Yoga Music For Meditation Series - 12 Tips To Attain A Good Meditation Practice

By Hans Havasi

a) Understand Meditation

1. You can start by understanding what meditation is. It is a continuous flow of thought on one object. Meditation is the upholding of focus on one idea alone like the continuous flow of oil. Yogis call this process "Dyana". Bhaktis call it adoration.

Concentration is to fix the mind on a point or an object, either internal as in the body or external (eg an image). Meditation is a natural outcome of concentration. In Dhyana the normal thoughts are closed of from the mind and the mind becomes saturated with Divine thoughts and presence.

(b) Finding The Place

2. Have a room solely dedicated to meditation and do not allow anybody to enter. This keeps it holy and sanctified. Burn incense in the mornings and evenings and keep an icon of God or your Guru placing your chair in front. Keeping spiritual literature in the room is also good and will raise the resonance level of the room.

When you are in deep meditation the powerful vibrations produced will be lodged in the ether of the room. In six months time you will feel a lot of peace and purity within the atmosphere of the room. Whenever your mind is disturbed by worldly events, sit in the room and repeat a Mantra for half an hour; you will find that a change will take place within your mind immediately.

Practice and feel the soothing spiritual influence it will have on yourself. Nothing compares to spiritual Sadhana. It will create a sacred place in your own house.

3. Intensive meditation and solitude are of utmost importance for realizing the Divine Self. A place of pilgrimage, a mountainous scenery, a garden full of flowers, a sacred temple, these are places which help to the attaining of concentration, contemplation and meditation. Find these places when you need to.

4. A cool place with a mild climate is a must for concentrating the mind. As salt will melt in water, the pure mind melts in the silence brought in through meditating upon the Absolute.

(c) Time

5. Pull yourself out of bed at 4 in the morning! This time is favourable for spiritual and devotional practice. The mind is pure and calm in the mornings after having slept. Like a blank sheet of paper, it is void of the normal worldly impressions.

The mind is easily formed at this time. The atmosphere is also more filled with purity and light at this hour. You can wash your hands, feet and face with cold water if it is difficult for you to take a shower. This will do.

6. Always choose the part of the day or night when your mind is clear and when you are least likely to be disturbed. The mind will be calmer and more malleable at this time.

7. Meditate on Sundays as the mind is more at ease on holidays. You will also find that your meditation improves if you only drink milk and eat fruit. Also fasting helps tremendously in the attainment of focused meditation.

(d) Where To Concentrate

8. Focus gently in the heart area or between the eyes in the forehead. Keep your eyes closed.

9. Your mind sits in Ajna Chakra in a place called Trikuti. Focusing on Trikuti easily controls the mind. Bhakti yogis should focus on the heart. Yogis should focus on Ajna.

10. Sahasrara at the crown of the head is another great place to focus. Vedantins concentrate here. Some yogis focus on the tip of their noses (a technique called Nasikagra Drishti). Stay with one place of focus and cling to it perseverantly.

If you concentrate on heart, stick to it. Never change it. Your guru will select the center your should concentrate on, if you are a student of the faith. If you are a man who likes to be self-reliant, you can select it for yourself.

(e) Pure Diet

11. Keep your diet pure and light. To fill up the stomach with rice, bread and vegetables will make you very sleepy and will interfere with your sadhana. A diet of milk keeps the body light, pure and alert.

By following these guidelines you will find yourself being able to sit at ease in yoga positions for long periods of time, up til hours. If you feel weak though, you can take some milk and rice. Those with an intense program of keeping lectures and other spiritual activities should have a solid diet though.

(f) Yoga Postures

12. The body is stabilized through the practice of yoga positions (Asanas). The mind is strengthened through inner attitudes (Mudra) and contractions (Bandhas). The body will feel lighter after the practising breathing exercises (Pranayama). Once you can do these things with ease your mind can fix itself upon the Absolute and you will attain states of uplifted bliss and euphoria.

Yoga positions are recommended to become good at meditation. The lotus pose and Siddhasana are a must in meditation. The most sublime meditations come from adhering to sexual continence or brahmacarya as it is called. This is the withholding of the seminal fluids in the case of men and of the menstrual fluids in the case of women. Brahmacarya is especially facilitated through the practises of Paschimottanasana, Brahmacaryasana and Shirshasana, but all yogic sadhana is beneficial to this purpose. - 18758

About the Author:

Hans Havasi is a Systems Developer at a major engineering firm in Denmark, a yoga teacher and a musician in the group Ibis which makes tantra music for Goddesses. With his wife Mariah, Hans leads a yoga and tantra retreat and art center in the north of Copenhagen. Please click here to read more about meditation or go here to download free meditation music.

