus to repeating your mantra.





Benefits of Transcendental Meditation

The Transcendental Meditation technique is the most widely researched of all meditation techniques. Over 600 research studies have been conducted at more than 250 universities and research centers (including Harvard, UCLA, and Stanford). These studies have been published in more than 100 journals.

Physiological research shows that during TM, the body gains a deeper state of relaxation than during ordinary rest. EEG (electroencephalogram) changes indicate a state of heightened awareness and coherence. Regular practice of TM has been found to produce a state of increased stability, adaptability, and integration during all phases of activity. Also, Transcendental Meditation has been found to increase intelligence, creativity, and perceptual ability and to reduce high blood pressure and illness rates by more than 50 percent. Analysis of large numbers of research studies on Transcendental Meditation have found that it is one of the most effective techniques known for reducing drug and alcohol abuse, decreasing anxiety and increasing self-actualization.


So start Transcendental Meditation today!

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Om Yoga

Yoga combines the stillness of the mind through meditation, along with physical poses to achieve energy balance in the mind and body. Chanting "aum" or "om" while practicing yoga helps one to connect with the self, while connecting with a divine reality. The symbol of om lends itself to supreme consciousness. OM or AUM is the most important and significant word of Mantra tradition. It is considered as the root mantra of all mantra. In a majority of Mantra, you will find OM. 

OM is the most often chanted sound among all the sacred sounds on earth. This sound is considered as the sound of the existence. 

 it is believed that the whole universe, in its fundamental form,  is made up of vibrating, pulsating energy. Om is considered as the humming sound of this cosmic energy. 

OM is said to be the original primordial creative sound from which the entire universe have  manifested. It is also known as the 'Anahat Nada', the "Unstruck Sound". This means the sound that is not made by two things striking together. 

If you observe the nature of sound you'll find that all ordinary audible sound are produced by the striking of two objects : bow and strings, drum and stick, two vocal cords, waves against the shore, winds against the leaves, bat against the ball, tyers against the road etc. In short all sounds within our range of listening are produces by things visible or invisible, striking each other or vibrating together, resulting in pulsating waves of air molecules which  we interprets as sound. 

In contrast to the above, OM is the sound which is not the result of the striking of two objects. It, rather emanates on its own. It is the primal sound of the universe that contains all sounds in itself.  

The meaning of OM 

 Well unlike all other mantra, there is no meaning of OM. It is actually not a word, it is a sound. As per Hindu tradition, OM is the purest name of God. It is the sound of the supreme consciousness. So when you reapeat OM, you actualy take the name of God. 

Now without going into the further philosophical explanation of OM, let us learn how to meditate using OM. Repetition of OM or AUM dissolves the mind it its divine source. The chanting of OM several time loud, purifies the atmosphere. 

Sit in a comfortable undisturbed place. Take some deep breath. Now chant at least 7 times OM in succession. Make each breath last as long as possible. Teak deep breath and chant Oooooooo~~~~~hhhhhhhhhh~~~~~ Mmmmmmm~~~~~. Then again repeat this chanting of OM.

 Do this for 7 times. After this, stop chanting and sit for a moment of silence. You will be amazed by the inner peace you'll get in such a small chanting of OM. 

Listen the sound of Universe :  Let us listen the sound of OM. 

You are requested to   listen carefully. This sound of OM produces instant positive vibrations and takes the listener to a state of mental stillness. 

Chanting the OM mantra for 15 minutes daily can produce remarkable effect in you. This mantra will help you to calm the mind, settled the thought process and realize the self. 

You may also like Mantra Meditation

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Are You Giving Yourself a Pass?

The "no balking" rule is so often applied to the Fourth Step "work" of the Twelve Step propositions that we can forget it applies to all of the steps.

Sometimes deep in the hearts of some Twelve Step practitioners, even those of us who 'have recovered' there is a nagging notion caused by a secret alterity. It will always come back one day to take a hefty bite out of the ass of every dry, recovered alkie, regardless of sober 'time', dedication, Big Book knowledge, prayer-life or protégées activity.

Overlooking or skimping on an effective meditation practice that flirts with crossing a thin line drawn between honesty and personal hypocrisy. The claim of “practicing these principles in all our affairs” is shot through with an irritating thread of dishonesty. We are lying. We know it. Our conscience is affected. It puts a drag on usefulness.

We can even become resentful of our own imperfect spirituality, cutting us off even further from experiencing ongoing growth. Somehow we can accept that it has become an AA "sin" to skimp on the cement put into the foundation - yet make allowances for ourselves – giving ourselves a 'pass' with respect to letting up on the spiritual program of action. 

Justifying our own bullshale is not what the co-founders had in mind when they wrote of tolerance.

Replacing program based, altruistic action with the intellectual trap of spiritual ideas, spiritual learning, study and spiritual posturing before our fellows digs us deeper into the rift. Practicing these principles in most of our affairs is a far cry from “all of our affairs.” The self-serving addendum “to the best of my ability” is exposed for the cop-out that it is while life on life’s terms fails to be the effective axiom we had once hoped.

