Sauna Bathing Or Steam Bathing - Home Tips

Sauna is the Finnish word for "bath". Finns who immigrated to the United States centuries ago brought with them a unique bathing custom, which is now only beginning to become popular here. Often confused with a steam bath, a true sauna bath is very different, even though both types of baths offer the same therapeutic benefits.

The temperatures in a traditional sauna can actually approach 200 degrees Fahrenheit! The extremely low humidity present in the sauna makes these temperatures tolerable. Properly designed, the sauna's relative humidity rarely exceeds 2% or 3% when operated in the "dry" mode. This permits the copious amount of perspiration produced by the body to dry quickly thus having a cooling effect.

All Scandinavian style saunas have a radiant air heater, which has a container of stones. These stones retain and radiate heat more consistently, which is why the Tylo electric sauna heaters have such a deep stone compartment. The stones can also be sprinkled with water to produce the wet sauna. This creates bursts of steam (called loyly by the Finns), which disappear quickly into the porous soft wood of the sauna. Humidity then climbs from a few percent to 10-15%. This instantly intensifies the sauna's heat as if the temperature had increased drastically (although it may even have dropped slightly).

In contrast, a steam bath makes use of a steam generator. This device heats water directly, not air. The steam room enclosure fills completely with condensed vapor. Clouds of steam envelope the bather. The humidity exceeds 100% and the temperatures are much lower than those of the sauna. Because of their very different modes of operation, the choice of construction materials is critical. A totally non-porous material such as tile, glass, or plastic is the choice for a steam room.

Previously, a homeowner desiring a steam room needed to frame and tile an enclosure and then fit it with a steam door. While this resulted in a beautiful installation, both the labor and materials made this method quite costly. Now, modern plastic technology has made the easy to install enclosure available. It has drastically reduced the cost of installing a steam room in your bathroom or exercise room. The Tylo Steam room enclosures are easier to install and more efficient than their framed counterparts by virtue of their design.

Although the steam room enclosure must be non-porous, the opposite is true of a sauna room. A sauna must be constructed of porous materials (meaning some type of wood), and it often actually employs air circulation through intake and outlet vents. Many varieties of wood are acceptable for sauna construction, but care must be taken when selecting the type and grade.

Whether it's dry heat or clouds of steam, the choice is yours and it is only a matter of taste and lifestyle.

Art Glick - art@almostheaven.net
Almost Heaven Group LLC - http://www.almostheaven.net
304-645-2310

Dealing With Selfish Thoughts

Managing a Small Kitchen Design

Who doesn't want to have a lavishly designed kitchen? As you watch cooking shows and other programs featuring areas of the home, you will observe how most of the kitchens are greatly designed. But the problem is most of the people don't have enough budget to create a huge and stylish kitchen. But it is not impossible to recreate all this in a small kitchen design.

Being able to manage a kitchen design in a small area is a little hard thing to do. The things that you need to fit in and how you will fit every little detail is somewhat complicated. You can go and buy magazines that feature kitchen styles and get inspiration from the cabinet designs as well as the surface patterns that they utilized in creating the design of the kitchen.

To be able to produce an efficient kitchen style to a small area, you must remember about certain factors such as appliances, lighting and storage.

Designing a small kitchen could be a complex and challenging task. However, this doesn't mean that you won't be able to create a functional, stunning and efficient cooking area. Even if you only possess a minimal budget as well as building constraints, you will discover the numerous selections available in order to recreate your kitchen and turn it into an ideal cooking area that will suit your requirements.

To be able to make a roomy kitchen for a small area it is suggested that you incorporate exceptional storage solutions, combining natural as well as ambient lighting, utilizing space saving appliances and not to mention injecting some personal touches.

Small sized kitchen area necessitates creativity in order to produce unique storage solutions. You may try to set up a countertop in the middle of the kitchen to allow storage which is useful for any areas of the kitchen. These days, there are more and more appliances which are dedicated to fit small spaces and others that can be hung.

If you want to build a small dining area in your kitchen you can set up a table situated to the wall and place small chairs to it. Good choice of lighting can do the trick of making a small kitchen area appear more spacious.

Light hued cabinets accentuated with glass doors are appealing as well. You can also design additional counters in order to store more appliances and to add up more work area. You can hang up your cooking pots and pans as they look more stylish and space saving as well.

Create a pantry storage that has divisions which will reach up to the ceiling to provide you with more storage space and it is more convenient to organize food items. Large kitchen sink is far more sensible that having a small sized one especially when you are cleaning huge kitchen materials.

Not all people have the means to build huge kitchens. Small kitchen design is not a problem as you can maximize its capabilities of making your life easier when it comes to cooking. All you need is some creativity and practicality.

To learn more small kitchen designs, visit http://www.smallkitchenideas101.com.

Spoiled Children

Apollo The Greek Deity

Although you may not realize it, many of the deities of ancient Greece still play a role in our modern society. Apollo, the Greek Deity, was a name used for space missions for a very obvious reason.

Ancient Greece had a large pantheon of religious figures with each figure guarding over a different aspect of the world, or at least, daily Greek life. There were deities for important parts of life, such as war, and also for more mundane areas, such as cleaning and weaving. One of the most well-known deities in the Greek world was Apollo the Greek deity of many areas, including medicine, healing, music, poetry, archery and even plague.

Apollo the Greek deity was seen differently in later times, and as Roman deity of the same name. The Classical version of Apollo was the deity of the sun, taking the place of Helios. Apollo was also a patron of Delphi, which made him an oracle and able to tell the future and speak to mortals. He also became the deity that oversaw colonists, and was the patron defender of herds and flocks. Apollo's many different aspects were worshiped alternately in different areas of Greece.

The sun of the deity Zeus and mythical figure Leto, his twin sister was Artemis, deity of hunting and later the deity of the moon (a position usurped from Selene). His position diving prophecy at Delphi made Apollo one of the most important deity figures of Olympus. The cults (sects) that followed Apollo the Greek deity were quite distinct, unusual, because he had two areas that were devoted to him Delos and Delphi. Often, shrines of each cult would be found in the same city.