How To String A Guitar - Read These 5 Things Before You Start

By Jon J Tan

Every budding guitarist should maintain his or her own guitar and changing the strings on the guitar is an important part of that. It is fairly easy to change your guitar strings and it is unlikely that you will damage it. Because of this, there is no reason why you should pay someone else to do it for you. Below are 5 tips to ensure that you do it the correct way:

1. Buy the right guitar string. Different guitars use different kinds of strings made out of different materials. Using the wrong kind of strings can result in permanent damage to your guitar. Acoustic and electric guitars use metal based strings while classical guitars use nylon strings.

2. Take note of the tension of the string. If you are just starting out, you should start with using strings of lower tension. The tension is also known as the "gauge" of the string and is often indicated as such on the package. Higher gauge strings usually have higher tension. If you are a beginner, I highly recommend using a lower tension string as it is less taxing on your fingers.

3. Do change your guitar strings one at a time. It is recommended that you change the strings one at a time, rather than removing all the strings before replacing them with new ones. This will help preserve the tension of the guitar neck and wood, reducing the possibility of damage to your precious instrument.

4. Use a string winder for speed. If you want to string your guitar fast, then using a string winder is important. This will enable you to wind up and down the strings so you can get back to playing the guitar quickly.

5. Cutting your strings. You should cut your strings to the right length only after the strings are on the guitar and are fully tuned up to the correct pitch and tension. It is possible that the strings will slip slightly and if you cut too early the string might just slip off the guitar! - 18758

About the Author:

Visit HowToStringAGuitar.Net if you want to learn how to string a guitar properly, including how to string an acoustic guitar.

Why Legal Music Downloads Are Better

By John Roberts

Legal music downloads are only legal if you pay for them. Obviously, there are still peer-to-peer sites out there that you can get free music from and it is always tempting to use those instead of paying for your music library. After all, there are so many people out there in cyberspace, how could anyone possibly be worried about one lonely person is doing?

The record companies are noticing who is doing what and from where. The entire music industry loses millions of dollars through music piracy. And although, you might think that your music library does not amount to much, you need to start thinking in more legal terms. The original download of each song and every upload is considering a single cont of piracy.

Depending on how much music you have pirated, you can end up owing the record companies thousand of dollars. Some people have even racked up over a million dollars in fines and copyright fees. Most of the people that are caught not using legal music downloads are college students or average citizens. The record companies will often settle out of court and have only made examples of a select few.

By paying for legal music downloads, you buy the song and the right to do what you want to with it. Any DRM restrictions are handled by the music site before you even consider purchasing a song. Although it is best to check and make sure that the site has handled the DRM restrictions if you are not using one of the big name music sites to get your music.

Many people feel that the music industry makes enough money through the CDs, concerts and merchandise that is already purchased. The music artists and the leaders of the music industry live in big houses and drive fancy cars, so what is a $0. 99 song to them. Regardless of how you feel, downloading music for free is piracy and you are in the wrong.

They have a legal foothold to sue those that do have legal music downloads. According to the piracy laws, when people used to record music onto a cassette from the radio, they had a right to sue. They just did not have a way to track the people that were doing it and the music industry just had to accept the loss.

Now they have our IP addresses so we are totally traceable. Whether you want to admit it or not, legal music downloads is the only true way to protect yourself and your future account balance. - 18758

About the Author:

With all the recent lawsuits about illegal music downloading, you definitely don't want to take any risks. Check out MusicDownloadsGuide.com for real user reviews of legal music downloads services.

What You Need to Know About Your iPod Battery

By James Logan

iPod battery life is an significant consideration to most iPod users. Once an iPod battery wears out, it is not easily changed by users. That's true, to a point, as the battery is lithium based; although it can be recharged up to 500 times, it does degrade over time.

When that happens, although it is possible for users to change the iPod battery themselves, many of them don't want to risk damaging their iPod Nano 8GB. This made some users to wonder if the iPod Nano 8GB was intended as a disposable MP3 player? No. The iPod Nano 8GB was designed to last a good, long, while.

