Tuesday, August 11, 2015

The Power of meditation and self-hypnosis


The Power of meditation and self-hypnosis

Today, I would like to share my understandings, reflections, experience and practical method on meditation and hypnosis learning.

I have been fascinated by meditation and hypnosis for a long time. Among all of the self-development courses I have taken, yoga and plate classes  or well-being seminars I have attended, I was surprised to find that none of them doesn’t consider meditation and self-hypnosis as one of the most essential topics for improvement of mental and physical health.

One of the most important courses in my life were Mr. Chris Harvard’ 2 staged NLP Certificates, recently “Money and You”, some similar like the three night seminars called the Encounter Happiness by the Great Buddhism master Rinpoche and Happy Science by Master Ryuho Okawa. I also read these masters’ books and other great philosophers’ articles, studying different theories and skills on meditation and hypnosis. Through above learning, I have been trying to grasp the essence from all of the great practitioners, applying the skills to our daily life, my family life and career.  Combining with my reflection on the learning from all sources and my personal self-hypnosis and meditation experience, plus my prospective to life and value system, I have gradually created a systematical approach to practice meditation and self-hypnosis in an easy and relaxed, confortable way. That is to practice meditation and self-hypnosis anywhere, anytime and for many purposes. This system gives me a sense of security and a peace of mind, guiding me to live each day with meaning, with fulfillment and progress.
Relaxation Through Meditation
My preference would be to call meditation relaxation – conscious relaxation, chosen relaxation. These are words that are more universally understood, more comfortable. Constantly working toward the goal of discovering my own ability to reach a state of serenity, I have learned to meditate.
Meditating is actually easier than you might imagine. Most of us have dabbled in meditation by participating in conscious relaxation. Maybe during an exercise class or to manage pain at the dentist or anxiety before a test. We start by paying attention to our breathing. The practical effort to focus completely on our breathing takes our minds away from the "mind clutter" that constantly tries to invade our mind and eliminate feelings that will lead to a time of calm. With repeated effort the goal of clearing your mind – to think of nothing, does occur and the process of meditation takes on its own energy. The result is, and I guarantee this, peace, serenity, calmness, eventually opening yourself to new insights.
I hope this approach unveil the fact that meditation and self-hypnosis is not as mysterious as you expected but easier than you might imagine. I learn meditation and self-hypnosis to I discovery my inner ability reach a state of serenity. I would like to dedicate my method to people who want to improve their health, wealth and relationship and ultimately find the life key for unconditional happiness.

First, what is meditation and self-hypnosis about?
What are the differences and similarity between the two? Why is the practice so fundamental to our quality of life and what wonders it does to our life?

Meditation is to focus completely on our breathing, and eventually lead to a time of calm or relaxation or reach to any other purpose like to release anxiety, pain or improve concentration or energy. Usually we need to have a quiet place, sit down. Self-hypnosis can be much freely carried out, no matter we are standing, walking, bathing, lie down or typing. etc.

Meditation can be initiated internally just with purely smoothly breathing and externally by listening to music or watching movie or pictures, but self-hypnosis is purely a mind activity like self-talk with music or without. A soothing music is always more effective to bring a refreshment and lifting up.

The functions of meditation and self-hypnosis can be divided into three categories:

One: M and SH for healing and long term health
1)     For sleep, relaxation and muscle pain
2)     For weight control and fitness
3)     For habits kicking off  (e.g. swearing, sleep and smoking)


Two: M and SH for mental health and self-development
1)     For creating good habit
2)     For release of fears (death, speaking to people or stage freight)
3)     For compassion
4)     For love and marriage
5)     For happiness
6)     For dealing with bad tempered people
7)     For relationship
8)      

Three: M And SH for others
1)     For concentration and focus before a big event
2)     For stage freight and public speaking
3)     For brainstorming of an articles or any writing


Now let’s discuss in detail about this system:

1)     For relaxation psychologically and physically

a.     deep breathing skill or abdomen breathing –

This is my favorite relaxation method esp. during Yuga or Plate practice or before sleep. I use this method to send me to my dreamland within 10 counters of deep breathings every night. After this practice, our lungs are filled with more oxygen, and cleaned up much more effectively. Our nerve-system sends message to our brain to left relax and to our hearts to jump or pump more smoothly and to have a relaxation safely.
In details, deep breathing is important from the standpoint of both health and spiritual development. Deep breathing increases our vitality and promotes relaxation.

