Every mental, physical or emotional experience is connected in some way to a specific Chakra. Chakras are energy centres in the body. There are seven major Chakras located  along our spine from the base to the crown of the head. Each one has a special attribute that helps the body use energy most effectively and has a distinct purpose in the body. Where they are located, is indicative of the task each Chakra is responsible for. Without our Chakras our bodies would be empty shells and they must all work together in order to create balance in our lives. For example, if you are stressed the Chakra itself will become unbalanced and you will need to balance the Chakra related to stress in order to solve it. If you do not take care of your unbalanced Chakras, you will become physically ill over time.

Everyone has the ability to get in touch with their Chakras and balance them properly. The Chakras are very powerful elements in our bodies. Just by using the right methods, you can instantly get a jump start and be on your way to better health and feel more alive than you have ever felt in years. The best way to balance your Chakras is by meditating each day. Also by going for regular check ups and getting plenty of rest is important. Cleansing your soul in taking time out on a regular basis and doing something for your happiness will create a healthy new you.

Don’t be like most people today who discredit the Chakras. The only reason why they think that way is because they don’t understand them. You have the opportunity to take the step that many people never take and gain control over your life by simply learning how to use the power of your Chakras. Remember, when the Chakras are open, aligned and balanced you are at an absolute optimal level of health. But when one or more of your Chakras becomes closed, unbalanced or out of alignment you can suffer from great discomfort and even a wide variety of health problems.

Affirmations for each Chakra are very beneficial as well, as the thoughts we think and the words we speak create our experiences in being able to balance the Chakras. For each Chakra your mind, body and soul can obtain a clearer perception and acquire a new inner strength and guidance to be able to handle any issues that life throws at you.

Below you will find a brief explanation of the Seven Major Chakras. All are associated with different body parts, emotions and life areas. Each Chakra is represented by a colour of the rainbow – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet (ROY G BIV) ).

When we have to face the daily grind it is difficult at times to find the inspiration to do anything else other than, the daily grind. When feeling moody or irritable and feeling tired with your hectic schedule, the pressure slowly catches up to you. You can transform your mood to be more optimistic and inspired by simply focusing on activities that occupy your mind with happy helpful ways. This allows you to be in the now and focus on something outside of your own concerns.

Inspiration comes when you least expect it.  Be assured if you are sitting in your car in traffic or doing the laundry a great idea or a profound aha moment will emerge. Another example, I have found when I am grocery shopping, walking down the isles an inspiration will jump out at me, like a “lightbulb moment”. Take note of these moments as they are a message for you. It is wonderful if you can find a way to create those moments each and every day.

Everyday inspirations are possible, when you know where and how to look for them:

• Animals, pets, if you have them, are an amazing source of inspiration. They do ridiculously funny things, they love you unconditionally and they have 100% faith in you. If you don’t have pets, watch a bird in the sky or the ducks on the pond. Animals have a lot to teach us.
• Art is often created to inspire. Explore art you are drawn to and let it inspire you.
• Affirmations and beautiful quotes are very inspiring. By affirming a quote for the day you can be inspired to change the way you approach your day.
• Books are a great source of inspiration. Pick a book that makes you feel inspired as they offer beautiful insights of inspiration and also a quote from the book can often leave you changed for life… even if you’ve read it a hundred times.
• Children, whether they’re your own or you’re just watching them from afar, children have infinite wisdom. When they’re really young, they live their lives with complete honesty.
• Dancing frees our hearts and our minds. With or without music, a good happy dance in the middle of the day will put a smile on your face and inspiration in your heart.
• Friends are a source of inspiration because they let us into their hearts. We become close to people and are allowed the pleasure of sharing their hopes, dreams, fears, joys and challenges.
• Hobbies can be meditative and a source of contentment. Find a hobby you’re passionate about and let the inspiration flow.
• Internet is a wonderful source of inspiration as we are much more fortunate than our parents and our grandparents were, we have the Internet to gain access to inspirational community’s and support groups.
• Meditation is a great way in having quiet moments without conscious thought and the most significant way to find inspiration. Millions of people around the world use meditation as a means to resolve issues and find a new point of view.
• Music fills our souls and it inspires wonderful things. Take a moment each and every day to listen to a favorite song. Don’t just put the song on and go back to what you were doing, sit down and really listen to it. If there are words, and you know them, feel free to belt it out and sing along.
• Nature, whether it is the wind in the trees or the clouds in the sky, stop for a moment and just listen to nature. Experience it as you walk down the road. Experience it for a few moments each day sitting on your back porch. As they say wakeup and smell the roses.
• Religious text and phrases have much to teach us. Keeping meaningful quotes in your mind can be very inspiring.
• Movies, you tend to find lots of inspiration in the classics and comedys.
• People do amazing things every day. One person holding a door open for an elderly person or showing kindness to another can inspire you to do the same. If you see someone without a smile, give them your smile )
• Find gratitude, and express it. Every day list five things you’re grateful for and express your gratitude.

