Once there lived a strong, young elephant named Meruprabh. One day a part of a huge forest caught fire and the fire spread rapidly, fanned by strong winds. The animals were scared.

When would the fire stop? Meruprabh along with 700 other elephants cleared one part of the forest of vegetation to prevent the fire from spreading. This clearing became a haven for animals seeking shelter from the fire and they huddled there till the fire went out. Animals who normally hunted each other now sat or stood close in amity. Fear was palpable.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: The Elephant And The Monk - A Story of Compassion

There is something each one of us owes to everyone, whether we know them or not. Realise this will significantly bring down tension levels - both in this world and in the world within.

That something is ‘Anger Control'. Today, people are going berserk with anger. Even children are falling victim to this emotion. People say: "I don't know but my brain just seemed to explode".

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Manage Your Anger, Change Your Life

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba is probably known as much for the miracles he performed in the process of alleviating human suffering as for his eclectic philosophy. However, that does not take away from the fact that he epitomised a great mission - of human brotherhood and religious harmony.

Baba interpreted the religious credo in a rational and existentialist manner. God, he insisted, bore no religious identity, for He could not be fettered by any institution. To him, the spirit of a religion meant more than its identity. And Baba lived by what he propounded.

(See also: Sri Shirdi Sai Baba , Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Sri Shirdi Sai Baba: Baba's Healing Touch Transcended Religion  

The Human Energy Body - Aura

Everyone is surrounded by an electromagnetic field, and this field is called an aura. The aura has been depicted throughout history in literature and paintings. Angel pictures show it as a halo; pictures of Jesus often depict a light around his head. Auras are not unique to angels and religious leaders, however; a field of energy surrounds us all.

Read more here: » Auras: The Human Energy Body - The Aura

Amethyst: Amethyst is a regal violet gemstone with whitish stripes. The purple color comes from the presence of manganese during its formation. It is a form of crystallized quartz, composed of silica. It is found mostly in Brazil.

Amethyst is a radiant gemstone, meaning that its energies are expansive. It is said that when you meditate with amethyst you are helping the Earth, because the violet ray will help to transform the entire world into a better place. It is the most highly valued stone in the quartz group. It has many supernatural powers. It is said to bring luck, ensure constancy, protect against magic and homesickness. It has long been known to help against drunkenness.

Violet has a calming effect upon the nervous system. Insomnia may be relieved by gently rubbing an amethyst on the temples or forehead, and can be used for tension and migraine headaches. It is one of the best to use for meditation. It is here to teach the lesson of humility, to “Let go and let God.” Amethyst is very useful for people grieving over lost loved ones, as it subliminally communicates that there is no death. Amethyst is recommended for stimulating greater love, and attunement for healing forces. In directing the energy of the amethyst to the lungs, relief may be obtained for asthma and circulation problems. You can recharge your own energy by holding an amethyst over the crown chakra, third eye, or heart chakra. A very high vibration centered in love, balance, and harmony will be transferred.

(See also: Amethyst , Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

For more dictionary entries, see » Tension Dictionary

Meditation is a good stress-reliever. It calms the senses, making the mind inactive and the body, passive. Meditation usually involves concentrating on an object - a flower, a burning candle, a circle, a sound or word, or even one’s own rhythm of breath. Over time, random thoughts peter off. Meditation could also be objectless - just sitting, doing nothing.

Most forms of meditation involve turning your attention inward, away from your usual preoccupations and activities. In the process, you make a simple but significant shift from thinking and doing, to just being. With repeated practice the mind begins to settle down and your breathing slows, and you get into a relaxed, peaceful, harmonious state.

(See also: Meditation , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Meditation: Do-it-Yourself Tips For Meditation  

We acquire knowledge, but we lack awareness. Awareness arises when knowledge accompanies action. Mere acquisition of knowledge does not mean that such knowledge will translate into action.

For instance, most of us know that if you smoke cigarettes, you are susceptible to cancer. Cigarette smokers see the statutory warning imprinted on the cigarette packs: ''Smoking is injurious to health’’.

Nevertheless, they continue to smoke. But if one day, the smoker does begin to suffer from ill-health on account of his smoking, then, the knowledge turns into awareness - through direct experience - that smoking could indeed be injurious to health.

(See also: Awareness , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Awareness: Be Aware of Thought, Word and Action

The funny thing about life is that there usually isn't much to laugh about!

"I'm not very happy most of the time," quipped Woody Allen. "The rest of the time I'm not happy at all."

