Teachings on Mindfulness & Meditation through Inspirational Short Stories & Motivational Quotes from a real travelling Vanlife Monk affiliated to No Tribe, Religion or Society always searching for Spiritual Enlightenment
Anxiety can be a crippling disease of mind, it’s a feeling of fear or apprehension of something yet to come and in extreme cases is devastating to your life.
Calming Anxiety
Anxiety disorders can cause your heart rate to rise, heart palpitations, and chest pain. You may also be at increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease.
The 5 ways of Categorising Anxiety
According to the National Health Service from the United Kingdom Of Great Britain we generally put the effects of Anxiety into 5 categories, these are
Generalised Anxiety Disorder: Described as an excessive amount of worry, stress or anxiety which may include symptoms such as depression. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association Of America (ADAA) Generalised Anxiety Disorder is diagnosed as extreme worry about a variety of things which leads to continuous anxiety and lasts for a period of 6 months and longer.
Social Anxiety Disorder: This is the paralysing fear of social involvement and situations usually leaving the person suffering feeling alone, isolated and ashamed.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: OCD is an overwhelming sense to perform certain tasks a certain way over and over again. This experience of intrusive nature of thoughts can give rise to chronic stress.
Panic Disorder: Is characterised by unexpected and sometimes repeated episodes of intense fear, physical symptoms include but not limited too, chest pains, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, tightness of chest, dizziness and or abdominal pain.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: Stress caused after a dangerous and scary event. Example would be experiencing war, a deadly storm or almost drowning. This is known as Traumatic Stress and can lead to PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder
Mind Matters and Anxiety
How to cope with Anxiety
There are many methods we can use to cope and indeed combat anxiety and it’s associated symptoms, here is a quick list that may help, it is by no means comprehensive and if you feel you know something which may help others please feel free to share. I will credit you and add your pearl of wisdom.
If you feel there is something left off this list, maybe you have an idea that may help others, then please feel free to add a comment below, I will credit you and add your pearl of wisdom to the list.
Is Society getting you down? Does it seem everywhere you look our establishments are run by complete fools? Political systems, corrupt corporations, energy sucking globalists.
What if you could find a way to truly leave the system, what if you could just leave behind this whole messed up situation?
Well what if I were to tell you there is a way. A way to leave all those problems of a messed up corrupt society behind, for good! And it doesn’t involve living in a tent in the forest.
I was once truly sucked into any conspiracy theories, the 911 twin towers, the subsequent London bombings, Russian interference, political masterminding, the Rothschild family and anything else you can think of. I was angry and pissed off, it seemed to me there was 100 percent something going on that we weren’t being told about, and I was also 100 percent convinced it could be done better.
I got myself so worked up and upset with everything and anybody. I had turned into, without my knowledge, an energy sucker. I used to drag people into my world of conspiracies no matter what was bought up in conversation. I used to talk at people not with them, and in doing so used to steal people’s energy. It was hard to be around someone so upset and angry with everything, someone like me.
I found a way to leave all this behind me, and now am peaceful, chilled out, relaxed and calm. The news that used to frustrate me no end, doesn’t affect me in the slightest. I now listen to people and there opinions, and care about them. I am happier then ever and live a fantastic life I honestly didn’t believe was possible. A dramatic transformation happened to me, and I can share with you the one thing that changed my life so you too can succeed in leaving this messed up society of corruption and political B/S behind.
So what changed? what did I learn that changed my outlook? Is there some secret?
It’s not a secret and I will share with you in just a moment.
First I need to explain something, so you can understand what I am about to say. For some people what I’m about to say is going to be a little difficult to grasp with a mind so full of stuff.
So I want you to Just relax and try and listen to what I’m saying, before forming an opinion, only after you have have read all the information form an opinion. Then I would love for you to challenge it, rip it apart, analyse it and inspect what I have said, that way at least I know you listened.
Hear we go
There is inherently nothing wrong with what is going on with society. There is no conspiracy theories, or even shape shifting aliens running the planet. Everything that is happening to our societies, governments, country wars, mass media marketing, death and destruction is completely normal to us humans.
Please don’t get me wrong, the whole world is in complete mayhem and drastically needs sorting out. What I’m am telling and revealing to you is that it is the human consciousness that is responsible for this mess and nothing else. The Brown Bear isn’t responsible or indeed the poor chicken. It is our human consciousness that has created this mess and it needs to change to get ourselves out!
