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Life-changing Scholarship Opportunities in Thailand

Life Changing Scholarship Opportunities Thailand Meditation

Just like those unexpected and wonderful things that happen in life, my cousin suggested me I take a look at an article. It was entitled “The Most exotic Scholarships of the World.” She emphasized that I was probably the only person she knew who would be interested in those kind of weird things. By weird, she meant what I actually referred to as a surprising scenario: a life-changing scholarship opportunity offered by World Peace Initiative Foundation to participate in a Meditation Retreat in Thailand! I could not believe how amazing and simultaneously exotic it sounded!

The Scholarship Opportunity, Thailand Meditation

This “casual and azarous” fact led me to a life-changing experience several months later, in January 2016. After I started the online Self-Development Program, I experienced an astonishing personal transformation. Although I had always been interested in exploring and developing tools for personal growth, meditation came to me as a very practical way to dive into my depth and redefine the way I want to be in the world.

I still remember how happy and smiling I was when I got the news that I had been selected to participate in it. My family could not believe it at all. “Are you really going to Thailand? That far? For a Meditation Retreat?!”

This training-retreat allowed me to awaken and develop many aspects of myself that had always been there. I had the precious opportunity to dive into myself, my emotions, and my essence. To enjoy some silence enabling me to listen to whatever my body, my mind and my soul were trying to tell me.

Good News: Another Scholarship opportunity in Thailand!

The application call for the new edition of this training is now open until August 15th. Further,  it will take place in December 2018 in Thailand! This is the only international youth training of its kind as it offers group dynamics for networking as well as time for personal well-being and calmness. A good combination of meditation, mindfulness & self-development which will lead to professional success in any career path by challenging yourself to be a better version of what you are looking for.

Read more of the whole process of my personal transformation during and after attending the Thailand training in my article “14 ways my self-transformation happened through meditation”.

Here are the 4 Ds why the Thailand Meditation Fellowship is a life-changing opportunity:

Discover you true self

How much of our own selves still remain unknown for ourselves? How much hidden potential do we have? What about embracing our weaknesses and transforming them into virtues?

Personally, since I started meditating, I feel much more confident and I trust myself better. I doubt much less because I know what I have to do, deeply inside myself.

Detox and empower your mind

We all know how important is to keep our physical body clean. But have you ever wondered how important it is to purify our mind as well? The same way we clean up our body, our mind needs to detox. What causes a clouded mind? Our daily agitated routine, stressful situations, negative sensations, recurrent thoughts, concerns with no solution. If we would just take some time for ourselves. Did you know that when we meditate, we recharge the mind and body so that we have more energy to do good things for ourselves and for others?

On a personal level, that cumulative of past negative experiences. Stories of catastrophic events or drama situations, and that sometime determine the way I see reality, was cleaned up. So whenever I face a new obstacle, no matter how difficult it is, it will not get stuck to the old negativity. On the contrary, I am able to see it as a new challenge, to try to solve it and then let it go.

Develop mindfulness lifestyle

How do we cultivate healthy habits? What is a good habit? Further, how do we change those habits that we think do not lead us to reach our goals in life? First, we need to be aware of them recognizing our actions and its consequences in our daily life. Does it sound easy?

Personally, I am now much more able to let go situations, relationships or behaviours that do not nourish me. I do not get stuck so easily to difficult moments, on the contrary, I let it go. So it is about the new positive attitude I take to address those negative things what really matters in life.

Design a peaceful environment

It is easier to be at peace when on vacations in a beautiful beach or in the exotic mountains with good food and friends, right? But how to bring this feelings back home? We should learn how to create a peaceful environment that allows us to be at peace as well.

Personally, I now understand that I am constantly creating my own reality. I am a protagonist of my world. I have the power to change what I do not like. Though some actions seem tiny they always have a positive effect.

In the end, it all comes to the same reflection: “As within so without”. Nothing in our external reality can change without first making changes on the inside. And this is the secret ingredient of this program: Peace In, Peace Out. Peace starts from within. If I am not at peace, how can I spread peace out? By changing the quality of your thoughts, you change the quality of your whole life and of those around you. This change includes your family, community and the entire world!

Prepared for this life-changing opportunity?

Apply here  Now!

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5 Things That Change When You Practice Yoga

Mindfulness, self-development and mental well-being are all intricately woven together into a web that guarantees internal peace. In fact, the self-development industry is thriving with a net worth of $11 billion and is forecasted to grow by 5% annually. Each year $500 million is spent on personal development products.

Likewise, mindfulness has gained traction. 8% of the US population practices meditation and roughly 22% of businesses have mindfulness programs in place. It brushes up the performance and productivity of the employees, which explains why these businesses encourage such training sessions.

Despite these statistics that egg on further developments in mindfulness and self-care, the picture of mental health isn’t as bright. Nearly 18% of the US adults deal with the demons of some form of psychiatric conditions. Even more disturbing is the fact that 9.6 million people entertain suicidal thoughts.