The bio-chem Mechanics of Deep Breathing

When we breathe fully and deeply, the diaphragm moves farther down into the abdomen, and our lungs are able to expand more completely into the chest cavity. This means that more oxygen is taken in and more carbon dioxide is released with each breath. Deep breathing takes advantage of the fact that the lungs are larger toward the bottom than the top.
In deep, abdominal breathing, the downward and upward movements of the diaphragm, combined with the outward and inward movements of the belly, ribcage, and lower back, help to massage and detoxify our inner organs, promote blood flow and peristalsis, and pump the lymph more efficiently through our lymphatic system. The lymphatic system, which is an important part of our immune system, has no pump other than muscular movements, including the movements of breathing.
 This slower, deeper breathing, combined with the rhythmical pumping of our diaphragm, abdomen, and belly, helps turn on our parasympathetic nervous system--our "relaxation response." Such breathing helps to harmonize our nervous system and reduce the amount of stress in our lives. And this, of course, has a positive impact on our overall health.

In this skill, we try to aware of our deep Breathing track from nose to check and to abdomen and backward.


1.     Lie down or sit in a comfortable chair, maintaining good posture.  Close your eyes.  Your body should be as relaxed as possible. 
2.     Now place one hand on your chest and see if it is moving in harmony with your abdomen.
3.     Inhale deeply and slowly through your nose into your abdomen.  You should feel your abdomen rise with this inhalation and your chest should move only a little.
4.     Exhale through your mouth, keeping your mouth, tongue, and jaw relaxed.
5.     Relax as you focus on the sound and feeling of long, abdomen slow, deep breaths.

Complete Natural Breathing


1.     Sit or stand with good posture.
2.     Breathe through your nose.
3.     Inhale, filling first the lower part of your lungs then the middle part, then the upper part.
4.     Hold your breath for a few seconds.
5.     Exhale slowly.  Relax your abdomen and chest.

Practice these two exercises, in whatever combination feels best for you, for ten minutes, twice a day.

(Taken from Davis, Eshelman, and McKay; The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, 2nd edition; New Harbringer Publications, 1982.)
©Academic Skills Center, Dartmouth College 2001
Single nostril breathing
Our noses have left and right nostrils.
When having headache, try to close your right nostril and use your left nostril to do breathing for about 5 min. The headache will be gone. Or you can try inhale from right and exhale deeply and completely from left and then change the order, repeating several times.

If you feel too tired, do it the opposite way. Close your left nostril and breathe through your right nostril. After a while, you will feel refresh again.

Because the right side belongs to heat, so it gets hot easily. The left side gets cold easily.

Women breathe mainly with their left nostril, so they get calm down easily.

Men breathe mostly with their right nostril, so they get angry easily.

If the left nostril breathes not smoothly, press your left nostril and use your right nostril for breathing and you will get refresh quickly. Or vise versa.


b.     Muscle relaxation skill
You can lie down or sit in a comfortable chair. Let your muscle relaxed. You feel heavier and heavier. Tension muscle beginning with counting from 1 to 4 by clinching the toes to legs first and then to tension the muscles in hips, low back to abdomen, arms and hands until face. I, get the tension building, 2, increasing the tension, 3 and 4 and 5, your tension increased to max. Then allow the tension to release completely for 10 seconds. And then start from another muscle. Your mind eyes imagine your blood flowing in the tissues around the just tensioned muscles and your muscle become increasingly relaxed. The sudden flow of blood from the tensioned muscle will wash away lactic acid which causes the muscle fatigue. Feeling yourself totally supported by the surface.

 
c.      audio hypnosis

Simply breathe smoothly, peacefully and focus on the melody flow, thinking nothing or just let your mind drifting into your own imagination with the music progresses naturally.
d.     visual hypnosis
e.     Relaxation by imagination and self-hypnosis
Count from 1 to 10, each count makes you feel heavier, and increasingly relaxed. Then imagine yourself lie in the warm sun in the winter and they sky is crystal blue and the sun is getting warmer and warmer and you are getting heavier and heavier. Everything is moving slow down, the cotton clouds are drafting slowly, and you’re increasingly relaxed. The space between your shoulders are getting wider, your body is getting warmer and warmer and heavier an heavier. Telling your self your mind is at peace and I am slowing down. I am slowing down and my mind is at peace. Feel more relaxed that you’ve never felt before. You are totally supported by the ground in a meadow.
Then come back from half sleep to awakeners to by counting from 10 to 1. This practice can be taken each day, you can do this on bus, on train, in office and lie on bed. You will find this is an effective way to get relaxation in a very short time.