Let me explain. Every conspiracy you have heard about was created within a human consciousness and as so we can see that each and everyone of us have a personal role to play.
All Governments lie to there citizens, just as we parents lie to our kids. There is no conspiracy in that. Both are the human consciousness in action just upscaled. Corporations are run by the same consciousness of humanity that lives within our families. There are power struggles between siblings just as there is in management, there is present in both family and corporation, greed, dishonesty, jealousy, lying, manipulation and many more unpleasant traits. Every characteristic you see within the family just upscales into governments, industry, manufacturing, advertising, sports and any other activity the human consciousness is involved in. After all who is in charge if not a human with a human consciousness.
Just because our elite went to Harvard or Eton doesn’t make them into saintly figures who have purified the defilements of their minds. On the contrary these men and women are bred to hold dear to their hearts greed, materialism, manipulation, lying and dishonesty as the back bone of the worlds economy.
If we as humans continue in the manner we have there will be no end to our destruction of planet earth. It is our human consciousness at this very level right NOW, with all its defilements of greed, manipulation, jealousy, callousness, aggression, dominance, vindictiveness, envy and deception that is present in all of us.
It must be our life goal, our jobs, in this life to change our level of consciousness so we can pass it onto the next generation. There is no better time to learn than Now! We must begin to change these defilements of mind.
If you are still with me and can see logically what I have said and want to make that change, to be someone special who is really trying to make a difference and escape this mayhem we call society. Then the next thing we have to do is clearly experience this logic for ourselves. We need to clearly experience personally that it is this human consciousness, with its defilements of greed, dishonestly, jealousy, manipulation and many more that creates the mess we are in and it is this human consciousness that needs to change!
Meditation
Meditating allows us to clearly see and experience this truth or reality for ourselves. When we meditate we learn to watch or observe our minds wanderings. With time and patience we slowly see these defilements of greed, manipulation, lying, stealing and jealousy all clearly present within ourselves. Once we see it within ourselves we now clearly understand how it is present in our families, our work place, our schools, and our governments, finally creating the society we live in. Once you can clearly see and perceive your defilements as negative and harmful to yourself as well as others we natural drop them as if they were like a hot coal in the palm of your hand.
Meditation may seem a far cry away from the front line of demonstrations and protests but meditation is a double edged sword, everyone who meditates slowly sees the unsatisfactoriness in this constant game of buying continuously ever more stuff just to make us feel slightly satisfied in life, just to require us to work even harder to pay for it all and so the cycle begins again. We see the very rat race for what it is. We naturally pull ourselves away from the mass commercialism that seems to of afflicted the West and now the East
Meditation is like Mahatma Gandhi was to India with his peaceful protest against the system. Meditation changed Nelson Mandela from terrorist to enlightened master. Meditation has the power to change the world into that wonderful place we know can exist.
If you want to see a change in the world then it is up to each and everyone of us to change our level of consciousness away from the one that created the mess we are in. To do that we can all practice meditation. Even if only a third of the world started meditating today, the rest would slowly follow, just like all sheep follow the majority so do humans. Don’t be a sheep, instead lead by example, lead others in changing their consciousness. Meditation is a 100 percent guaranteed way to stop this madness on planet earth, and for each of us to live in harmony not just with the planet but we will start to feel calmer, happier and more at peace.
Are you with me!
So where do we begin, the Benefits of Meditation have been well publicised on mainstream media and social networks and some of you may have even tried a little mindfulness in your daily lives. What I would like to share with you is the correct way to mediate, not the capitalistic industry way, but the Buddhist monk 2,500 year experienced method of training. And this is completely Free as it always has been and always will.
If you are a complete beginner then I recommend checking out our Beginners Meditation or Samadhi Meditation, these are the most fundamental aspect of mindfulness meditation, to establish a strong grounding or foundation in our breathing before we move onto Vipassana Meditationalso known as clearly seeing meditation, and this is where the magic begins. Our investigations within our own consciousness begins to reveal the truths or Facts Of our Existence on how we experience this life.
I cannot state highly enough to practice the basics first, establishing a firm and unshakable foundation in Samadhi Meditation first before moving on. This sounds the most simplest and easy way to sit and meditate, I promise you it is anything but. Just practicing this meditation and establishing a firm foundation can and will bring with it the most joyful, pleasurable and an insanely high euphoria that can last for hours sometimes days. Far better than any thrill seeking drug.