The most common symbols associated with Apollo were the lyre and the bow, along with occasional depictions of a plectrum and the sacrificial tripod, representing his powers of prophecy. The Pythean Games were held at Delphi every four years in honor of Apollo, with the laurel bay plant being used as the basis of crowns given to winners at his game. This was not the only plant sacred to Apollo, palms were often used in ceremonies regarding this deity because he was born under one in Delos.

Apollo was one of the most influential and powerful deities in the Greek pantheon. With two sites, Delos and Delphi, devoted to worshiping him, Apollo had many followers. He also governed many aspects of Greek life, so received more donations and tributes than many of his fellow deities. Today, Apollo is still revered by followers of revivalist Hellenic polytheism. As the Greek Deity of the sun, NASA seems to have liked him as well.

Richard Monk is with FactsMonk.com - a site with facts about everything.

Change Can Lead To Suffering

Stair Building Codes - Home Building

The stair building code was created for building safety. Before the building code and local city enforcement (Building Inspectors), anyone could build a house. This meant Uncle Earl who had just watched a couple of his friends build a house down the street construct some sort of a dwelling. The next step for Earl would be to help these guys for a day and now he is a professional home builder. You get the point.

Stair Building Codes create the safety needed for one of the most hazardous areas of your home. You might know someone who has fallen down a stairway?

I lived in a house I built for 15 years and I redesigned the stairs from a winder design to a T shaped set of stairs. Both sets of stairs were built using the local stair building code for my city.

Wow I could not believe how many times my family members fell down the stairs. I even fell down once. I was amazed. When I switched from the winder to the T shaped stairway there were less accidents. My point is that even using the stair building codes this is a dangerous part of your house.

Having a professional stair builder install your stairs is great advice. Take it. For example this happened to me on quite a few jobs. I get a set of plans from a architect who has been designing houses for over 40 years. I looked at the stairway to find out that he has designed a stairway that is too small for the length of this part of the home. If I build the stairs using the plans that by the way were approved from the local building department, I could have a problem.

You are probably asking yourself how does this happen. Aren't these people experienced professionals. Of course they are. They probably have the U.B.C. (Uniform Building Code) in their office somewhere. Everyone makes mistakes here and there but this is one area of the home where safety is a big concern.

Just look at it like this. The stair building code was designed to improve the safety and reduce the number of accidents while using the stairs. Over the years I have seen stairs poorly designed and constructed. These stairs create problems for the owners of the buildings not just the people that use them. Did I mention lawsuits. This is one area where a lawyer will have a field day.

As a building professional I advise you to use the stair building code first for safety and second to avoid lawsuits. Get an idea from some of the pictures I have taken over the years on problems with stair building.

Use common sense while building or remodeling your home. It goes a long way.

Greg Vanden Berge is working on the internet to promote the education for creating simple to follow guides and home building books to help professional building contractors as well as the weekend warriors. He is currently working on more building stairs books and adding useful content to help solve problems created by the lack of construction knowledge in the building industry. Stair Building Articles

Religious Education And Fear

How to Make Your Affirmations Really Work!

Okay, I am assuming that you already know a little something about affirmations. Affirmations really are a great way to change your limiting beliefs that you have within yourself that can limit you and keep you away from moving towards your goals and your desires.

Affirmations can be incredibly powerful. They can also be a complete waste of time if you are not doing them right.

Many people fall into the crowd that believes that reciting affirmations will be the magic key that unlocks all of their dreams and their true potential. And that simply is NOT true!

Affirmations are a tool for success but they are not the entire plan. And many people also make their affirmations too complex or too long. Affirmations should be short and sweet and they also work well when they have a nice rhythm to the words. This will allow your subconscious mind to ingest the message and keep it repeating in your mind even when your lips are not moving.

You should also couple your affirmations with action. If I repeated over and over to myself that I am losing weight, for example, I cannot also stuff my face full of ice cream and expect the affirmations to have any positive effect on myself. So, if you repeat over and over to yourself that you are gaining wealth but you remain in debt and keep taking actions that place you in debt, they will have no effect.

Trust me on this one. If you do not couple your affirmations with action, nothing will happen. Take action and that is how you will make your affirmations even more powerful!

Learn how to attract love, money, or happiness or all three in YOUR LIFE NOW! Go to http://www.successfulfather.com and SIGN up for the FREE newsletter and BOOKMARK the site and return as often as you can!

You can attract the life that you truly desire! All you have to do is learn HOW!

Law of Attraction Secrets

Bryan Appleton is an investor/entrepreneuer who has dedicated himself to teaching others how to achieve their dream life. He is also a proud single father with one son.

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David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation Part Two

How Did You Choose Your Religion
Dale Carnegie

Why Should We Give Thanks in Times Like These?

According to History.com, the first Thanksgiving took place in Massachusetts during the Pilgrim Settlers second winter in America in December 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. And because an unexpected trading vessel arrived, and swapped beaver pelts with them for corn, they were able to survive. Since next summers crops brought hope, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast on December 13, 1621, which is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. Although this feast is considered to be the very first Thanksgiving celebration, it was actually in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. The Pilgrims gave thanks to God for helping them find acres of land that had no hostile Indians and for newfound religious freedom. They also celebrated with the friendly Indians who brought wild turkeys and venison with them. As well as prayers, sermons and songs of praise. They spent three days feasting and praying. Since that time, Thanksgiving is a celebration of thanks of gratitude to God for His grace and mercy upon us. And President Lincoln officially set aside the last Thursday of November in 1863, "as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father." In 1941, Congress ruled that after 1941, the fourth Thursday of November be observed as Thanksgiving Day and be a legal holiday.

