In seeking happiness and its importance, you need to differentiate between happiness and pleasure. Psychologists and philosophers agree that happiness is not necessarily present in what is considered as a being happy. Pleasure is derived from activities such as owning a new car, having sex, or going on a safari. These may not automatically present happiness. This is because pleasure is driven by external stimuli while happiness is driven by internal feeling. Everyone is encouraged to seek the state of happiness because of various reasons of importance to the individual and the society. Here are some of the reasons why you ought to seek happiness.

A happy face is said to lead to good health. This is because happiness which is driven from the inside of men and women is a product of positive energy. Positive energy is a precursor for the well being. Biochemists will tell you that a positive energy is necessary for reduced cell attrition. This works by the reduced amount of free radical that are released when the body is full of positive energy. Negative energy on the other hand leads to production of free radicals which puncture the cell membranes.

In biological terms, again positive energy that comes from being happy would lead to balanced hormone release. The good hormones are released in greater amounts than the bad hormones. Here, good hormones refer to hormones that aid in growth and conservation of energy such as insulin. Bad hormones are those that are released in preparation for flight and are often lead breakdown of energy stores and of cells, an example is the adrenaline hormone. Therefore when one is full of happiness, he or she will be healthy both physically and emotionally.

In being happy, we use more of our right brain side which processes the psycho events. It controls the emotions. Contrast to being sad, happiness demands less energy use by this part of the brain and therefore leads to general better health. With greater function of the right part of the brain, creativity and wit, and fun are enhanced.

A happy person also experiences better social relationships. This is because his or her happy status would lead to equally happy and approachable people. The family members would want to associate with the person. This leads to healthy relationships including better parenting, good and satisfies marital relations among others. At work place, a happy person is more productive than sad persons.

Ilchi Lee emphasizes happiness is also important at global because it promotes the peace among men and therefore problems such as terrorists and wars will be controlled when there is generally happiness in the people of the world. This requires contentment from within.

Meditation For Beginners

Easy Meditation

Jeff Brendan is a Dahn Yoga student and enthusiast. Jeff is practicing Dahn Yoga as well as Brain Education and Brain Enhancement for last 4 years. Jeff Brendan is doing research work at Eastern Meditation. His main subject of interest is Tao Follow-ship. He also is researching philosophical work of Ilchi Lee About world peace.

Meditation For Beginners: Easy Meditation

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Theyre big, bulky, brawny. In a world which has an almost-obsession with being fit and looking good, how is that there are some individuals who can take bodybuilding to the extreme?

Theyre not satisfied with merely developing six-pack abs or good-looking biceps. What they did is take bodybuilding to the next level by working out as much as they can.

The results? A man with the worlds biggest biceps, the worlds biggest shoulders and extremely sculpted men who won multiple bodybuilding titles such as Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe.

The Importance of Bodybuilding

Before revealing which bodybuilders took their dedication in building muscle to the extreme, let us first discover the many reasons why they do it in the first place.

If you dont plan to join a bodybuilding contest, what are the benefits that this type of activity will bring for you? Take a look at the following list:

Bodybuilding develops your dedication and patience.

Aside from the fact that you will reap the fruits of your labor by having a great-looking, well-shaped body later on, bodybuilding as an activity will help develop your dedication and patience.

This is especially true for bodybuilders who are working hard to develop the muscles that they have in order to join a competition.

You wont believe the dedication and patience that it takes to go to the gym, stick to your workout routine and practice the self-discipline necessary to reach your fitness goals.

There are a lot of health benefits that you will get to enjoy when taking up bodybuilding.

The minute that you decide to take on bodybuilding, you are already on your way towards enjoying the many health benefits that it brings. First of all, bodybuilding is an activity that will lower your cholesterol.

As your muscles develop, you are also hopefully sticking to a healthy eating routine. This way, the fat in your diet will essentially be eliminated. Also, all that heavy lifting will benefit your cardiovascular system. [Cardiovascular Fitness]

Strong bones, better flexibility, increased muscular strength and volume these are the other health benefits of bodybuilding.