I wish you all the success with your journey through meditation and mindfulness training and practice. If there are any questions, problems you may be facing then it would be my pleasure to help in anyway I can. My training and experience can be found at the About Us Page and to contact me and receive a personal email, use the Contact Us Form.
Having an optimistic outlook on life is not just scientifically proven but it is also highly beneficial to our minds and bodies. Being optimistic is seeing things in a less stressful manner, seeing the lighter side of life, enjoying the adventure rather than worrying what’s to come. Having optimism makes us feel happier and more content with life no matter who or where you are. Wouldn’t you rather be optimistic
Optimism is a thought pattern that can be taught and learnt successfully, it may be true that they’re are some people born with a more optimistic outlook on life, these guys just have a head start.
Optimism can be taught and learnt successfully, just like any other thought pattern, repetition, patience and kindness to yourself go a long way. The good news is that optimism can be implemented into your life almost instantly.
When I was a Buddhist monk in rural Thailand we sometimes used to ride into town in the back of an Land Rover with those bars holding up a canvas roof. Every big bump in the road, and one of the monks would bang his head on one of those metal bars, not once did I hear a scream of pain or abusive language, every time it happened the monk would burst out laughing.
Of course I thought it was strange, until I started to change my mindset and slowly I also found I too could laugh at adversity, it even feels good
How To Change Your Mindset
Meditation has a direct impact within our brains resulting in increased activity within the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex and the Hippocampus region which is directly responsible for the grey matter produced in our brains. The possibilities this may have within the scientific fields of Alzheimer’s and memory retention, are only just being realised
The Benefits of Meditation have been well documented in the last ten years and with MRI scanners now showing us the actual visible results that meditation brings.
The reduction in Stress, Anxietyand Depression are reported in 95 percent of all participants from as little as two weeks of mindfulness meditation training. The increase in Optimism, Happiness and Contentment are equally as impressive with over 90 percent of participants reporting a dramatic change.
Imagine the benefits of keeping this wonderful and simple exercise up everyday
How To Start Meditating
Sitting in a comfortable position, either cross legged on a meditation mat, using a meditation stool or a solid chair, keep a straight spine, not over pulling it one way or the other, gently relax your shoulders and bring your chest forward to allow your lungs to be fully open.
Softly close your eyes and take a few long deep breaths, start to feel your muscles relax and your worries drift away, when your ready bring your attention to your breath.
For more on Meditation and Mindfulness training techniques, from the different positions and correct posture to use, too Basic and more advanced meditations to try. Visit our Meditation Page
Depression; the world’s most inclusive disease. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from, we are all vulnerable. We’ve all felt it, but society only seems to be starting to understand.
Sometimes depression produces such an intense experience that it manifests in physical pain, depression can be as debilitating as paralysis, sometimes it even feels like getting shot, but arguably depression’s biggest weapon is it’s ability to cut you off from everything.
Depression by it’s very nature is competitive. We all want to believe that we suffer the most – and so we do because only you can experience your struggle and it’s all encompassing nature. Suicide remains the highest killer of men aged 20-49 but that doesn’t have to be the end to the story.
We’ve all had those days where you can’t get out of bed in the morning, it feels like you’re bound and tied, the thought of leaving makes you want to bawl your eyes out. There are simple things you can do to help you break the cycle.
Breaking the cycle
There are endless Benefits of Meditation when struggling with mental health and it can often provide relief in moments of desperation. There are many ways to find relief from the mental turmoil you may find yourself in; while some are considered cliches, I’ve always found exercise to help with my depression – I’m a pudgy 27 year old so not too much! Cycling along the coast gave me great relief on days of despair and cold water swimming might just be my cure for a crippled mind.
Depression makes you lonely; you can’t have friends because you fear they won’t understand and you don’t want to see the friends you do have, resulting in a constant cycle of loneliness. Finding some hobbies is an essential tool to combating this. I always found playing music to provide an outlet that others couldn’t. Find something you’re passionate about and channel the feeling into it – some of the greatest art comes from pain and this inturn can provide your self-esteem a much needed boost.
The most important piece of advice for a person suffering from depression is to remember you’re not the only one; depression is isolating but with the help of others you can win.
Meditation will help
The Benefits of Meditation have been well documented in the last ten years and with MRI scanners now showing us the actual visible results meditation brings it’s all time we started this wonderful new science.