But why should we give thanks in times like these today? It is true that in today's society, some of us may think we don't have much to be thankful for. From loss of jobs, homes, cars and possessions, what's left? From the fall of Wall Street, the never ending war and the bad economy, why should we still be thankful to God? 1 Thessalonians says, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." This means, no matter what we may go through, good or bad, God will always make a way for us. Even at our darkest time or hour, God will always turn a negative into a positive, if we only believe and trust in Him. Even in the book of Exodus, the Israelites sang a song of thanksgiving as they were delivered from Pharoah's army after they crossed the Red Sea. And the book of Psalms is full of songs of thanksgiving for God's grace to the Israelite people as well as for His individual graces to each of us.

In this life there will always be things to complain about. But God gave us a choice. Do we choose to be positive or negative? Is the glass half empty or full? No matter how grim our situations may be, there will always be something to be thankful for. Did we live to see another day? Do we have our health and strength? Are our families ok? Do we have clothes, food and shelter? If we only believe and trust in God, He will give us our needs and not necessarily our wants. For Romans 8:28-30 says, "For those who know Christ, God also works everything together for good, even events we would not necessarily consider good." May God grant that He may find us grateful everyday for all gifts- spiritual and material.

Wanda is a wife, mother, public speaker and contributing author of EzineArticles.com. She has been writing about God and spirituality for over 20 years and has researched the bible and its history. Wanda also specializes in Christian poetry and children books and believes and teaches that regardless of a person's background or their mistakes of the past, God has a place for them.

She is the publisher and bestselling author of "Kids Ask The Darndest Things About God And The Beginning- Answers From The First Five Books Of The Bible" available at http://www.amazon.com

Visit Ball Publications Christian Books at http://www.ball-publications.com and sign up for "The Knowledge" monthly Newsletter. Gain Knowledge and Power with articles, discussions, tips and special offers that will be provided from time to time. Take advantage of up and coming events, radio broadcasts and recommended products of interest for you and your family!

Feng Shui Your Life For a Happy Year

Whether you're ready or not a new year has arrived. With all it's promise and hope, we have begun a new calendar year.

This is the perfect time to clear the clutter from your home and your life to make sure that 2009 flows the way you want it to.

Living in one place for a long time we tend to gather lots of things that eventually get stuck in drawers and the back of closets, taking up space and filling our homes with "clutter energy".

Clutter Energy is that feeling of unease that seems to be saying, "do something, anything, just DO Something"!

Starting off the new year by clearing out this energy opens the door for a more positive flow of feelings, thoughts and new things to move in.

Start of by committing to release at least 50 things in a 24 hour period.

I know that sounds like a lot, but once you get going you'll discover that it's quick and easy.

Get two boxes or garbage bags, fill one with items that you can donate if you like and the other is just trash.

Start in the "junk drawer" in the kitchen. How much stuff have you crammed there thinking you would eventually use it and never have? Release it and enjoy the feeling that comes with letting go.

Move on to other drawers in the kitchen. Release old butter tubs that you just have too many of.

Got more coffee cups than the cabinets can hold? Let these go as well.

Go through the rest of the house letting go of magazines, stashes of papers and the like.

Next get into your room. Do you have clothes that don't fit, you don't like and haven't worn in over a year? Let em go.

Dig through the closet and the drawers. All socks with holes go into the bag. Undies that ride or scratch, into the bag.

Let go of shoes too. We tend to hold onto things because, "I paid good money for those", or "someone gave these to me".

Let yourself breathe.

As you do the clearing out of physical things from your space be aware of thoughts and habits that you have that don't serve you as well. Are you still holding onto grudges and old hurts and insults? Let these go as you move through the house releasing stuff.

When you have your fifty items in 24 hours and are still on a roll, commit to another fifty. Take on the garage, holiday decorations, etc. Move through the yard and release anything that's just taking up space and not giving you that feel good feeling it did when you first placed it there.

By doing this exercise you are not only creating a better look and feel to your home, you are opening your life to release old emotions, pain and stinking thinking.

When you combine the physical exercise of clearing out stuff with the spiritual aspect of clearing out thinking and feelings, you will restore balance and harmony in your life.

By instilling this process into your thinking for the new year, you will be less likely to hold onto excess stuff and hurtful feelings, letting go much easier and cluttering up your energy much less.

Happy New Year.. create each day with joy!

Donna DeVane is a certified spiritual healer, life coach, author and teacher. Her passion is helping others live empowered lives through her books, classes and one on one sessions.

Her website brings you Reiki healing energy stones, crystals and jewelry. http://www.healing-with-stones-crystals.com

http://www.DonnaDeVane.com You may contact Donna through her websites for further information on life coaching/healing sessions and for teleseminars.

How to Avoid Conflict With Friends and Family, Or Anyone

Genesis 13:8. Abraham in Bible provides a great example of how to avoid conflict when dealing with friends and family. In Genesis 13 Abram and Lot had left Egypt and they had settled between Bethel and Hai. After a while, strife developed between Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen because there was not enough land to support both herds of cattle. When Abram became aware of the strife, he immediately addressed this issue with Lot to avoid anymore conflict (Genesis 13:8, "And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.").

In Genesis 13:9 Abram tells Lot "Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." The manner that Abram presented his plan and the plan itself stopped strife immediately and avoided strife in the future. The steps Abram used to avoid conflict with Lot can be used by anyone to avoid conflict with friends, family, or anyone.

Conflict Avoidance Steps.

1. Identify A Reasonable Solution to Resolve the Dispute. In the dispute between Abram and Lot, Abram identified that the close proximity of the herds was creating strife. They needed to spread out the herds.

2. Have One of the Disputing Parties Identify Fair Options That Would Be Satisfactory to Both Parties. Here Abram identified two choices (one goes to the left, the other one goes to the right) that he thought would be fair options for both Lot and himself.

3. Let the Other Party Choose Which Option. In the case of the dispute between Abram and Lot, Abram let Lot choose between the two options (one goes to the left, the other one goes to the right).

This is a wonderful way to avoid conflict: have one party divide the object of contention into two satisfactory options, and then let the other party choose which option.

