"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." O. Arnold

Rising Sun Yoga’s

Do you think that you can’t meditate? Many people feel that way. Many say I have tried to meditate but I just can’t quiet my mind. That’s like saying I’ve tried yoga but I couldn’t do all the postures. I tried riding a bike once, but I fell. I burnt cookies once so I could never be a chef. Like anything worth doing meditation is a practice, the more often you practice the easier it gets and the more fun and benefits you receive as well. If we didn’t have stressed out cluttered unfocused minds with so many thoughts running rapid we wouldn’t need to meditate. However, with all the distractions and stresses of the modern world we need meditation more than ever. Meditation is a date with your self. It is the ultimate vehicle to learning about who you really are. It holds the keys to your mental health, sharpens your intellect and unleashes the hidden powers of your mind. Meditation has been proven to yield miraculous results but repetitive practice is necessary. Are you meditating daily? If not I hope this article inspires you to.

Meditation has the power to transform people. This transformation isn’t limited to the meditator. Meditation affects those around the person or persons meditating. In 1999 an experiment was conducted in Washington D.C. which at that time was the murder capitol of the world. 4000 meditators from around the world were flown in to meditate everyday for two months during the summer. The predicted result was a 20% decrease in violent crime over the two month period. Law enforcement authorities proclaimed it would take two feet of snow to achieve those results. The prediction was off by 3% violent crime was reduced by 23% that summer. Stop and think about that for a moment. This study wasn’t a secrete. Certainly federal, state and county leaders and law enforcement across the country heard about this. If they are for lowering violent crime in this country shouldn’t they start each day with meditation? Now that you have heard about it shouldn’t you?

Meditation has also been proven to heal and slow the aging process. “Neuroscience also suggests that meditators who have been practicing TM for more than five years record average levels twelve years younger than their actual age in tests for blood pressure and visual and auditory performance”, boasts The Spirit of Yoga by Kathy Phillips. People are spending thousands and thousands on medications, popping pills, and absorbing the ill effects of the drugs. Insurance rates are increasing dramatically and an alarming number of people are being left with no insurance. Shouldn’t the health professionals recommend meditation to their patients and practice it as well. Shouldn’t you?

We know that people were meditating 5000 years ago and maybe well before that. The mystical practice leads to self actualization, attunement with the divine presence within, good health, and amazing extraordinary powers as well. Are you ready to start a daily practice of meditation?

If you need a place to practice meditation, or someone to guide you, we maybe able to help. We offer a 30 minute meditation class on Monday evenings at 7:30 which is free and open to all. The one hour 5:30am class on Tuesdays and Thursdays is followed by and optional 30 minute meditation. If these times don’t fit your schedule and you have a sincere desire to learn to meditate please call the studio and we will do our best to help you out.

If you are fortunate enough to know how to meditate, and have the right space for it, I encourage to continue to practice both for you and the people around you.

Om Shanti,