Inspiration is all around you and making it a part of your every day life is as easy as knowing where to look. Once you find it, make the most of it, appreciate it, and share it with others – BE AN INSPIRATION.

There are so many different types of meditation that you can try and experiment with. Whatever you choose, make sure that it is something tailored to your needs to help you find your inner peace in your mind and to stay focused. If you are willing to make meditation a daily practice, the benefits will unfold and create a life lived in clarity and with a purpose aligned with your higher self.

Meditation is a great way to find “the answers within”, as it helps you to connect with your inner self and tap into your intuition. You cannot attain the answers without clearing the mind of all the daily clutter.

Many people find meditation to be too overwhelming, difficult, or completely feared and have trouble when first starting. These problems usually take the form of distraction, worry, restlessness or physical pain. Distracting thoughts can be a big problem when beginning. The best way to dismiss distracting thoughts is by focusing your attention inward. With commitment, meditation will inevitably lead to the successful quieting of your mind, however it needs to be first nourished with concentration and focus.

Going within and learning about yourself brings a true and deep knowledge of your motivations, emotions, thinking patterns – how and why you do the things you do. You become aware of yourself on all levels – physical, mental and spiritual – and learn to love and accept many things. When you are self-aware, you know not only your limitations, but your capabilities and your potential as well. And once you know yourself, you can come to like and accept yourself and move forward in your life’s journey.

There are many different types of meditation that are practiced in the world today. Meditation can be dated back to over 5,000 years ago. Since the beginning of meditation, many people have realized the benefits from a number of different types of meditation. There are many proven health benefits of meditation, especially reducing the amount of stress and anxiety in your life by increasing mental clarity and restoring your energy levels.

Three basic ways to Meditate:

Breath Meditation:

One of the main types of meditation, it is being aware of your breathing during meditation. In order to experience this particular meditation you need to follow a few tips.

• Sit in a comfortable room free of distractions.
• Sit in a comfortable position either in a chair or on the floor.
• Close your eyes and begin taking slow deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
• As you are breathing be aware of how your breath travels in the nose and through out your body.
• Keep all of your attention on your breath.

Empty Mind Meditation

An empty mind meditation requires patience and focus. It means you are “empty” to all of your thoughts from your mind and allow your mind to rest. To do this you must:

• Find a quiet room.
• Sit still in a comfortable position.
• Allow all of your thoughts to travel out of your body and into the atmosphere.

Walking Meditation:

• As you are practicing this type of meditation, you are moving your body and keeping focus on how your body moves. You can do this type of meditation walking down the street, pacing in your office, or on a run. As your mind tries to wander, concentrate on the movement that your body parts are making in order for you to move.

The examples above are just the basic types. There are so many different kinds of meditations out there and so many different ways to do it. Just think about what you are trying to achieve and go from there. Just remember what you’re goal is and keep your thoughts positive in moving forward in your new age journey.

There are many ways to lose your sense of self-esteem despite of how trivial it could get. But whatever happens, we should all try not to lose our own sense of self.

So what does it take to be a cut above the rest? Is there a special magic formula that we can all follow to enhance our own lives? Keep it simple, just practise some tried and tested steps in your life to change it for the better.

Step 1: Know your purpose.

Are you wandering through life with little direction – hoping that you’ll find happiness, health and prosperity? Identify your life purpose or mission statement and you will have your own unique compass that will lead you to your truth north every time.

This may seem tricky at first when you see yourself to be in a tight or even dead end. But there’s always that little loophole to turn things around and you can make a big difference to yourself.

Step 2: Know your values.

What do you value most? Make a list of your top 5 values. Some examples are security, freedom, family, spiritual development, learning. As you set your goals check them against your values. If the goal doesn’t align with any of your top five values – you may want to reconsider it or revise it.

The number shouldn’t discourage you, instead it should motivate you to do more than you can ever dreamed of.

Step 3: Know your needs.

Unmet needs can keep you from living authentically. Take care of yourself. Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be right, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed for that matter. List your top four needs and get them met before it’s too late!

Step 4: Know your passions.

You know who you are and what you truly enjoy in life. Obstacles like doubt and lack of enthusiasm will only hinder you, but will not derail your chance to become the person you ought to be. Express yourself and honor the people who have inspired you to become the very person you wanted to be.

Step 5: Live from the inside out.

Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Commune with nature. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. For most of us it’s hard to even find the peace and quiet we want even in our own home. In my case I often just sit in a dimly lit room and play some music. There’s sound, yes, but music does soothe the soul.

Step 6: Honor your strengths.

What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? List three – if you get stuck, ask those closest to you to help identify these. Are you imaginative, witty, good with your hands? Find ways to express your authentic self through your strengths. You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.

Step 7: Serve others.

When you live authentically, you may find that you develop an interconnected sense of being. When you are true to who you are, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit – your essence. The rewards for sharing your gift with those close to you is indeed rewarding, much more if it were to be the eyes of a stranger who can appreciate what you have done to them.

Self-improvement is indeed one type of work that is worth it. It shouldn’t always be within the confines of an office building, or maybe in the four corners of your own room. The difference lies within ourselves and how much we want to change for the better in our new age journey.

With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Try on the tips I prepared from A to Z!

A. Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

B. Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C. Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D. Don’t give in and don’t give up. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E. Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F. Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G. Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self-improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H. Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.

I. Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

J. Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K. Keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self-improvement.

L. Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?

M. Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N. Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O. Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P. Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

Q. Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R. Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah build the ark.

S. Stop procrastinating!

T. Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self-improvement.

U. Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

V. Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

W. Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self-improvement.

X. X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras” on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y. You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once.

Z. Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

You spot a totally eye-catching girl sitting by herself at a party, casually sipping on a glass of Asti Spumanti. You think to yourself, “she looks so perfectly calm and confident.” But if you could read thru her transparent mind, you would see a bunch of clouds of thoughts and you might just be amazed that she’s thinking “are people talking about why I am seated here alone?… Why don’t guys find me attractive? …I don’t like my ankles, they look too skinny… I wish I was as intelligent as my best friend.”

We look at a young business entrepreneur and say “Wooh… what else could he ask for?” He stares at himself at the mirror and murmur to himself, “I hate my big eyes… I wonder why my friends won’t talk to me… I hope mom and dad would still work things out.”
Isn’t it funny? We look at other people, envy them for looking so outrageously perfect and wish we could trade places with them, while they look at us and thinks of the same thing. We are insecure of other people who themselves are insecure of us. We suffer from low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence and lose hope in self-improvement because we are enveloped in quiet desperation.

Sometimes, you notice that you have an irritating habit like biting off your finger nails, having a foul mouth, and you – of all people, is the last to know.

I have a friend who never gets tired of talking. And in most conversations, she is the only one who seems to be interested in the things she has to say. So all of our other friends tend to avoid the circles whenever she’s around, and she doesn’t notices how badly she became socially handicapped – gradually affecting the people in her environment.

One key to self-improvement is to LISTEN and TALK to a trusted friend. Find someone who you find comfort in opening up with even the most gentle topics you want to discuss. Ask questions like “do you think I am ill-mannered?”, “Do I always sound so argumentative?”, “Do I talk too loud?”, “Does my breath smell?”, “Do I ever bore you when were together?”. In this way, the other person will obviously know that you are interested in the process of self-improvement. Lend her your ears for comments and criticisms and don’t give her answers like “Don’t exaggerate! That’s just the way I am!” Open up your mind and heart as well. And in return, you may want to help your friend with constructive criticism that will also help her improve her self.

One of Whitney Houston’s songs says “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.” True enough! In order to love others, you must love yourself too. Remember, you cannot give what you do not have.

Before telling other people some ways on how to improve themselves, let them see that you yourself is a representation and a product of self-improvement. Self-improvement makes us better people, we then inspire other people, and then the rest of the world will follow.

Stop thinking of yourselves as second-rate beings. Forget the repetitive thought of “If only I was richer… if only I was thinner” and so on. Accepting your true self is the first step to self-improvement. We need to stop comparing ourselves to others only to find out at the end that we’ve got 10 more reasons to envy them.

We all have our insecurities. Nobody is perfect. We always wish we had better things, better features, better body parts, etc. But life need not to be perfect for people to be happy about themselves.

Self-improvement and loving yourself is not a matter of shouting to the whole world that you are perfect and you are the best. It’s the virtue of acceptance and contentment. When we begin to improve ourselves, we then begin to feel contented and happy.

Remember watching Patch Adams? It’s one great film that will help you improve yourself. Hunter “patch” Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts – he decided to seek for medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward. His months of stay in the hospital led him to meeting different kinds of people.

Sick people in that matter. He met a catatonic, a mentally retarded, a schizophrenic and so on. Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realized he has to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still want to become a doctor. He carries with himself a positive attitude that brought him self-improvement and success. He didn’t only improved himself, but also the life of the people around him and the quality of life. Did he succeed? Needless to say, he became the best damn doctor his country has ever known.