GENESIS 13 BIBLE SCRIPTURE Genesis 13:8, "And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren."

Randall McClure Sr. is author and publisher of http://www.access-jesus.com

Access-Jesus.com helps people learn about, love, and promote Jesus.

The Importance of Goal Setting

The whole point of setting a goal is to help you bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. If you set goals and work toward them diligently, you can have all the things you want. People who set and achieve their goals are people whove decided what they want, committed themselves to going after it, and havent let anything stand in their way short of violating the rights of others.

A proper goal gives you all the incentive you need to grow in your awareness of being a perfect expression of an Infinite power, designed for excellence and abundance. As you become more welcoming and aware of your relationship with God, and of all the potential thats been built into you, youll function more effectively in harmony with the laws of the universe. Living in synch with all of this will yield results youve never dreamed possible.

They say that awareness is curative. It gives deep meaning to life because it spells the end of your robotic existence no more walking in the deep ruts formed by your harmful programming and counterproductive thought life. These old ways of thinking arent ways youve chosen they were planted in your heart when you were young by your parents, teachers, and religious leaders. While some of these programs serve you well, many of them are harmful and ready to be replaced. The old way of living has kept you from a truly abundant life.

But, in order to truly change, your old habits have to be replaced with new, healthy practices. Having a solid goal in place serves as a constant help as you do this. In fact, without a specific goal, youre unlikely to ever make a significant change in your life. While youre on your way toward achieving your goals, you learn to choose which thoughts youll allow into your mind. Youll see the connection between these thoughts, the feelings and attitudes they produce, and ultimately the results they yield. Its not something someone else can do for you.

Ever notice how your life never really stays the same? Youre either improving it or damaging it your actions arent neutral. As a spiritual being, your spirit constantly seeks expansion and greater expression. When this deep desire is thwarted, you experience a feeling of dissatisfaction. That feeling is unpleasant enough to serve as a good motivator. We hate feeling unfulfilled, and work diligently to escape such an unpleasant feeling. Well do pretty much anything to satisfy this need.

This need for fulfillment goes way beyond just things and money although they are important. They give you comfort and opportunity. It goes beyond happy feelings or a sense of peace although theyre important, too. Our drive for complete fulfillment includes these things, but goes so much further its a deep desire for a big purpose, something that catapults you into creativity, into meaningful and effective service.

Great you were created to pursue worthy goals. How do you set them? How do you go after them? What can you do to make sure you achieve these grand goals?

Half the battle with goal-setting is determining exactly what it is that you want. Sounds easy enough you answer that question just fine at a restaurant, on your birthday, when you get your hair cut. But when it comes to the big what do you want question, minds go blank. We dont know whats okay to ask for. Whats too much? Am I overreaching? How am I going to feel if I ask for something thats beyond possibility?

Wow, such bad programming we pick up! Ask any little kid what they want to be when they grow up and youll hear answers like: the President, an astronaut, a gazillionaire, a cat, a rock star. Nothing seems impossible; nothing seems like itll come back to haunt you if it doesnt work out.

Deciding what you want is risky. Telling someone else can feel uncomfortable. You might feel like youve got to preface it with something like, Please dont tell anyone Can you keep a secret I know it sounds crazy, but But you know what? People who set and achieve awesome goals are risk takers theyve learned to be. They know that theyve got the privilege and duty to design their own lives, make their own decisions. They dare to dream, and dream big. The power is in going after what you want, not in going after what you need.

Think you dont have what it takes to meet your goals? Then heres some great news youve already got everything that could ever be necessary to produce amazing results in your life. Youve got access to all you need whether you see it right now or not. So, dont worry about that as you choose goals. Assume you have every resource you need, right at your fingertips because you do.

Andrew Cocks and Terry Zambri are Certified Life Success Consultants, Network Marketing and Internet Marketing Coaches. Their exclusive 3 step marketing system, combined with their unique home based business training program is creating massive success for their team. Visit: http://www.AndrewAndTerry.com/incomeaccelerationsecrets.html to learn how you can be coached by them for FREE.

Copyright, MMVVII- AndrewAndTerry.com. All rights Reserved

Breathing Your Troubles Away - The Way You Breathe Can Heal and Transform Your Life

The breath has the capacity to ease pain and soften tension.When you concentrate on breathing, your mind is able to gather together all its scattered energies. Your mind becomes much more focused, quiet, and clear. In fact, when you focus on your breathing, you are in the present, in the here and now. You are able to truly shift from one state of consciousness to another.

The Breath Moves Consciousness

Some great thinkers have actually said that the breath has the power to actually move matter and consciousness to new states of being. The breath is the life force.. When you focus on breathing, you focus on directing the life force within you This focuses and quiets your mind and helps you move energy. That's why it's so powerful to breathe into your difficulties. It moves them, shifts them, transforms them.

Rapid, Anxious Breathing

Notice your breathing when you feel anxious and uncentered. It's high up in your chest, and it's shallow and rapid. Some people feel as if their feet are going to leave the ground. Others break out into pronounced sweats. Rapid breathing and fear thoughts can create the perception of anxiety.

By breathing more deeply and bringing your breath down into your belly, you'll feel a greater sense of peace. You pay attention to what's bothering you, then breathe into your issues and breathe them out deeply transforms your life experiences.

Constricted Breathing

When you open and relax your breathing, you're able to release and transform old habits of mind with greater ease. The Buddha said, "Being sensitive to the whole body, the yogi breathes in; being sensitive to the whole body, the yogi breathes out."

When we inhale, the air comes into the inner world. When we exhale, the air goes out to the outer world. The inner world is limitless, and the outer world is also limitless. . . . Actually, there is just one whole world. -Shunryu Suzuki, The Enlightened Mind

Want to learn more about life transformation, spiritual growth, and healing? You can download our 100 page free ebook, Extraordinary Healing at http://www.thewisemind.com. You can also subscribe to our wonderful free monthly newsletter, "The Transformation News." Marilyn Gordon is a board certified hypnotherapist, teacher, speaker, healer, school director, and author with over thirty years of experience. Her latest book is The Wise Mind: The Brilliant Key to Life Transformation and Healing.