10 Bodybuilders Who Took Things to the Extreme

Now, let us take a look at the list of the top 10 bodybuilders who took bodybuilding a bit too seriously, which ended up making them look really big, bulky and brawny:

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Before he was known as Californias Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger used to be a bodybuilder. Hes an American and Austrian actor, businessman and politician who started weight training at the age of 15.

To sum up his bodybuilding accomplishments, he earned the title of Mr. Universe at the age of 22. Later on in his bodybuilding career, he won the Mr. Olympia contest seven times.

Even long after his retirement in the sport, he still remained to be a prominent figure in the world of bodybuilding.

What makes Arnold Schwarzeneggers career in bodybuilding so significant is that he managed to popularize the sport by becoming its spokesperson, especially later on when he became an actor in Hollywood films.

What makes Arnold Schwarzeneggers career in bodybuilding so significant is that he managed to popularize the sport by becoming its spokesperson, especially later on when he became an actor in Hollywood films.

According to him, he had the following measurements during the peak of his career: 20 calves, 28.5 thighs, 34 waist, 57 chest and 22 arms. His personal record in bodybuilding was 181 kg/400 lbs for 12 repetitions in a full squat.

The Governator earned his first Mr. Olympia title in 1970 at the age of 23, making him the youngest bodybuilder to ever hold the title. He went on to win the title six more times.

2. Charles Atlas

You probably wont believe the story of how the late Charles Atlas has grown from becoming a scrawny weakling to one of the most popular extreme bodybuilders when he was still at his prime.

The Italy-born bodybuilder was dubbed in 1921 by the Physical Culture magazine to be the Worlds Most Perfectly Developed Man. Aside from being a world-renowned bodybuilder, Atlas also became popular for his Dynamic Tension program.

3. Dr. Franco Columbu

He may be a 67-year old man today, but Italian actor and bodybuilder Dr. Franco Columbu was an extreme bodybuilder who was also a Worlds Strongest Man competitor.

Despite his not being as tall as his bodybuilder counterparts, Dr. Columbu did not allow this to prevent him from achieving worldwide success.

During the 1977 competition for the Worlds Strongest Man, he bagged the first place and that signaled a winning streak for him. Mr. World, Mr. Universe, Mr. Europe, a four-time winner of the Mr. Olympia title, champion power lifting titles and power lifting best lifts are among his accomplishments in the bodybuilding industry.

4. Louis Lou Jude Ferrigno

Those who are old enough may remember Lou Ferrigno as the man in the television series and movies who played the Incredible Hulk. The 57-year old actor appeared in countless magazine covers which featured bodybuilders.

His first bodybuilding award came in 1971, when he bagged the title of Pro Mr. America. He also went on to win four Mr. Olympia titles. At the peak of his bodybuilding career, Lou Ferrigno was known as one of the tallest professional bodybuilders, standing at a height of 65.

5. Sergio Olivia

His nickname in the bodybuilding industry is The Myth. Sergio Olivia earned this nickname because someone commented at how unbelievable he is as a bodybuilder when he joined a 1967 Montreal World Fair competition.

This Cuba-born athlete has quite a number of feats under his belt. Hes the only bodybuilder to win all the top titles in four major bodybuilding federations.

Hes the first black athlete to win Mr. America, Mr. World, Mr. Universe and the Mr. Olympia titles.

6. Dexter Jackson

Also known as The Blade, Dexter Jackson is yet another bodybuilder who took working out to the extreme. He first became active in the world of bodybuilding in 1992.

His most recent accomplishment came in winning the Mr. Olympia titles for 2008. The 56, 39-year old athlete joined a seemingly endless number of bodybuilding contests and until now, he is working towards maintaining his perfectly sculptured body.

7. Gregg Valentino

This unbelievable bodybuilder is dubbed as the athlete with the worlds biggest biceps. Gregg Valentino started bodybuilding at the young age of 13. For 23 years, he trained naturally, but decided to experiment with steroids later on.