So, when does self-improvement become synonymous with success? Where do we start? Take these tips:

•    Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not. How can others accept you if YOU can’t accept YOU?

•    When you see hunks and models on TV, think more on self-improvement, not self pitying. Self-acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.

•    When people feel so down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.

•    The world is a large room for lessons, not mistakes. Don’t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on a science quiz. There’s always a next time. Make rooms for self-improvement.

•    Take things one at a time. You don’t expect black sheep’s to be goody-two-shoes in just a snap of a finger. Self-improvement is a one day at a time process.

•    Self-improvement results to inner stability, personality development and SUCCESS. It comes from self-confidence, self appreciation and self-esteem.

•    Set meaningful and achievable goals. Self-improvement doesn’t turn you to be the exact replica of Cameron Diaz or Ralph Fiennes. It hopes and aims to result to an improved and better YOU.

•    Little things mean BIG to other people. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “hi” or “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or telling Mr. Smith something like “hey, I love your tie!” are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we’re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.

•    When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self-improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is. The world is a place where people of different values and attitude hang out. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, she would most likely decline an invitation for self-improvement.

We should always remember that there’s no such thing as ‘over night success’. Its always a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have now, realizing that those are just one of the things you once wished for. A very nice quote says that, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, officemates, neighbors… they are our teachers. When we open our doors for self-improvement, we increase our chances to head to the road of success.

To grow spiritually is to look inward.

Introspection goes beyond recalling the things that happened in a day, week, or month. You need to look closely and reflect on your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and motivations. Periodically examining your experiences, the decisions you make, the relationships you have, and the things you engage in provide useful insights on your life goals, on the good traits you must sustain and the bad traits you have to discard. Moreover, it gives you clues on how to act, react, and conduct yourself in the midst of any situation. Like any skill, introspection can be learned; all it takes is the courage and willingness to seek the truths that lie within you. Here are some pointers when you introspect: be objective, be forgiving of yourself, and focus on your areas for improvement.

To grow spiritually is to develop your potentials.

Religion and science have differing views on matters of the human spirit. Religion views people as spiritual beings temporarily living on Earth, while science views the spirit as just one dimension of an individual. Mastery of the self is a recurring theme in both Christian (Western) and Islamic (Eastern) teachings. The needs of the body are recognized but placed under the needs of the spirit. Beliefs, values, morality, rules, experiences, and good works provide the blueprint to ensure the growth of the spiritual being. In Psychology, realizing one’s full potential is to self-actualize.

Maslow identified several human needs: physiological, security, belongingness, esteem, cognitive, aesthetic, self-actualization, and self-transcendence. James earlier categorized these needs into three: material, emotional, and spiritual. When you have satisfied the basic physiological and emotional needs, spiritual or existential needs come next. Achieving each need leads to the total development of the individual. Perhaps the difference between these two religions and psychology is the end of self-development: Christianity and Islam see that self-development is a means toward serving God, while psychology view that self-development is an end by itself.

To grow spiritually is to search for meaning.

Religions that believe in the existence of God such as Christianism, Judaism, and Islam suppose that the purpose of the human life is to serve the Creator of all things. Several theories in psychology propose that we ultimately give meaning to our lives. Whether we believe that life’s meaning is pre-determined or self-directed, to grow in spirit is to realize that we do not merely exist. We do not know the meaning of our lives at birth; but we gain knowledge and wisdom from our interactions with people and from our actions and reactions to the situations we are in. As we discover this meaning, there are certain beliefs and values that we reject and affirm. Our lives have purpose. This purpose puts all our physical, emotional, and intellectual potentials into use; sustains us during trying times; and gives us something to look forward to—a goal to achieve, a destination to reach. A person without purpose or meaning is like a drifting ship at sea.

To grow spiritually is to recognize interconnections.

Religions stress the concept of our relatedness to all creation, live and inanimate. Thus we call other people “brothers and sisters” even if there are no direct blood relations. Moreover, deity-centered religions such as Christianity and Islam speak of the relationship between humans and a higher being. On the other hand, science expounds on our link to other living things through the evolution theory. This relatedness is clearly seen in the concept of ecology, the interaction between living and non-living things. In psychology, connectedness is a characteristic of self-transcendence, the highest human need according to Maslow. Recognizing your connection to all things makes you more humble and respectful of people, animals, plants, and things in nature. It makes you appreciate everything around you. It moves you to go beyond your comfort zone and reach out to other people, and become stewards of all other things around you.

Growth is a process thus to grow in spirit is a day-to-day encounter. We win some, we lose some, but the important thing is that we learn, and from this knowledge, further spiritual growth is made possible.