Self-Help Anxiety Curing Methods to Help You Fall Asleep

Self-help anxiety curing methods can be extremely valuable if they are successfully implemented and help you with troubles falling asleep. Most people who suffer from anxiety or panic attacks have an especially difficult time getting a good night's rest. A lack of sleep will only heighten the chances for anxiety to take over your day.

For many that suffer from anxiety, bedtime is just another dreaded part of life. The thought of lying in bed in silence and letting thoughts run wild can be outright terrifying. I used to feel like this, and I wouldn't be able to fall asleep without the background noise of the television present. It's easy to let your thoughts take over and begin worrying about all the negative things that can happen tomorrow, or replaying any stressful events of the previous day.

The obvious truth is that these thoughts do you no good, and when you don't get the amount of sleep your body needs to function you're inviting anxiety into your life.

Self-Help Anxiety Tip # 1 - Think Positive

Bringing positive thoughts into your life will benefit you in multiple ways. It's really easy to fall into a habit of dwelling on negative thoughts all day long. We all know someone who takes this to an extreme and it's safe to say that this kind of person is never the life of the party. This type of person can bring everyone around them down, and if they exhibit worry or fear, those same feelings are likely to be become contagious as well.

Contrarily, positive speech and positive thinking can also catch on. Positive thinking can replace the habit of negative thinking. When you lie down at night to go to sleep, the first thoughts don't have to be about how horribly wrong your day may go tomorrow. Instead, you may just get into a habit of feeling great about what potential tomorrow holds and looking forward to the future.

Self-Help Anxiety Tip #2 - Exercise Regularly

If you haven't heard by now, exercise is healthy. I apologize for the sarcasm, but it seems many people don't quite understand just how much exercise can benefit your all around well-being. Sure you'll lose weight and feel good about yourself (as if that wasn't enough reason to exercise), but a regular exercise routine will dramatically reduce the amount of stress and anxiety in your life.

Try jogging a mile or lifting weights for 20 minutes the next time you feel anxiety taking over. After 20 minutes stress melts away and it's often replaced with a sense of elation. Exercise is a potent all-natural stress killer. If you do workout, or have in the past, I have no doubt this rings true for you. If you don't exert yourself often, give exercise a chance. One session won't change the way you look in the mirror, but you will immediately feel the effects of its anxiety diminishing power.

Secondly, on the days that you exercise, you won't be able to ignore the fact that sleep comes with less effort and is often uninterrupted. When you introduce a daily workout regimen into your life, a good night's sleep is a natural byproduct. When you combine the two, anxiety is less likely to be a part of your day, or sleepless night. Practicing both of these self-help anxiety curing methods will benefit many aspects of your life.

If you suffer from anxiety you're not alone. There's help available in various forms. If you'd like to learn some more effective self-help anxiety curing methods, visit Mike's site at:

http://self-helpanxiety.blogspot.com/

Lynne Mctaggart

Hinduism, Buddhism and the Devil

No sect of Hinduism personifies the powers of evil in one figure corresponding to Satan, or the Ahriman of Persia. In proportion as a nation thinks pantheistically it is disinclined to regard the world as being mainly a contest between good and evil. It is true there are innumerable demons and innumerable good spirits who withstand them. But just as there is no finality in the exploits of Rma and Krishna, so Rvana and other monsters do not attain to the dignity of the Devil. In a sense the destructive forces are evil, but when they destroy the world at the end of a Kalpa the result is not the triumph of evil. It is simply winter after autumn, leading to spring and another summer.

Buddhism having a stronger ethical bias than Hinduism was more conscious of the existence of a Tempter, or a power that makes men sin. This power is personified, but somewhat indistinctly, as Mra, originally and etymologically a god of death. He is commonly called Mra the Evil One, which corresponds to the Mrityuh ppm of the Vedas, but as a personality he seems to have developed entirely within the Buddhist circle and to be unknown to general Indian mythology.

In the thought of the Pitakas the connection between death and desire is clear. The great evils and great characteristics of the world are that everything in it decays and dies and that existence depends on desire. Therefore the ruler of the world may be represented as the god of desire and death. Buddha and his saints struggle with evil and overcome it by overcoming desire and this triumphant struggle is regarded as a duel with Mra, who is driven off and defeated.

Even in his most mythological aspects, Mra is not a deity of Hell. He presides over desire and temptation, not over judgment and punishment. This is the function of Yama, the god of the dead, and one of the Brahmanic deities who have migrated to the Far East. He has been adopted by Buddhism, though no explanation is given of his status. But he is introduced as a vague but effective figure-and yet hardly more than a metaphor-whenever it is desired to personify the inflexible powers that summon the living to the other world and there make them undergo, with awful accuracy, the retribution due for their deeds.

In a remarkable passage called Death's Messengers, it is related that when a sinner dies he is led before King Yama who asks him if he never saw the three messengers of the gods sent as warnings to mortals, namely an old man, a sick man and a corpse. The sinner under judgment admits that he saw but did not reflect and Yama sentences him to punishment, until suffering commensurate to his sins has been inflicted.

To learn more about Buddhist teachings and beliefs, you might be interested in my FREE E-EBOOK "Buddhism for the Non-Buddhist Layman"

You will also find many free articles about Buddhist teachings, beliefs and practices in my site:

• Buddhism Through Buddhist Eyes

The Hidden Truth about Christians

Can One Person Make Big Changes
Persistence Or Failure In Goals

I'm Not the Only One Who Believed This

Imagine There's No Heaven, It's Easy If You Try, No Hell below Us, above Us Only Sky, Imagine All the People Living for Today. Imagine There's No Countries, It Isn't Hard to Do, Nothing to Kill or Die for, and No Religion Too. Imagine All the People Living Life in Peace. Think about It.