On television, the joke is on someone else, so we laugh. Someone else's slip-up, struggles, loss of face, sleepless nights. In real life, however, the joke is usually on us. Maybe comedies bring us relief from our own frustrations and failures by drawing our attention to the fictional disasters of others. Or is it that we get to view a reflection of ourselves in those characters on the screen and so present a disguised opportunity to see the humorous angle of what happens to all of us; a form of catharsis; a chance to unwind and ease the tension of our troubled minds?

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Listen to the Cosmic Laughter

The Principles of Yoga

In this article, the five principles of Yoga will be detailed. These are the foundations of Yoga Practice; Correct Relaxation, Proper Breathing, Good Exercise, Positive Thinking and Suitable Diet.

Read more here: » Yoga: The Principles of Yoga

Most people use only a fraction of their lung capacity for breathing. They breathe shallowly, barely expanding the ribcage. Their shoulders are hunched, they have painful tension in the upper part of the back and neck, and they suffer from lack of oxygen. They should learn the full Yogic breathing.

Read more here: » Yoga Positions: Proper Breathing - Yoga Position

Read more here: » Lucid Dreaming: Lucid Dreaming Exercises and Tips - A Guide to Lucid Dreaming

Spiritual Parenting is a topic relevant to all parents and all who are in contact with children in any way. The following article is a summary of the speach about Shristhi - the Art of Parenting that was delievered by Radhika Dasaji of the Golden Age Foundation at the Oneness Festival, 16-22 of February 2004.

Read more here: » Spiritual Parenting, summary of lecture at the Oneness Festival

Muscle Energy Technique

is a means of manually assessing imbalances and distortions in the skeletal system and correcting them, via the soft tissue, using a tiny amount of the patient's own energy (force) applied in a specific direction. Extremely gentle, MET provides dramatic and lasting improvements in flexibility, muscle tension and comfort. MET is not related to work with the Human Energy Field.

(See also: Muscle Energy Technique , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Tension Dictionary

RELAXATION

A wide variety of complementary therapies claim to improve health by producing relaxation. Some therapists use the relaxed state as a means of promoting psychological change. Other therapies incorporate movement, stretches, and breathing exercises. Relaxation and "stress management" are found to a certain extent within conventional medicine. They generally overlap with other, more clearly complementary, therapies. Relaxation therapy is appropriate for any ill child who is able to follow verbal directions. It is much easier to relax when provided with specific steps rather than just being told to "relax."

One of the most simple and easily learned techniques for relaxation is Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR), a widely used technique that was developed by Jacobson in 1939. One learns to relax the muscles through a two-step process. First, one deliberately applies tension to certain muscle groups, and then stops the tension and focuses on how the muscles relax as the tension flows away.

(See also: RELAXATION , Alternative Health, Holistic Health, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Tension Dictionary

Relatives

Relatives are powerful features of both the waking and dreaming worlds. As a consequence, interpreting dreams of relatives is a complex task. There are hundreds of different possible interpretations that originate within the world of the dreamer as well as from classical psychology.

The reason dreams of family are so prevalent is that everyone has a desire to know what "normal" is, and then act that way in the world. Countless times, clients will come to therapy complaining, "I just want a normal family," or "I just want a normal marriage." The definition of this idea comes from our relatives and how well they fit into or detract from our idea of normalcy.

Dreams of family may affirm or undermine "normal" feelings about ourselves. Extended family relations are very significant in developing the family lore and ritual. As you mature and reflect critically on normalcy in your understanding of it, these rituals either affirm or work against the norms of your perspective. Who does what, why and when is often determined by influences in the extended family. The result is that we construct a family story that defines who we are in our family and what our family means in the world around us.

Relative dreams of this type lend themselves to archetypal interpretations that offer insight into how the dreamer sees him or herself in relation to the larger human community represented by the relatives. To interpret dreams of this kind, discern which relatives were in the dream and whether they are still living or dead in waking life. Often, relatives who have passed away are alive in our dreams. Usually, one of two circumstances exist. Either the activity in the dream reminds you of a ritual aspect of the relationship with this relative, or your relationship with the relative is incomplete.

Dreams about relatives are often recurring. These can have both prophetic or historic meaning. This is especially true in cases where the central characters are relatives with whom there is either emotional tension or uncertainty concerning their health. If there is emotional tension, the dream may be identifying the source of the tension to create an opportunity to resolve it. If there are particular relatives with precarious health, the dreams may resolve, or warn of, impending deaths in the family.