What makes him an extreme bodybuilder is the fact that from measuring a mere 21, his arms have grown to a huge 28 measurement. However, taking things to the extreme because of the use of steroids caused him to lose the worlds biggest biceps due to some medical complications which caused his arms to explode.

8. Markus Rhl

German bodybuilder Markus Rhl is a professional bodybuilder known for having the worlds biggest shoulders as well as one of the tallest athletes during his time.

Standing at 510, his competition weight reached to more than 130 kilograms and his chest size measured an astounding 60.

Through the course of his bodybuilding career, Markus Rhl went on to win titles as Mr. Olympia and other awards in different bodybuilding contests with his huge shoulders as his main asset.

9. Ronnie Coleman

For a bodybuilder, earning a Mr. Olympia title is one of the best accomplishments that he will ever have in his career.

But what if you multiply that feat eight times over? Thats exactly the number of times that Ronald Dean Ronnie Coleman won the Mr. Olympia title.

Through the course of his bodybuilding career, he went on to bag several awards in different competitions. He also is the man behind training videos like Ronnie Colemans First Training Video, The Unbelievables, The Cost of Redemption, On the Road, Relentless and Invincible.

10. Johnnie O. Jackson

Johnnie O. Jackson is a New Jersey native and another extreme bodybuilder. When you look at his photos, he is not as bulky and as brawny as his other bodybuilding counterparts, but what makes him stand out from the rest is the density and thickness of his muscles even without flexing them.

Meditation For Beginners

Beginners Meditation

Neelima Reddy, author of this article writes for FitnessHealthZone.com. Fitness Health blog offers you tips and useful information on Fitness, Exercise, Diet and Nutrition. It provides you the latest information on fitness & exercise equipment, yoga, meditation, vitamins and supplements. Visit Fitness Health Blog

Meditation For Beginners: Easy Meditation

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What You Should Do To Help Your Inner Self Grow

Who says that glee is costly? You too can buy it just for a bunch of pennies. To savor this extravaganza, you need to do nothing but to pamper and improve yourself. The self improvement is always driven by personal care, which is considered as a crucial asset in the growth of an individual.

It does not only boost up your confidence but it also brings breezes of joy to you.

Most importantly, personal maintenance doesnt demand for a big part of your bank balance; all it requires is your love for yourself and a bit of creativity.

If you are looking forward for some lucrative tips for a better lifestyle and interested in making yourself a better individual, just read further.

1. Feel the Happiness and Try to be a Morning Person.

You need to think positively. Try to enjoy every jolly moment and recall care-free days of your childhood. You will certainly be revived. In this direction, you can also take some steps to make your routine better. Do you remember the old rhyme, early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy wealthy and wise? This is very important in todays context too.

If you get-up early in the morning and take proper breakfast, you will be completely charged up to face any challenge throughout the entire day. If you are staying with some more people, you can also try to bring them with you on the breakfast table in the morning. This nice start of the day is going to make more impact. Also, it will open communication lines even after everyones busy schedule.

2. Follow the Routine.

If you do not like to prepare a routine and work in accordance with it, then you are surely missing some important aspects of a good life. Scheduling of tasks not only helps you maintain a note of accomplishment but it also helps in managing your tasks the next day.

3. Modesty is the best trait.

What you give, comes back to you. This is the same in the case of humbleness. Your modesty can work wonders for you, as a humble person always receives the same behavior from others.

4. Show dedication.

Show dedication for whatever you are doing whether working in your office or applying methods for personal growth.

Follow these tips with dedication and focus; as they are going to bring miraculous effects.

5. Accept changes, which cant be altered.

Life does not move in accordance with our wishes. Nevertheless, we make our best efforts to make it move the way we wanted it to but this is almost impossible because everything is not within our control.

Sometimes, we may have to suffer from many unwanted situations but this does not force us to be soaked in the pool of tear and depression. Always remember, life is beautiful and think of it that way. An optimistic vision also helps in getting over a painful situation.