But we do not know how to meditate properly. No one has shown us the ancient spiritual technique for expanding communication with God or they have shown us techniques which have only pulled us further away from our Creator. What to do? . . . . What to do?

So now the hunt is on. We begin investigating by sniffing around the internet. Maybe some books. Chances are you already know some people who have told you about some form of meditation practice – perhaps some controlled thinking practice or focused breathing techniques ,designed to bring about a relaxed state and feeling of comfort. These can be tempting – some of the folks who practice them seem to be doing well with them so far. They seem to have reaped some benefit.

Still there is a certain discomfort with getting involved in some new religious practice or pseudo-spiritual philosophy. After all, this Twelve Step stuff had been drastic and new enough, representing such a major change in lifestyle that the last thing we are looking to do is become involved in something even more radical.

There is no shortage of ‘meditation’s out there. Most of them attempt to mix Judeo-Christianity principles with those stemming out of the injuriously opposing philosophies found in pantheism.

This is known as syncretism. It is a dangerous phenomenon that has been observed for years.

The typical self-help, spiritual guru - as seen selling their wares on PBS - or who has written the latest Oprah approved best seller is like a Good Humor man offering different flavors of the same ice-cream.

Most of these New Thought and New Age inspired variants carry a single message. They tell us that we have the power to change ourselves. They tell us that if we are in pain, if we are stuck and can't seem to change, it is no one's fault but our own. “So, here is a new ‘system’ that will empower you and allow you to get the things you want out of life.

“Just follow the directions in this book or attend these seminars and you can be what you want to be and get what you want to get” they say.

Many such materials falling under the heading of spirituality are actually foils - diversions - eventually resulting in an introduction to a pantheistic, polytheist religions. Seekers often do not realize they are being pulled away from the base spiritual principles that saved them until life falls apart and it is too late. They slide down the unhappy slope of mental and physical dysfunction holding on to their yoga mats for dear life, smiling all the way. Its sneaky. Its intentional. People fall for it all the time.

The Twelve Step proposition assumes a distinctly opposing perspective. It suggests that if you are in pain, if you are stuck and can’t seem to change –the only solution is to stop trying. There is something in all of us (ego) that thinks it has the power to change and install our own happiness. Only by separating from that willful self can there ever be any true change. 

 The meditation proposed on this site is a tool that helps one experience that separation from self. It falls into the category of ‘willful’ activities we can do that is the proper use of will. This concept is very compatible with the Twelve Step Principles regarding human will and will be a refreshing and welcomed idea to any ardent practitioner of the Twelve Step design for living.

Many well intentioned, searching individuals in Twelve Step fellowships end up assembling an internalized menu of clashing supplementary practices gleaned out of diverse religious traditions that are supposed to help them move towards a universal spirituality. 

The philosophies run counter the monotheistic Judeo-Christian Principles of the Twelve Steps. By attempting to mix spiritual oil and water in this fashion, conflicting polytheistic practices and theories, while impressive intellectually, can be very confusing - even as one earnestly seeks to increase conscious contact with God. Instead they increase conscious contact with a multitude of imaginary ‘gods' - in some instances even one’s own 'self' as God. (This is a basic tenet of most Pantheistic religions)

The ‘figure-heads’ of such movements become a stand-in for God; inferior, substitute providers of wisdom, guidance and direction. We become dependent upon the pity quotes, then blissful extravagance of spiritually enlightening ideas presented by spiritual personalities who replace our direct link with God with their special brand of mysticism. They rob us of developing our own conscious contact with god so that we can gleam their conscious contact, frequently for a fee or adoration. Often both. Beware of the media gurus.

What about the originators of the Twelve Step practice – the co-founders of “Alcoholics Anonymous”. A fair question is, “Exactly how did our co-founders go about it?” 

Seriously, think about it. I mean if Bill W or Doctor Bob had a specific mediation technique that worked for them how cool would it be to learn that? Sadly there is only little information available out there in this regard. There is some mention in the annals of AA history about AA’s and meditation but woefully little. Dick B. (Richard Burns) has written extensively on the subject and I suggest that you see what he has discovered about the history of meditation practiced by the early Twelve Step practitioners too. 

It should be remembered that the “Alcoholics Anonymous” presentation of spiritual method was still in its infancy - its alcoholic practitioners still toddlers attending their spiritual kindergarten.

It was discovered, adopted and practiced by alcoholics who had a spiritual awakening as the result and experienced a subsequent recovery from alcoholism – but they were also people who had just come out of a lifetime of running away from God – not seeking Him! They were typical alcoholics, who had just recently escaped out of a sick, delusional and spiritually void world that had no tolerance for conscious contact with any God at all. They had just first climbed out of the pits of alcoholic despair and misery.

Although they may have been relieved of the alcoholic obsession many still suffered from other obsessions besides the infamous first drink mental insanity. Symptoms like anxiety ,depression, broken relationships, sex addictions and emotionally induced physical illnesses like heart disease, cancer and diabetes persisted. An uncanny percentage of the original one hundred co-founders later relapsed. Even more alarming is the number of them who committed suicide – and that was after spiritually awakening.