It's hard to imagine, with the information today and even 50 years ago that most people still believe in religions all over the world, just because they were raised to believe in them. Religions of the future will have to adapt to change, a little faster as more people read articles like mine to promote education within your religion.

Find out a little bit more about Your Religious Freedom

You are free to copy this article to your site as long as you include the following resource information with an active link to my site:

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development.

Greg is currently working on a religous help library filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Spiritual Journaling
Pay Attention To Your Intuition

Is 2012 Really the End of the World?

Maybe just the end of the world as we know it. No, the world is not going to implode or explode or be completely destroyed in any form for that matter. 2012 is a new beginning, not an end.

There has been so much said about all this, from the bible, from Nostradamus, from Edgar Cayce, from the Mayans. In 2012 we will truly be able to experience heaven on earth. For some, this has already started. We are already feeling these changes. There are many people on this earth who have Ascended from the 3D reality to the 5th Dimension reality already. The Earth herself has ascended from 3D to 5D. In 5D time and space are different, they do not exist in the same way as they do in 3D. This is why so many people are having experiences outside what the "norm" has been the past few thousand years.

Some people think the financial meltdowns etc. are really bad news. It is just a change, different things going on, it doesn't have to be bad news. Everything is perception. A lot of people are being forced to change the way they have been thinking, or the way they have been doing things. So much of the world's issues right now are related to the old 3D ways crumbling. It is a new beginning, not an ending.

Jesus (or whatever Ascended Master you relate to based on your religion or lack thereof), IS coming. It is the Christ Consciousness in us all. Jesus "the man" is not going to just show up one day to save us. Its not quite like that. The consciousness of Jesus will show up for us all as soon as we realize that we have access to it. It is your own greatness, your own Christ Consciousness that will save you. Your realization that you are God. We ourselves are the second coming.

What makes things so hard is the separation from the divine light and love of all that is. For many years people have turned to religion, or leaders that tell us that things are outside of ourselves. Those in perceived power don't want us to know that the power of EVERYTHING is within us. We are all one.

The talk of hellfire and hell coming to earth for those that do not accept Jesus into their lives is true in some ways, but not in the literal sense that some organized religions would have you believe. It has to do with those that accept they are the creators themselves. Those that can see and feel their own greatness will truly be creating a heaven on earth for themselves and those around them.

Those that rely on (or "worship"), things from the 3D reality -- money and ego and external power -- truly will be in a hell on earth. Earth and her energy is changing, has already changed. We, as a species, are learning that we can create whatever we want here. It has very little to do with ego and power. There are many on the earth right now who are here to help with this transition. Many lightworkers who are ascending and "getting it" are here to help you. Many are actually devoting their lives to helping others remember where they came from and what divine beings they are. The first wave of Ascension is over. There are many Masters on this plane of our planet right now. Willing to help you to realize you don't have to stay stuck in 3D any more. Many people think Jesus is a saviour, as in separate from you, that will come and rescue you from your life, your existence, yourself, your perceived sins. God is not going to "make people go to hell". What kind of loving God would actually make people go to hell? If all one does is worship money, control or power they WILL likely end up in their own hell. This will be their own doing (or undoing) though. It will not be something that is done TO them.

Look at how things are right now. The world financial crisis is HUGE. Anyone who is very centred in, or worships, money or power at this point in time is RIGHT NOW in their own personal HELL. God certainly isn't putting them there. It is their perception of their time on earth that is putting them there.

Those that are suffering right now just need to look inside themselves, at the Christ Consciousness, at the God in THEM. Hanging onto the old 3D reality and the worship of external things like money or power or ego is what is causing them suffering. The always wanting more is causing suffering. There is enough on this earth for everyone. Some say they don't believe that...I've had people tell me to my face that I'm full of you know what just for suggesting such a thing.

The reality of it though....at least MY reality of it is that there is enough for all. If we take the greed, the control, the lusting for external power away, there is enough.

All through the bible it states that God is in all of us. Therefore, Love is in all of us.

Religions made the devil up to scare the heck out of people. There were, and still are, those that do not want you to know your own greatness. They don't want you to know what they know. If everyone knew, there would be balance. No one would be better than, or richer than. Everyone would just "Be".

Religions say the devil "fell from grace" because he wanted to be God-like. What better way to make people shun their own greatness, their own connection with God. Scare the crap out of them so that when they start to realize their own greatness, and that they are not just a "part of Source (God)", but that they are indeed Source (God) themselves, the creators of their own lives and spiritual journeys, they get afraid and experience more separation. As soon as people realize their greatness, no one will be able to control them. That is very scary for those that think they have the power over the masses.

We are all God-like. We are all creators, God is Love, we are all a part of God. This scares a lot of people and there are certain governments and religions that don't want people to know this, so they make up stuff like the devil or demons to scare people. They don't want the general population to realize their power, they would lose their own place in society; in the 3D reality they have created for themselves. Imagine if everyone knew just how much like God we are, how much a part of God we are.....no one could control us anymore. No one would have the power to "make" us fearful. God is Love.....the "devil" is fear.

So, is 2012 the end of the world? I certainly hope it is the end of the world as we have known it up to this point.

Do not fear the changes, embrace them. Connect with Source in your own way. Find and connect with your own internal Christ Consciousness, your own greatness.

When things are done with Love and not fear, nothing but God and Love can shine through.

There are many things going on. Being a psychic lightworker myself (for lack of a better term), I know that what I see and do, anyone can see and do. The biggest challenge is to KNOW that you can do it. It is just a matter of being open to it and having the realization that we are all Source.

Remember where you came from, remember your divinity. Connect with your own Christ Consciousness. Experience the bliss every day, feel the love every day. Live with Love not Fear of what is going on on our earth. Its all good...

I am a psychic living in British Columbia, Canada. I have been psychic since birth and have been doing psychic readings for others for the past 25 years. With these psychic readings I help people to enhance their own personal growth and assist them to realize their life path. I am also a medium and often when I do readings I have contact from the other side, whether from a loved one who has passed over or Spirit teachers and guides. Visit Psychic Medium for more information on psychic readings.