7) For relationship: The main reason for a relationship to be broken up is usually due to a loss control of our temper and a bad management of stress.

Here relationship can be with our parents, spouses, children and relationship with our superiors, colleagues or friends.

At family, quarrels over trivia do happen all the time especially between spouses.
If one side shouts nastily at other and other responses at the same way, a small thing can turn into a big issue.

If the spouse is a very touchy and short-tempered, blow up constantly without a reason or disproportionally, how can we calm down to avoid an open-fire?
At this moment, my practice is:
My brain starts immediately self- hypnosis by saying repeatedly:
There must be someone to retreat from the argument first if we don’t want to run into big unpleasant situation for nothing.
It’s not a big deal anyway, why do I lose temper for that trifles? I know he is mad but if I go with him, I would be mad as well. No way, I hate myself like that;
Then I advise myself that direct fighting back on small issue is not worth doing but only makes things bigger and worse. anger is damaging to health, high blood pressure, headaches, gastritis and even cancer can be the consequence of anger and resentment. If I really love myself and love my family, I should keep quiet first and let the argument fade.


Next stage is to analyses why my spouse will lose temper for this particular case and you will find two general reasons for family arguments:
a.     It is about stress and pressure from external environments but they don’t know how to release it properly. Unfortunately, their beloved ones usually become the victims because they are the only people who can trust and shout at without making a big trouble.
b.      It is about love and caring most of the time. As the love is so deep and too much that if one side ignores or not take their advice repeatedly, a serious arguments plus chucking up to too serious statements or unrelated statements will yell out from one side and this can be also very damaging and ridiculous.  

With all above self-talk lingering in my mind whenever an arguments happen, I will repeatedly to myself. Then, I can find a balance, so as to calm down a bit easier and more effectively.

In job, superiors lose temper or blow up at sub-ordinaries seem commonplace especially when pressure is there to meet deadline or an encounter of outside complaints. Their stress or anxiety has to be released but not everyone can do it in a controlled way or properly. Even we ourselves may not able to control ourselves better. In this case, better don’t directly come into confrontation by blaming or blow back. Because the consequence may be either side has to go or run way to find another job or another relationship. Then I will say to myself if I lose this relationship, I will lose another again because the problem is not from the particular event but human, esp. me myself. If I don’t adjust the way of communication and attitude, still keeping blaming others and shift off/shirk all responsibility, this event can happen anywhere and anytime again.

I apply the way of thinking – that is to try to put ourselves into others shoes and take our own responsibility, I find we can avoid many arguments in family and in society. The point is we have to be realistic, to be more rational to yourself and others. That means you can forget similar unpleasant daily event and forgive others as well.
  




Double Rs - DP 廣告達人的成長故事和夢想!


Date of Interview: 21 5 2015 Updated: 5 8 2015

Interviewees: Roger DP8/27 and Ricky (DP30)

Interviewer: Donna

早前邀請到兩位很特別的DP做訪問。我稱呼他們DP 廣告達人- Double Rs 
Roger NgDP8/27)– Ricky Vilas NgaiDP30我們一談就兩個多小時,兩個大師百忙中和我分享他們的在DP的成長故事,點點滴滴,非常難忘,得益良多。

訪問原因:

DP 這兩年的發展可以說是史無前列,從第一屆和第二屆感恩日,到感恩療愈,從身心靈平台的大型展覽到第三屆感恩日,還有感恩運動的生命工作者深造班/導師班等等,DP不再是一個小小的社團,而是面向著社會,全方位的推廣感恩,活得自在, 身心靈健康。而背後的廣告工作,更叫人刮目相看,起到強大的宣傳作用。