6. Mistakes are not sin.

Mistakes are committed by all. Instead of getting furious over these mistakes, try to accept it [How to handle mistakes]. This will not only improve your personal gratitude but also help you in lowering your anger quotient.

One must try to accept his or her mistakes as well as others and learn lessons from them. These lessons are supposed to be extremely important in terms of future endeavors.

7. Break the chain.

You are habituated to live life in a chain but you must break it as soon as possible. A chained lifestyle removes all the excitement and fun, which normally leaves one bored and irritated. For example, you have decided that you would never go for pasta, as it is not your style.

Break the old chain and try it once without any initial notion. Trust will surely make you enjoy life. Hence, try to open up your life for all the new changes and welcome that. As others say it, there is nothing more constant in this world but change itself!

8. Who knows about tomorrow?

Do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? If not, then why to worry about tomorrows events.

Although, one should pretty much look further ahead, it is never wise to deal with what is going to happen. Concentrate on the gestalt the here and now of everything, not tomorrow.

9. Pamper yourself.

If you have no affection for yourself then how would you be able to impose techniques of self improvement?

You must first learn to love yourself before you can learn to love other individuals.

And you must love others so that you can also be loved by them. To move further, checkout the following tips below as these will assist you in taking care of the self.

Take a break Are you workaholic and believe in non-stop working for a growth-oriented professional life? Now, you must take a break, as this will diminish the stress level and also provides the much needed rest to your body [Manage stress]. A tip however is not to overdo rest. It is basically avoiding the extremes. Do not rest too much and do not reach the point of having none at all.

Express yourself If you want to share your thoughts to release the tension then why dont you try to write something? Pen down all your feelings and emotions then see the level of relaxation you will get from it after wards. It is a fact that not all people are verbally expressive because some are reserved and the shy type. But writing your thoughts on the paper is a good outlet of your feelings even without the presence of other individuals.

Enjoy your hobby You were a dancing freak or an intense singer prior to your early professional life. The sad thing is, these hobbies were far left behind in your race to get the best job available. Mind you, it is never too late. You can still enjoy your hobbies and do your work at the same time. You just need to arrange your schedule well. This will certainly bring a stream of poise to you.

Gift yourself You always give gifts to others but you hardly buy something for yourself. Now, try to buy something for your own personal usage. It can be anything whether a bunch of beautiful roses or a striking attire.

Laugh out Loud Laughter is considered therapeutic. It refreshes your mood and controls your wrinkles as well. No wonder, laughter yoga is becoming popular each day.

Treat your body After a continual work-schedule, your body needs some vital resource for rejuvenation. Take a body massage or aroma bath and spend few stress free hours in seclusion.

Perform yoga on a daily basis The old Indian meditation art is very effective in terms of tension release. A thirty-minute session every day is enough to revitalize and rejuvenate your senses.

Go for periodical medical check-up Establishing a periodic medical check-up regime does not only keeps you updated about your physical well being but it also helps you get pieces of advice from health care professionals. All of these efforts will in turn keep you away from most forms of ailments.

Overall, remember that a step taken for self-impoverishment is taken as a step towards good life. There are numerous ways, which can be followed for personal growth. And some of the best methods, I believe, you now know.

Meditation For Beginners

Beginners Meditation

Neelima Reddy, author of this article writes for SelfHelpZone.com. For more information on Self Help, Self Improvement, Happiness, Depression, Anxiety, Phobia etc visit: Self Help Zone

Meditation For Beginners: Easy Meditation

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There is another type of love growing inside me. This is the love flowering of the shaman or of the magician. I planted this garden by pledging to find my reason here in this incarnation. At the time I didn’t realize at the time that I was planting! These fresh, buds laden with dew have come up from the depth of my heart out of the blue. My body and my heart area in particular sense so much happiness in return, as if I am made for this weird loving.