Start Liking Yourself First

The Similarities and Differences of Pilates and Yoga

You can barely turn on the TV nowadays without hearing about Pilates or Yoga. When you take up a magazine, you are bound to find articles about these two exercise methods and it seems like everyone is doing either one or the other. What is all of the excitement about? Why are these techniques so special? What are the differences and similarities between Pilates and Yoga?

Yoga aims to unite the body, mind, and spirit. The person who aspires to do Yoga views that the body and mind are one. They believe that if the body is given the right tools and is taken to the proper environment then the body can find harmony and will be able to heal itself. Yoga is considered to be therapeutic. You will have a heightened awareness of your body's alignment, posture, and patterns of movement. Yoga tends to make your body more flexible and it will help you to relax even if you are in the middle of a stress stricken environment. Therefore, one of the most important reasons as to why people start practicing Yoga is that they want to feel more energetic, be more happy, feel more fit and be at peace.

One performs Yoga mainly in a group setting on a special Yoga mat with the help of a Yoga instructor. You use your body's own weight for resistance. You must also focus a great deal of your attention to the flow from one posture into that of another. Yoga styles are varied and there is not one style that is considered to be better than another. These styles also vary in their emphasis, and the style you choose is a matter of personal preference.

Pilates also seeks to reach many of the same goals as does Yoga by way of a series of movements that are very controlled. The major difference between Pilates and Yoga is that while doing Pilates exercises not only makes use of a mat, but it also incorporates work on different Pilates machines. The main thrust of the Pilates exercises is to improve posture, strengthen the abdominal muscles, improve balance, lengthen and stabilize the spine and improve overall strength. Pilates will tend to give you a leaner, longer, dancer-like line.

A Whole Body Workout

Unlike a variety of other training programs, Pilates makes an effort to work the whole body and places its emphasis on precision, control, and concentration in both the body as well as the mind. There is no attempt made at doing many repetitions at a time in a rapid, haphazard fashion. Instead, the focus is placed on quality and not the amount of reps you do. The "powerhouse" that consists of the lower back, abdominal muscles and the buttocks are at the center of all movement and this allows the rest of your body to move fluidly and freely. When one focuses on core stabilization, it makes the student stronger from the inside out.

This is critical for the advancement of the Pilates student. Pilates is low impact by nature and, therefore, it is ideal for the prevention of injury and for rehabilitation. Pilates has six guiding principles - concentration, centering, flow, control, breathing and precision. These principles train the body to move more efficiently while placing minimal impact on the body. With Pilates, there is a definite balance between flexibility and strength that creates a vigorous, symmetrical and health workout for all of the different muscle groups, which will result in a more balanced, leaner, and stronger body.

There are a range of DVD's on sale at http://www.pilatesorstretchforbackpain.com which have been recommended by a leading British Osteopath/Physiotherapist

Please visit my blog at http://www.stretchorpilatesforbackpain.com

The author, Steven Giles is a 55 year old former accountant who has been suffering from back pain for several years and has found that Pilates provides relief from this. He lives in Greater Manchester in the North-West of England

Mental And Physical Abuse

Forgive Everyone in Every Way

Forgive everyone, everyday, and in every way. Each person is doing the best he or she can. No one, absolutely no one is perfect. Since no one is perfect, this means that we all need to share more patience and more understanding surrounding all aspects of our interactions with one another. Think of the last time you needed to forgive someone. And, think of the last time you needed to be forgiven. When we need to be forgiven, there is a feeling of lack or something as missing. When we need to forgive, we often feel anger. Anger is a secondary emotion for loss. When we lose something, the need to restore what was lost. This sends us on a search within ourselves for attention in a peace filled direction. If you noticed, to forgive or to be forgiven leads you to the same place. Both paths of awareness lead us on a search. What are you searching for? You are searching to find wholeness. What is wholeness? This is often one's perception of reality created by what one believes to be true. This creation of what one believes to be true is the path of one's soul seeking manifestation in the world of form from the formless.

There is no set way to wholeness. Simply being aware that you have a self-defined understanding of wholeness that is within you is what we simply need to give attention to within us. This continued attention on what we seek the most within us will grow in our awareness until the need to place our attention on forgiveness fades away.

If a person was to believe that forgiveness is something obtained through the human psyche alone, we all would find the journey into such a place within us as something to avoid. In the deepest parts of who we are, we want to connect to what is sacred within us. Therefore, to re-create a past interaction with someone who we feel we harmed or who we feel harmed us is a useless attempt to embrace what cannot be. This is not to say that certain relationships close to us do not need verbal efforts to make up for a past action leading to harm. In fact, a person can find this useful, and even, helpful. The point I want to make is the place one's attention may be at the time such a verbal interaction will become vital in the success of such expressions taking place.

Dying patients remind me that there are countless times in all our lives where the issue of forgiveness was perceived and we become aware of it. There is no way a dying person can retrieve all their past life experiences in physical form, but we can recall these moments in time and visualize how we would have handled them differently. This is our soul seeking to make right a wrong our personality may not allow us to do, or it may no longer be feasible to take place in our current circumstances. People are such a vast array of experiences. There are endless paths of attention within us calling for our attention. Perhaps, the instant we remember who we are and who others are in the deepest parts of our being, we begin to remember the love that brings all our lives together, and into, being. This remembrance of who we are as children of our Creator reminds us of the unconditional spirit reflected within our own selves. The transcendence of flesh and blood inspires us to give our Creator our lives, the lives of others, and our very reason for living into the hands that created us.

For More on this Author: http://www.soulandspirit.org

Creating A Habit

Thriving During Tough Times

2009 is predicted to be a tough year for everyone! Thus, in response to the challenges of 2008 and the predictions for 2009, I have a theme of "Thriving during Tough Times" and I recommend that you do to.