Meditation has a direct impact within our brains resulting in increased activity within the Anterior Cingulate Cortex, the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex and the Hippocampus region which is directly responsible for the grey matter produced in our brains. The possibilities this may have within the scientific fields of Alzheimer’s and memory retention are only just being realised
The reduction in Stress, Anxietyand Depression are reported in 95 percent of all participants from as little as two weeks of mindfulness meditation training. Imagine the benefits of keeping this wonderful and simple exercise up everyday.
Breathing meditation or Samadhi Meditation is by far the easiest of mindfulness training to grasp, however the untrained mind will find it a lot harder than it sounds. The good news is, just like going to the gym regularly you start to build those muscles up, and so too with meditation you powers of concentration become greater and meditation becomes easier.
“You will not be punished by your anger, you will be punished by your anger”
“The way is not the sky, the way is in your heart”
“Peace comes from within, do not seek it without”You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affectionDo not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment
Buddha 563 – 483BC
Gautama Buddha lived over 2562 years ago as a monk and teacher on which Buddhism has been founded. Born a prince of the Shakya clan in modern day northern India, now Nepal. He became dissatisfied with his life and that of the human condition he left the royal palace in search of truth. After many years practicing with the Meditation masters of the time, learning yoga and other breathing techniques, he still had not discovered the truth he was seeking, leaving these old masters behind he went in search of places of tranquility and seclusion to practice deep meditation. After spending many hours sitting in a one pointed Meditative state for prolonged periods of time Gautama discovered his middle way or the “noble eightfold path” as a way to enlightenment.
For the remaining 45 years of his life the Buddha taught this path, established the Sangha and 100’s of monastery’s through-out his travels through modern day India and Nepal and in so Doing leaving behind a legacy that has endured for over a millennium.
This poem has been used by many famous people as inspiration through hard times, Nelson Mandela is said to of taken comfort and motivation from this poem on his long imprisonment on Robbin Island, South Africa.
Please share with someone you love today. After all Sharing is Caring.
My personal journey in the search for enlightenment is one of roads less travelled, the path has had its fair share of wondrous surprises some associated with good others associated with bad, but in the end all are just the experience and even that I know I am not.
Roads less travelled
Over the last couple of months, Marley Moo (my little street dog) and me have for the first time in a long while had commitments to fulfil, the first was a family re-union held in Spain for my mothers birthday and the second was to house sit 8 dogs and 11 cats allowing a friend to travel back to England for his daughters wedding. Living with limited means such as money finding my way travelling 1,000km to meet with my family has taken 5 wonderful weeks of adventure, solitude and some incredible meditation spots, it has come with it’s fair share of surprises some associated with good some not so, but each is just an experience lived through my eyes, and as my meditation has taught me I am defiantly not the experience.
Over the course of 5 weeks my meditation had been gathering momentum allowing me to clearly see and truly understand the clear separation from each emotional state we find our minds floating between. If frustration was to take hold it seemed laughable to become all consumed with an experience I am clearly not. Just having. And as instantly with the spontaneity of a new born star or the very start of the thought itself it vanishes it is let go of.
My life just as anyone else’s life will naturally experience these emotional ups and downs, these roller coaster of events, moments of doubt, Anger, happiness, elation, Anxiety, Depression, loneliness or frustration, any of these emotional responses are just lurking there ready to consume our mind, no one is infallible or immune, but logically can we say that we are anger or happiness, isn’t it a more logical response to realise I am experiencing a moment of happiness, to experience a moment of anger but never lay claim to that which we experience.
Myself and Marley Moo have found our way back the 1000km to Portugal and spent a further two weeks looking after eight dogs and eleven cats. A rather more difficult task than I had first imagined. The first feeding time with the dogs was like a rugby scrum, the cats though were a little more dignified in their approached. Spending quality time with each animal everyday has been a wonderful experience, however along with the 2,000km distance travelling and pet sitting my time has been limited and I would like to apologise if there is anyone reading this who takes a regular interest in my journey for not bringing regular updates over the last two months.
I live with limited resources and funds, myself and Marley Moo rely completely on the universe, we are on a spiritual path of ones less travelled, everyday has become our gift and every moment more alive because of it, the more we let go the more freeing and freedom it brings. I choose this life because I wish to seek enlightenment, I have given up the trappings of modern society and choose to wander.
Marley my adopted street dog
Marley Moo my adopted street dog found me one day whilst meditating and has followed me ever since, together we have found our way to Portugal and continue to seek enlightenment together. It would be my pleasure if you could join us on our path, follow me or even support me, I am always open to questions, criticism or advice.