Pleasure and boundless gratitude and unqualified patience: these terms provide clues only as to the mood of this unfamiliar flower of love. Calm meditation of Being-ecstasy. I turn to another and identify my Self, but in a completely different mode. I sit with a friend, in touch with that divine being. The recognition is non-intellectual. It is physical-electrical, magnetic. It is from the heart. And when the light of being shines through and not just behind that person, the act of loving one another in this strange way becomes even wilder. It appears as if our body/minds are particle accelerators. Physicality and consciousness seem to act like a species of mirror, folding and twisting and redirecting the pure light of being–slowing it down, creating color and pattern and planes of physical objects that can feel and interact and dance. This love is ecstasy, ecstasy!

This love path of the mystic has not been easy for me. When I became an adolescent and the oppressive world of known things began to get hold of me, I began my descent. I was determined to be original. However, my hunt for truth and meaning seemed to expose only falsehood and hypocrisy, especially in myself. I continued to look for the real me, taking off the layers, found nothing. If I wore one set of clothing, I transformed into that sort of person for the world. Internally too, though I favored rebellious characters over conforming ones, I could discover nothing of factual value that made me one thing rather than another. I seemed to be just my clothes.

If I dressed in rebellious clothing, people treated me ill. If I dressed conventionally, they treated me well. It seemed that people responded to programmed responses to externals. I was dismayed and disillusioned by this result. Others did not appear to mind the total lack of reality in social relations. I felt so alien from other people that, in an attempt to defend my decreasing sense of sanity, I began to despise humanity.

And so I came to be paranoid and lonely, frenzied and unkind, utterly miserable. Deep inside me, I knew myself to be a monster, something that never should have existed, something that no one can know about. But a seed remained alive. Even in my darkest hours in hell, when I longed to kill myself hour-by-hour and minute-by-minute–even then the naked, mischievous daughter of my dreamer self grinned and laughed with glee at knowing the joy of existence.

During that dark period of my life, no matter how much despair and agony I generated, a bit of me knew this life as a beautiful game. That flicker, that mischievous daughter, is developing now, coming out into the world through me, taking over this body and walking this planet again for the first time since my youngest childhood. She is the one who knows how to love in freedom. The daughter-spirit is aware of how to love without extricating any one thing from any other thing. She knows how to love without force. She knows how to love with every part of her, audaciously, boldly, joyfully. She knows how to be without holding back. She knows how to be in harmony with others, with all that is.

This is all wonderful for me. I witness this transformation in myself and-feel grateful!–I witness it in my fellow travelers. I do not know if you have the knowledge of the fact that the Tequihua volunteers are mainly people who have dedicated to understanding themselves and that we accept this work of transmitting the Toltec arts and teachings with the intent of changing ourselves into our Selves. Over a period of time I have seen many of my friends become increasingly themselves, increasingly authentic, increasingly powerful and free. To look at the light starting to shine brighter through some of the faces of these, my dearest friends–how much joy?

Love and gratitude to you, my friend who are reading this, without whom there would be no teaching. The Tequihua Foundation:

Meditation For Beginners

Beginners Meditation

Eric N. Peterson is a Toltec priest and member of The Tequihua Foundation, a Riverside, Southern CA nonprofit whose mission is to continue the ancient consciousness-transforming arts of the Toltecs. The Aka Dua is an energy prepared by a particular Toltec line. The Aka Dua assists in the alchemical process of transformation by which an ordinary human becomes the shaman.

Meditation For Beginners: Easy Meditation

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As you may envisage, in our increasingly neurotic culture, there are a lot of anxiety treatments existing in our day. But, though a large number of human beings in the U.S may hesitate to own up to it, more options does not essentially denote better. With different therapy, counseling, medication, meditation, nutrition, and anxiety support groups all contending as treatments, and with each one stating that it is the best, sometimes to the ruling out of any other, it can be tough to discover what is the correct option for you. This piece of writing bring to light numerous info for you to utilize and bid this problem goodbye. I beg you to utilize the recommendations for yourself or a close relative.