The place and occasion for the relatives' appearance in the dream are important to the interpretation of it. For example, if only the women in your family appear with you in a dream of an activity that they have historically participated in together, you may see yourself as joining with the family in new ways. There are numerous variations on this dream:

1. Not wanting to join the activity (ambivalence about traditional expectations).

2. Joining a group of exclusively opposite-gendered family members (confusion about fitting into the family on your terms).

3. Joining a group of family members with something unique in common; i.e., all bald, all with cancer, all widowed, all single, etc. (identifying with or having concern over ending up like others whom you pity).

While family members are powerful dream icons, their meaning can be quite diverse. Often, free association is the key to discerning their impact on your dreams and the meaning of that influence.

Individual family members, especially fathers and mothers (or representations of them) are often prominent in dreams. For better or for worse, they are primary influences in the shaping of our personalities. This includes how we respond to our environmental stimuli, as well as how we value ourselves and our inner nature. Consequently, another significant aspect of relative dreams is what these dreams show about how our individual ego development and personality strength have been influenced by individual relatives, for good or ill.

Personality strengths and weaknesses often express themselves in alternating generations. For example, in one generation, the father is relentless in expressing anger. In the next generation, anger becomes taboo and inexpressible. In this way, dreams of the individual parent often have a compensatory effect.

Often you will have a dream that includes a particular family member in a very unusual situation for that person (for example: scuba diving with Grandma). Often in this type of dream there will be plenty of other symbols and images that point to the true meaning of the dream.

Source: iVillage, http://www.ivillage.co.uk

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Relatives , Meaning of Dreams about Relatives , Dream Interpretation Relatives )

For more dictionary entries, see » Tension Dictionary

Massage and its remedial effects

Massage reduces muscle-tension and relieves pain, opens the pores of the skin, thus eliminating poisons from the body through sweat. It also speeds up blood circulation.

The literal meaning of 'massage' is manipulation of the soft tissues of the body using the hands. In naturopathy, massage occupies a very important place in the treatment of diseases of all kinds. For centuries, massage has been used as a remedy in India, Greece, Rome, China, Egypt and a host of other countries.

Procedure

According to the modern system of physiotherapy, the process begins with massaging upper limbs (arms) and lower limbs (legs) followed by the chest, abdomen, back and hips, and ending with the face and the head. As far as possible, massage with the hands to derive complete benefit.

According to modern therapy, the massage strokes are directed towards the heart. According to Ayurdeva, massage is known as snehan (oleation) and should be given to a patient before panchakarma treatment. Panchakarmas are the five basic principles to clean and detoxify or purify the body. They are:

·      Vamana (emesis)

·      Virechana (puragation)

·      Nruha (medicated anema)

·      Anuvasana (unctuous anema -

·      preparation with oil or other unctuous substance)

·      Nasya (inhalation therapy)

Massage should always be followed by svedana (fermentation). Snehana and svedana are the two purvakarmas that should be given before panchakarma treatment.

Benefits

1. Massage is used to improve blood circulation, to reduce oedema,

 adhesions in tissues after injury, reduce muscular spasm and improve

 muscle tone.

2. Massage reduces muscle-tension and relieves pain, opens the pores

 of the skin, thus eliminating poisons from the body through sweat.

3. It also speeds up blood circulation, hence reducing swelling

 (oedema), relieving tension of the nerves and soothing them.

4. It stimulates the digestive system and activates the urinary system.

Rules on massage oil

1. For patients with pains, use Narayan Taila, or Mahanarayan Taila.

2. For weakness, use Narayan Taila, Chandan Bala Lakshdi Taila.

3. For patients with joint pains (rheumatism), use Saindhavadi Taila.

4. For patients with burning sensation problems and sleeplessness, use

 Bhringraj Taila and Brahmi Taila.

5. For patients with skin diseases, use Kushthararakshas Taila, Nimba

 Taila and Bakuchi Taila.

Massage produces heat. After half an hour of getting a massage done, a hot water bath or shower can be taken. The head should be bathed with lukewarm water.

Contraindications

1. Massage is not recommended in any type of fevers.

2.Massage is not recommended during pregnancy.

3.Abdominal massage should be avoided in case of diarrhoea, ulcers, appendicities and tumours in the abdomen.

Excessive oil after massage should be removed with gram flour (besan) and not with soap. Peeli mitti (Indian yellow clay) is also excellent for washing the body. It has a cooling effect on the skin and nerves.