As with all lithium based batteries, the iPod battery cannot be expected to last more than two years. This nets the user hundreds of charges; however, at some point, the lithium battery will stop working. Users cannot replace the battery the way they can with other digital devices.

When Apple designed the iPod Nano 8GB, they incorporated the battery into the devices circuitry. This created a wide open marketplace for third party manufacturers to offer an iPod battery replacement kit, including step by step instructions on how to remove and replace the battery in the iPod Nano 8GB. Owners of the iPod Nano 8GB may prefer to ship their device to Apple for iPod battery replacement.

In addition, Apple offers users tips on their website on how to maintain their iPod battery. Tips to extend the life of your iPod battery: Keep your iPod Nano 8GB at room temperature An iPod battery performs at its best when the iPod Nano 8GB is at room temperature.

You should not leave your iPod Nano 8GB inside a car. Never expose your iPod Nano 8GB to direct sunlight as this can damage the device. When unattended, click the Pause. Any time you are not using your iPod Nano 8GB, slide the button into the Hold position.

The iPod Nano 8GB will continue to play if left in the play mode, which will cause the iPod battery to drain completely. Make it a habit to turn off your iPod Nano 8GB when you're not using it to conserve battery power. Only use the back lighting feature when you really need it.

Back lighting can use up a lot of your reserved battery power. If you don't absolutely need it, turn it off. Under the Settings menu, choose Back light Timer, then select Off. Most people don't realize that even when their iPod Nano isn't in use, the battery is still active.

While your iPod Nano 8GB is sleeping, the battery is still fully awake, and loses a small amount of current. By ensuring your iPod is used and stored at room temperature, you can significantly limit the amount of battery current being used. By doing this, the battery in your iPod can last as long as 28 days. - 18758

About the Author:

For Complete Reviews and Guides on iPod Nano & iPod Battery, please visit the new iPod Nano 8GB Resources site. Grab the very practical FREE copy of the complete guide on getting the most from your iPod.

Movie Download Services For You

By Rita Roy

Movie download services are out there and you can find them online. All over the place a way in which you can find legal movie downloads. Watch movies online any time of the day, no more waiting around until your local video store is open.

Not only will you be able to watch movies online though, you can get movie rentals. They will be shipped to you, see not all movies are available to watch online, but there are more than enough to keep you busy.

Plus besides movies online to watch, you have TV shows that you can watch instantly, or get shipped and watch at home. Many choices are out there from older programs like Dragnet, or newer shows like NCIS.

Movie downloads are great, but at times the movie that you want will not be available to watch online. That's okay because these movie download services also offer movie rentals. The service is normally very quick, and you will have the movie in the mail.

These movie download services have many choices when it comes to the movies you can download. Plus when you have a new release out, many times the wait will not be near as long as you would have to wait at a video store. Many releases can be saved as one of your choices before it even comes out.

What's even better is that these movie downloads don't always need software downloaded onto your computer to use. All you have to do is find the movie your hoping to watch, and click to view it right that instant online at your computer.

Though it is highly suggested that you look into a cable that will hook your computer to your TV, and allow more people to enjoy those movie downloads.

Giving you the option to have a family movie night anytime of the week. It's not just an option that is available to adults. No many of these movie download services have many family films that everyone can enjoy.

Imagine the money you use to spend in the video store on renting of a few movies. Normally you will pay around $4 a piece or if you're lucky you may luck out and get some for $2. But if you get a movie download subscription some will give you unlimited movie rentals and movie downloads.

One of the best ways to watch movies now is movie download services. With these opportunities you will be able to watch anything you have seen in the past. Older TV shows are even available on many of these download services.

Not only a great way in which you can add to your movie collection at home, but ways that you can no longer spend money on movies you're not sure about. Yes you may need to pay for a subscription. But if you watch enough movies you will spend very little money on each of them. Watch that new movie and then if you like it buy the movie online. No more spending $15 on a DVD only to bring it home and hate the movie. Now use a movie download service first and see if the movie is worth the purchase price. - 18758

About the Author:

This is great; let's say you have a favorite show that you've missed for a while. http://www.moviedownloadsites.net/Movies_To_Download_For_Free.html Alternatively, you can order from various websites. You might get away with the illegal versions for awhile, but eventually it will catch up to you.