這些驅使我對背後的功臣去做一個深入的訪問,也是滿足我的好奇心。

是什麼令DP的宣傳質素大大提高?攻勢如此professional Eye-catching

Roger- DP廣告人的起祖


講到背後的功臣,Ricky 說,DP廣告的起祖應該是Roger莫屬了! Roger是他DP 課程的生命教練,上屆感恩日的廣告是Roger做的,又是DP Wing主要人物。

講起DP Wing 的活動,Roger興奮地分享前一晚在灣仔老人飯堂有60個公公婆婆參與的活動– 灣仔懷舊夜。創造了爆場的記錄! qinghui

吃完飯,DP Wing的十幾個同學和老人家一起看當年灣仔的風貌和生活幻燈片和video,還買了他們喜歡的懷舊小食,一邊觀看,一邊分享很多集體回憶,老人家們都樂不忘返。真的令DP同學喜出望外!大家都感到從沒有試過如此成功!

然後,RogerRicky分享他們其中最難忘的DP義工經歷“伴我啟航”。這個活動一直連續了六個月,和囚犯一對一地做coaching,將DP工具和他們分享,教他們如何溝通,正確的釋放情緒,學習感恩。大家最後成為更成為好朋友,離開時都依依不捨兩位百忙中的廣告達人可以如此忘我地投入這些高難度的coaching活動,深感敬佩!也令我大開眼界– 真的為“伴我啟航”的義工們喝彩!渴望有一日自己也有機會參與。

Repeat DP  放下自我,破繭而出

Roger 2008年已經成為DP一份子,幾乎所有的DP功能組別都有他的份,更是設計組中堅分子,結婚後便停止了義工活動,後來因為溝通問題,2013年離婚收場。這是他人生的最低谷!當時,他渴望華山找他。望得到心靈上的支持。

剛好華山要找他搞些設計, 當華山知道他的問題如此嚴重,建議他重讀,他覺得很為難,過不了自己的面子,華山說,“你要面子還是要命子?”一句話,打動了他的心!

這是Roger人生最重要的日子轉折點!

重上DAG 28),沒想到人生的另一個考驗又開始!

他的教練是Ada 兩個人性格相似,都是完美主義者,有時簡直是火星撞地球。有一次,Roger從深圳趕回來做coaching call,遲到五分鐘打電話,Ada說這次的coaching call要終止。 Roger開始很不是味道,但慢慢,Roger對這配搭,感到是一大學習,練就了今天的RogerAda削弱了他的傲氣,Roger變得越來越謙卑。

Ada的無限愛心和關懷,讓Roger走的更遠,看的更高。在Ada的鼓勵下,Roger參加了第二屆年宵籌委會的工作,他和KK,妙音合作,在四個月的時間,不眠不休的工作,從零開始,Ada的無私貢獻,幫他們籌到一筆款項,令這次活動非常成功。從中,Roger學到和而不同,如何給feedback,收斂自己的高傲脾氣,接受意見,大家融合,互相信任,合作無間。

DP8DP27, Roger感覺自己比DP8的自己踏實了,參加的各種活動,DP Marketing, 製作DP Booklets 浸會百合谷飯堂”,DP Wing,“伴我啟航”,以及Ada對他影響,都令他越來越有感染力,越來越明白自己的強項,將自己的的潛能發揮地淋漓精緻。而每次做教練,他都看到自己的問題和shadow,都當成是一次修煉!

今天的Roger,就像一個蝴蝶,不斷蛻變。不斷成長!

Ricky DP 廣告“新貴




Ricky DP30的畢業生,沒有畢業,被Jenny Fok邀請入“伴我啟航”做教練,和資深的教練一起為囚犯做輔工作。可見他進步神速! Ricky想到自己的變化,感恩不盡。
Ricky在今年的DP大型廣告,如posters 易拉架,作品處處可見,他和Roger一樣,好像有用不完的的精力。

三、四年前離婚,一個人回港,情緒低落,直到去年認識到周兆祥博士和華山博士。有幸在綠野林靜心廚房的清潔角色中,讓他看到自己的驕傲和自大,散漫,totally collapsed 狀態。 201489日,他聽了華山的靈修演講,講到他心裡去了;華山自己的故事,就好像是他的故事,對華山的理念,修煉,過來人的道路,非常佩服和認同。

DP堂上,他主動分享自己的過去,清理自己的負面情緒,起了很好的帶頭作用,一個充滿感染力的Ricky出現在同學面前.