(See also: Massage , Ayurveda, Ayurvedic Dictionary, Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Tension Dictionary

ASTON-PATTERNING

Aston-Patterning is an educational process, developed by Judith Aston in 1977, combining movement coaching, bodywork, ergonomics, and fitness training. It can be helpful to individuals seeking relief from acute or chronic pain or for those wishing to improve their posture and increase the efficiency of their movement patterns either in activities of daily living or complex activities, such as athletics or the performing arts.

The movement work neurokinetics has two divisions. The first part involves instruction in the most efficient way to perform the simple activities of daily living, and then progresses to complex activities. The second part teaches the client how to use movement to decrease accumulated tension in the body.

The bodywork includes Aston massage, myokinetics, and arthrokinetics. The massage is a specialized form based on Swedish massage (not compressive) utilizing a three-dimensional touch which helps to release functional holding patterns (muscle tension being maintained by the nervous system and not yet creating a physiological change in the connective tissue) from surface to bone. Myokinetics is a form of myofascial release that unleashes deeply embedded structural holding patterns from the fascial network.

Arthrokinetics addresses structural holding patterns at the joint surfaces and along the bone. The bodywork is used to make new movement options available, and the sessions are followed with a movement lesson to assist the client in understanding how the tension had been created and how to maintain the changes achieved. The ergonomic training demonstrates to the client how environment affects their body’s alignment, dimensional integrity, and degree of effort required to perform activities, as well as identifying the role their environment has played in their current complaint. The client is trained to modify or negotiate with less-than-optimal situations, such as sitting in their office, home, or car, or shoes offering a less-than-optimal alignment while standing, walking, or running.

The Aston Fitness training includes vertical and horizontal loosening, toning, stretching, and cardiovascular fitness. The loosening moves are done lying and standing to address specific areas of tension which, when released, assist the client in achieving their best alignment and dimensional integrity before working out. Toning teaches the client how to address specific areas that are less toned in comparison to the rest of the body - in a way that won’t compromise any other area of the body. This results in an even distribution of muscle tone throughout the body so the workload is shared more evenly. Stretching is taught in a way that doesn’t borrow dimension from an adjacent body segment while working a specific area.

(See also: ASTON-PATTERNING , Alternative Health, Massage, Bodywork, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Tension Dictionary

Dream Interpretation Fighting

Dreaming about fighting reflects the difficulties you have in balancing your conflicting personality traits. If you are watching a fight: you could help other people with your conciliatory words to diffuse the tension between them. If you dream of fighting on a battlefield, your enemies and adversaries are making your life difficult and you will succeed in defending yourself.

Source: Dream-Land, http://www.dream-land.info

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Fighting , Meaning of Dreams about Fighting , Dream Interpretation Fighting )

For more dictionary entries, see » Tension Dictionary

ACUPRESSURE: Acupressure is a form of acupuncture in which fingers and thumbs rather than needles are used to press chi points on the surface of the body.

Acupressure relives muscular tension, which enables more blood--and therefore more oxygen and nutrients--to be carried to tissue throughout the body. This helps promote physical calmness and mental alertness, and aids in healing by removing waste products. Many researchers now believe that, like acupuncture, acupressure triggers the release of endorphins, the neurochemicals that relieve pain.

(See also: Acupressure , Alternative Health, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Tension Dictionary

Let's talk about pleasure and pain. Pleasure first, because it makes you feel good. But life's pleasures seem so fleeting and evanescent, like glistening dewdrops that evaporate with the first hint of the warm rays of the sun.

A pleasant state of being , we instinctively feel, is intrinsically unstable. Pleasure vanishes like a transient bubble, while pain endures. What is pleasant is short-lived because the human mind quickly gets used to it, and subconsciously craves to heighten and intensify that feeling of pleasure, as it lingers in the memory and haunts the mind.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Love and Happiness: Fleeting Pleasure, Enduring Pain

Pilgrims are flocking to the shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti at Ajmer on the occasion of the annual Urs. Popularly known as Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, the dargah symbolises a touching synthesis of the hopes and prayers of various faiths and communities.

Both Hindus and Muslims remember Moinuddin Chishti as Khwaja Gharib Nawaz, revering him for his simple teachings and eclectic philosophy. The Khwaja believed that no spiritual exercise, penitence, prayer, or vigil had greater value than bringing succour to distressed hearts and helping the needy. He directed all his efforts towards alleviation of human misery.

(See also: Chishti Shrine , Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Chishti Shrine: Pilgrimage of Faith - Chishti's Shrine