These are very common symptoms of the ‘dry’ yet still spiritually dysfunctional human being. So is the excuse making for all of it. They continue to smoke, overeat, and self-administer drugs like caffeine, nicotine and even obtain prescriptions of dangerous antidepressants just to get by. That is because ALL their problems have not been answered; and that is because they don’t actually follow the full spiritual package prescribed by their own Twelve Step program. How could they? It has been left out of the Twelve Steps. 

The mediation on this site completes the Twelve Step practice. It is a practice that is the missing link to increasing conscious contact with God that even Bill W and Dr Bob did not discover in their lifetimes. It wasn't time.If now is your time, please feel free to download and use it. If you do, and if earnestly done you will be very glad that you did.

Peace and Love,

Danny S – RLRA

Real Live Recovered Alcoholic

http://recoveredalcoholic.blogspot.com

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The Idiot's Guide To meditation Explained

Meditation is the art of focusing 100% of your attention in one area. The practice comes with a myriad of well-publicized health benefits including increased concentration, decreased anxiety, and a general feeling of happiness.

Although a great number of people try meditation at some point in their lives, a small percentage actually stick with it for the long-term. This is unfortunate, and a possible reason is that many beginners do not begin with a mindset needed to make the practice sustainable.

The purpose of this article is to provide 20 practical recommendations to help beginners get past the initial hurdles and integrate meditation over the long term:

1) Make it a formal practice. You will only get to the next level in meditation by setting aside specific time (preferably two times a day) to be still.

2) Start with the breath. Breathing deep slows the heart rate, relaxes the muscles, focuses the mind and is an ideal way to begin practice.

3) Stretch first. Stretching loosens the muscles and tendons allowing you to sit (or lie) more comfortably. Additionally, stretching starts the process of “going inward” and brings added attention to the body.

4) Meditate with Purpose. Beginners must understand that meditation is an ACTIVE process. The art of focusing your attention to a single point is hard work, and you have to be purposefully engaged!

5) Notice frustration creep up on you. This is very common for beginners as we think “hey, what am I doing here” or “why can’t I just quiet my damn mind already”. When this happens, really focus in on your breath and let the frustrated feelings go.

6) Experiment. Although many of us think of effective meditation as a Yogi sitting cross-legged beneath a Bonzi tree, beginners should be more experimental and try different types of meditation. Try sitting, lying, eyes open, eyes closed, etc.

7) Feel your body parts. A great practice for beginning meditators is to take notice of the body when a meditative state starts to take hold. Once the mind quiets, put all your attention to the feet and then slowly move your way up the body (include your internal organs). This is very healthy and an indicator that you are on the right path.

8) Pick a specific room in your home to meditate. Make sure it is not the same room where you do work, exercise, or sleep. Place candles and other spiritual paraphernalia in the room to help you feel at ease.

9) Read a book (or two) on meditation. Preferably an instructional guide AND one that describes the benefits of deep meditative states. This will get you motivated. John Kabat-Zinn’s Wherever You Go, There You Are is terrific for beginners.

10) Commit for the long haul. Meditation is a life-long practice, and you will benefit most by NOT examining the results of your daily practice. Just do the best you can every day, and then let it go!

11) Listen to instructional tapes and CDs.

12) Generate moments of awareness during the day. Finding your breath and “being present” while not in formal practice is a wonderful way to evolve your meditation habits.

13) Make sure you will not be disturbed. One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is not insuring peaceful practice conditions. If you have it in the back of your mind that the phone might ring, your kids might wake, or your coffee pot might whistle than you will not be able to attain a state of deep relaxation.

14) Notice small adjustments. For beginning meditators, the slightest physical movements can transform a meditative practice from one of frustration to one of renewal. These adjustments may be barely noticeable to an observer, but they can mean everything for your practice.

15) Use a candle. Meditating with eyes closed can be challenging for a beginner. Lighting a candle and using it as your point of focus allows you to strengthen your attention with a visual cue. This can be very powerful.

16) Do NOT Stress. This may be the most important tip for beginners, and the hardest to implement. No matter what happens during your meditation practice, do not stress about it. This includes being nervous before meditating and angry afterwards. Meditation is what it is, and just do the best you can at the time.

17) Do it together. Meditating with a partner or loved one can have many wonderful benefits, and can improve your practice. However, it is necessary to make sure that you set agreed-upon ground rules before you begin!

18) Meditate early in the morning. Without a doubt, early morning is an ideal
time to practice: it is quieter, your mind is not filled with the usual clutter, and there is less chance you will be disturbed. Make it a habit to get up half an hour earlier to meditate.

19) Be Grateful at the end. Once your practice is through, spend 2-3 minutes feeling appreciative of the opportunity to practice and your mind’s ability to focus.

20) Notice when your interest in meditation begins to wane. Meditation is
hard work, and you will inevitably come to a point where it seemingly does not fit into the picture anymore. THIS is when you need your practice the most and I recommend you go back to the book(s) or the CD’s you listened to and become re-invigorated with the practice. Chances are that losing the ability to focus on meditation is parallel with your inability to focus in other areas of your life!

Meditation is an absolutely wonderful practice, but can be very difficult in the beginning. Use the tips described in this article to get your practice to the next level!

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