Ricky回憶起華山和他做的一次現場輔導,他為自己的過去慚愧,華山的話令他感動地熱淚盈眶。

爸爸2009年離開後,夢中經常看到一個木口木面,不講話的父親又回來了,他和爸爸關係的再現!現在,他明白這是因為他對爸爸有很多的批判,投射在夢中。
這次輔導後,爸爸在他的夢中越來越年輕,越來越有笑容。最後一次夢中,爸爸的形象好像Roger一樣年輕。他明白,這是自己的心靈洗滌的結果,潛意識的轉化,夢也隨之改寫! Just Amazing!

雖然有時還會有批判爸爸,但會馬上意識到問題,同時馬上處理!他明白到,對爸爸越批判,自己就越多問題,停止批判,接受自己的原生家庭,就是接受自己,改變自己。
坐在我對面的是一個溫和,健談,謙卑的Ricky,有這樣的過去!簡直猶如重新投胎做人!
現在每當自己有情緒,他都用3ADP工具做自我療愈!很快,心情就平靜下來和能量就回到身邊!

今天的Ricky, 常懷感恩,Red邀請他加入了香港感恩運動的籌備工作;同時也每天享受著感恩日團隊的互愛及溫暖!

我和Roger都深深被他的衝勁、passion所感動!

Double Rs的夢想!



1
Roger作為DP最早一批的廣告人,Newsletter的創辦人,到他們兩個現在面對的大量的廣告製作,design已成為DP幕後工作的重要一環,大家都渴望有更多人參與。
2
Roger的建議:DP的廣告可以更有自己的corporation style,如字體和顏色等統一,更有感染力,從宣傳媒體上體現DP的定位!

3
Ricky渴望DP有一個自己的廣告Team,不再單打獨鬥,大家集思廣益,一起分工合作,這是一個長遠的理想。

4
Ricky建議用一個簡單的方法,體現出DP的形象和理念。 Roger也很贊成,可以試下,不同的活動主別都有統一的templates,同時又有自己的特色,或四季不同的顏色。
伴我啟航、擁抱夕陽的廣告就是好例子。

5
Roger強調設計:就是設定計劃,帶出一個清晰的vision effect,能演繹活動的target客戶,廣告的渠道,加上廣告的藝術。

6
我們大家都有個想法:開一兩次DP宣傳藝術研習班,從廣告學最基礎開始,也就是審美的能力開始訓練,學習如何建立主題,同行探討設計,探索美感!

同時,同學們可以發表自己的意見,DP的廣告,怎樣設計最可以表達DP的理念;大家一起brainstorm一個最好的DP的形象設計圖出來。

7
親愛的讀者們, 當你們讀到這篇訪問,DP 廣告達人的成長故事和夢想,大概對DP的廣告人和他們的工作都會多了一些認識,對他們產生敬佩!

關於DP形象設計,你們有什麼建議,good ideas可以貢獻給我們?

渴望收到大家的feedback

後記:( will not post, just for my record

感恩日記


今天有幸約到兩位超級大忙人,Double Rs 廣告達人Roger DP827)和Ricky DP30 分享他們的成長故事,如何 coaching others and healing themselves at the same time. 还有他們的默默耕耘,為DP的宣傳設計所做出的巨大貢獻。他們的心理路程和夢想。

我為他們的成長和貢獻深深感動,更從他們身上學到從沒有機會學到的東西,特別是廣告設計的態度,基本理念。怎樣才是一個具有感染力,吸引力和不可抗拒的廣告。廣告,是visual hypnosis,視覺上的催眠。我非常喜歡的學習。

Thank you two guys, I‘ve really learnt so much and admire your spirit and attitude, your creativity, sense of responsibility, your relentless contribution to our society and also your humbleness...

可惜 太投入,不記得影相。

就用這張小妹妹 的像代表我吧!




I am a student of your both.
feeling thankful.

Donna


 11 8 2015