In the light of these figures, it is clear that working toward improving mental well-being is the need of the hour. The links of mindfulness, self-development, and mental health need to be strengthened. It’s not going to happen over a cup of coffee or anytime soon. However, yoga episodes can help, as they afford the development of all these elements.

Here is a look at five things that change when you practice yoga:

1) Improves mental health

Yoga is a helpful tool to add to your arsenal of psychological well-being. It helps relax your mind, which takes stress levels down. It also improves your body postures that cause headaches, fatigue, backache, and more. These, in turn, summon or contribute to depression as explained by Dr. Min Yeo, a yoga teacher.

Upon digging deeper, studies support the role of yoga in treating depression. It works to curb anxiety and depression symptoms. Erin Wiley, a clinical psychotherapist in Ohio, gives yoga the credit of calming patients who experience anxiety. She explains, “It teaches clients that they have control of their stress reaction, gives them a coping skill for when they are overwhelmed, gives them experience in practicing calming down which is helpful for times of distress.”

A 2016 research further confirms that yoga is also beneficial for individuals with the major depressive disorder who only partially respond to medication. Another study indicates that yoga assists in improving the symptoms of schizophrenic patients too. It is also found to be helpful in dealing with eating disorders and PTSD as well.

2) Enhance self-regulation

Yoga encourages a quiet mind that sets the foundational stone of personal improvement. A calm mind that doesn’t keep rumbling about your past or fretting about the future is the prerequisite for effective mindfulness. Consequently, by doing yoga, you can live in the moment, shape a wholesome framework of thoughts, and appreciate yourself better.

Yoga also stirs the wheel of mindfulness by promoting the mind-body connectivity. It calms the fight or flight response of the body, widening the scope of your self-regulation. In essence, self-regulation orbits around the idea of better self-care. To this end, yoga facilitates relaxation and self-awareness, two essential means to the goal of self-development.

Negative thoughts blur as you practice yoga. Not only does this amp up your overall health but it also makes you more mindful. Awareness of the present, unpolluted by pessimism, is a crucial characteristic of mindfulness therapy.

3) Shrinks stress

Not only is yoga an antidote for diminishing the symptoms of psychiatric conditions but it is also the magic potion that reduces stress. Our daily life is a jumble of incidents, accidents, and negative thoughts mixed in with a couple of mistakes. There’s only stress that mostly remains a constant during these daily troubles.

On a scale of 1-10, the Americans rate the average regular stress level at 4.6.

Yoga can ward off the tension and stressors. Research outlines that by practicing the three vital yoga elements, meditation, poses, and breathing, you can regulate your heart-rate variability (HRV). Yoga helps to reduce HRV so that you are better able to deal with stress. Another study points out that regular yoga influences the way amygdala responds to stress.

Additionally, 48% of people complain about restlessness at night as a by-product of stress. Evidence indicates that daily yoga can lessen insomnia and even prevent it altogether by courtesy of relaxing yoga postures or asanas.

4) Promotes physical fitness

In addition to the psychological benefits, yoga encourages good physical fitness. A survey reveals that 40% of people who practice yoga opt for healthier eating. These yoga practitioners also report eating sustainably. An additional 75% of yogis tend to participate in fitness or sports activities, and approximately two-thirds exercise more.

Yoga also shoulders the responsibility of upgrading balance, flexibility, and cardiovascular health. Furthermore, it swells the overall quality of your life. Evidence correlates yoga as a useful intervention for helping you deal better with pain.

20% of yogis relay that yoga instills in them a positive body image and a greater sense of strength and mental clarity. The reduction in anxiety and stress due to regular doses of yoga also keeps the physical effects of such psychological concerns at bay. Thus, yoga augments physical fitness in several ways.

5) Increases compassion

Research reveals that yoga impacts compassion and effects interpersonal harmony. It makes a person more compassionate, such that a yogi offers help even if peer pressure works as an antagonist.

Yoga nurtures various other essential morals, in addition to compassion. These include self-disciple, kindness, and truthfulness. It also cultivates a greater sense of unity. Around 50% of the yogis tend to volunteer and donate to their community.

Coral Brown, an internationally recognized vinyasa yoga teacher, and psychotherapist, claims, “Practicing the ethical codes from every perspective helps fortify the concepts within the body and the mind. And what you practice, you become.” Yoga centers around the heart, therefore, reaping compassion, a heart-oriented emotion is only natural.

Consequently, yoga furthers self-development, mindfulness, and mental health. Simultaneously, it revamps your physical health. The number of practicing yogis has almost doubled from 6% to 11% during 2002-12, which is a step in the right direction.

Photo credits: Unknown

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Keep Calm and Be Happy

Keep Calm and Be Happy

I have always been a very vehement person. That’s why I turn normal conversations into arguments very often. In my mind I’m not arguing, of course. Let’s say that I’m just expressing my thoughts in a very passionate way… And if I don’t have a personal opinion to state, then I enjoy contradicting people’s opinions because I always feel I must play the devil’s advocate. Continue reading “Keep Calm and Be Happy”