While I sense that many other people are "Tumbling during Tough Times," now is not the time to quit pursuing thriving success! As Seth Godin discusses in his book, The Dip, quitting is an extremely poor tactic just because the dip is hard!

So, how do you get started on thriving during tough times? Start with The Power of 3.

The number three has special meaning in this world.

Three has special meaning in many religions and cultures including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and the American and Chinese cultures.

Three is often described as solid, real, substantial, and complete. It is the trinity number representing fullness or something that has come full circle. It is considered divine perfection.

Most importantly, the sum of human capacity can be summed up in three components...thought, word, and deed!

These three components of human capacity, when properly applied, help you attract, get, and keep lasting success. When improperly applied, they help you create much less desirable conditions, situations, and results.

Champions use their human capacities (thought, word, and deed) to focus on the following three key components of lasting champion success:
Activate the attraction factor
Take inspired and leveraged action
Reinforce success, goals and vision

The number three also has power in process and prioritization! The process of focusing on the three most leveraged and impactful ways to achieve any goal/objective or enhance any relationship generates special results!

This is where I started creating my thriving momentum in 2008! I have also used the power of three to help individuals focus their energy, make decisions, and generate synergy among their decisions/choices countless times. This process has led to breakthrough results significantly more often than any other process and prioritization method I have seen or used!

In fact, the consistent breakthrough results that I have achieved (and help others achieve) through this process led me to want to research the meaning of the number three in religions and cultures.

If you want to find the keys to anything around you, I suggest you look for three keys that generate 80% or more of the impact. I spent the last 90 days researching the three keys to other successes during tough times. I have assembled all these key strategies, tactics, and tools that helped others "Thrive during Tough Time" and I will be sharing them in 2009.

Until we cross paths during some of this 2009 work, I suggest you focus on finding your specific three elements and components that are appropriate for your situation and will quickly accelerate your results. Everything else is just noise and distraction!

Even one of the most popular and influential books of the late 20th century, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey, divides the habits into three categories; private victory, public victory, and renewal. Maybe those are the right three for you to focus on in 2009!

Cheers!!! Here's to "Thriving during Tough Times" in 2009!

About the Author:
Jon L. Iveson, Ph.D., The Champion's Coach, is a Gazelles Certified Coach who helps individuals and companies produce champion results and build champion relationships. Assess how ready you are (http://www.learningtobeachampion.com/assessments/thechampions.htm) or your company is (http://www.learningtobeachampion.com/assessments/winningcompanies.htm) to "Thrive during Tough Times."

Faith Belief Or Education

The Heretic's Daughter - Religion, Fear and the Salem Witch Trials

The Heretic's Daughter is author Kathleen Kent's first novel, and it is a stunning debut. It takes place in and around Salem, Massachusetts during the 1690's, before and during the infamous Salem witch trials. The narrator's mother, Martha Carrier, is based on the real woman of the same name, who was one of the first woman to be tried and hung in the trials. Ms. Kent is herself a tenth generation descendant of Martha Carrier.

Ms. Kent has done her research, and she does a beautiful job of depicting the harsh realities of life during this time. While the initial Puritan settlers had come to this land to escape persecution, and hoped to found a new religious community, they were besieged by plagues, crop failures, and attacks by indigenous tribes. The child mortality rate was so high, we are told in the first pages, "that some families did not name their child until the child was past twelve months and more likely to live. And in many households if a baby died, that same baby's name would be passed on to the next born. And to the very next if that babe died as well."

This is from the novel's narrator, Sarah Carrier, Martha Carrier's daughter. If Sarah sometimes seems distant and unfeeling as she describes horrific events, it is no wonder, based on the climate in which she was raised. In fact, Sarah's voice and attitude was at first a put-off to me, making her difficult to relate to or feel for. But as the novel progresses, her voice becomes one of the book's greatest strengths, because it provides such a vast contrast to our emotion-laden, Oprah-fueled times. Sarah helps us to see what a stark and difficult existence does to people, and as she does mature - through watching her mother's trial and surviving her own incarceration - her growth and new-found wisdom is that much more evident.

As the novel begins, Sarah and her family are on their way to live with her grandmother, and, unbeknown to them, are bringing smallpox with them to their new community. This fact, along with Martha Carrier's headstrong and outspoken nature, will ultimately lead to the family becoming a target when the terrible accusations begin. Those accusations, as presented in The Heretic's Daughter, gain traction in the community because of the lethal combination of fear and damnation-based religion. The community, facing so many challenges to its existence, cannot fathom why they are being targeted by God for such wrath. Surely there must be some offense, some sin, that they are being punished for? In their desperation, they seek out the 'sinners' amongst them, literally demonizing their own neighbors for the smallest of offenses. They seek to scapegoat and purge - as so many have done in the name of religion throughout history.

From there, the paralysis of fear takes over, with each new charge silencing more people within the community, all seeking to protect their own lives and families. Children as young as four are taken into custody - since the 'devil' is behind it all, and can take over anyone's mind, no one is considered innocent. Quite the contrary, during the trials the defendants are most definitely considered guilty until proven innocent. And their innocence is in the hands of several hysterical, adolescent girls no less (I'll let you read the book to learn more about this.)

One of the most touching aspects of the book is how Martha gets Sarah to save herself, helping Sarah to realize that behind her mother's stern exterior lies the greatest of maternal loves. While Sarah at first despises her mother's difficult personality, wishing she would just capitulate to others, she comes to realize her mother's seeming obstinance is actually born of tremendous faith and wisdom. This is exactly the opposite of what her community elders teach - that strict obedience is the foundation for faith. As Sarah observes, that obedience, along with fear, is what allows the madness to continue for so long.

And so The Heretic's Daughter works on at least three levels. First, as a gripping historical novel that masterfully depicts a certain setting and time period. Second, as a personal story of a mother and adolescent daughter struggling to understand each other. And third, as a cautionary tale about how religion can be twisted when a society is ruled by fear.

Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. Visit her blog http://www.MommyMystic.wordpress.com for spiritual book reviews and information on meditation and spirituality

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