When I was contending with anxiety attacks, there was nothing more appalling, and I was willing to undertake anything for just a bit peace of mind. I was a inferior undergraduate, unable to have the funds for pricey analysis, and therefore the only anxiety treatment obtainable to me was medications. I employed prescription drugs such as Xanax, Librium, and Valium, including non-prescription self-medication with pot and alcohol. But all that these treatments did was make a cycle of dependency, whether they were physician given, or self-administered. Though sedatives can be a great liberation from a impulsive anxiety attack, in the long run they make you even more unable to handle your problems.

After these, and several additional anxiety treatments, I finally discover meditation. Regardless of what hardships you face in your life, introspection is really a panacea. The only crisis is that it needs lots of self discipline and at least an hour a day time commitment. For a while, I attempted additional conventional treatments, such as therapy, but I found these unsettling. I could talk about my setbacks, and that provided some kind of rest, but even though the strength of the anxiety attacks lessened somewhat, they still survived till I got into meditation. A lot of individuals will say that you must visit a physician for treatments, but these people have not come across the do-it-yourself method of reassuring the mind and body which I have gained from in person.

Nonetheless, until whatever anxiety treatments you have preferred to use have really completed their trick, it is sensible to obtain few Xanax from your doctor, so as to be set for any misfortune. You may be littered with anxiety attacks, and just discerning that if they do come, you have a quick and straightforward tactic to stop them is really a cherished bit of hope. Whatever treatments you’re employing, it is still most excellent to have an emergency weapon against the awful panic attack.

Meditation For Beginners

Easy Meditation

For more info on how to pull out of any form of anxiety like Social Anxiety Medication, go to Ras Reed’s website.

Meditation For Beginners: Easy Meditation

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Severe panic attacks occur when you are faced with a situation that occurred at some time in your past, which had a bad emotional effect on you. Your brain forms an association between that emotion and that event, so that when a similar event occurs in the future, you are likely to experience the same bad emotion. You feel you cannot cope with whats happening and so you have a panic attack. Some people take medication to control these attacks but this simply treats the symptoms. It is obviously more beneficial to get to the root cause of the problem and eradicate it but this may take time. There are several things you can do to mitigate the effects of an attack when one happens.

The first thing you should do is to control your breathing. People having severe panic attacks often are so panicked, they cannot concentrate on anything and forget to control their breathing. One of the first things a doctor will tell you is to focus on breathing slowly and steadily. This will help calm you down. A good tip is to breathe into a paper bag until you feel more under control. If you are aware of a situation coming up that you may react badly to, imagine yourself being in that situation. You can then practice steadying your breathing. If you do this several times a day, you should find that when circumstances cause you to start to panic badly, it becomes second nature to control your breathing.

Another practice you should consider is to learn to meditate. Of course, Im not suggesting you meditate while having a panic attack. What I am suggesting is that you were to learn some of the calming techniques commonly used in meditation, you can use these to help you control severe panic attacks.

It helps too, to identify all the situations that cause you to panic. Is it a specific situation or phobia, such as fear of flying? Once you have pinpointed what sets off your panicking, you have the option of avoiding theses situations where possible, while working on your calming techniques.

If you are going out, make sure you have information on you that other people can use to help you if you should suffer one of your severe panic attacks. Keep a list that shows any medication you are taking, your doctors telephone number, a support group contact number if you have one, and details of friends or family who will be able to come to your aid.

You may find it helpful to take with you a calming bag. This should contain items that can help distract you or help you feel more comfortable such as puzzles to do, a favorite toy animal, photos of loved ones, relaxing music, favorite candy and so on. The key here is taking things that connect you with an environment in which you feel safe and at ease.

All of the techniques described work. They have been successfully used by many people who are prone to suffering severe panic attacks and they should work for you also.

Meditation For Beginners

Easy Meditation

For a no-cost video, showing you step-by-step how to overcome severe panic attacks, please visit http://www.theconfidencekey.com

Meditation For Beginners: Beginners Meditation

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