You Learn Something New Everyday. Mudras?

So I was using StumbleUpon earlier this evening. And I ran across this page HealthMad.com

According to Wikipedia:
A mudrā (Sanskrit, मुद्रा, literally “seal”) is a symbolic gesture, used in the iconography of Hindu and Buddhist art of the Indian subcontinent. They are usually made with the hand or fingers. Along with āsanas (seated postures), they are employed in the yoga meditation practice of Hinduism. Each mudrā has a specific quality that is said to be imparted to the practitioner. Common hand gestures are to be seen in both Hindu and Buddhist iconography. Other regions, for example Thailand and Laos use different but related iconographic conventions.

The Mudra above is called: Prithvi Mudra [Earth Mudra]

Method:
Tip of the ring finger touches the tip of the thumb, with the other three fingers stretched out.
Specialty:
It reduces all physical weaknesses.
Time Duration:
It has no particular time duration. You can practice it any time you want.
Benefits:

* It helps to increase the weight for weak people
* It improves the complexion of skin and makes the skin to glow
* It makes the body active by keeping it healthy

Check out the rest of the Mudras. They feel great!

Thoughts on Gratitude

Here are some great thoughts on gratitude. Many thinkers throughout time have written down their thoughts and theories on why its important to be grateful for what you have and gratitude for where you are in life. Enjoy these nuggets of wisdom and think about things in your life that you are grateful for:

• God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say “thank you?” ~William A. Ward
• The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. ~H.U. Westermayer
• Think about what you want, not what you don’t want. Be grateful for what you got, and you will get more to be grateful for. ~Travis Wright
• Gratitude is the memory of the heart. ~Jean Baptiste Massieu, translated from French
• Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone. ~G.B. Stern
• If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. ~Meister Eckhart
• If you have lived, take thankfully the past. ~John Dryden
• When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs? ~G.K. Chesterton
• The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. ~John E. Southard
• [G]ratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton
• You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink. ~G.K. Chesterton
• For each new morning with its light,
  For rest and shelter of the night,
  For health and food, for love and friends,
  For everything Thy goodness sends.
  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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The “I Want Manifesto”

By Katie Mattson

The words, “I want” are two of the first words we learn growing up. We all went through the toddler phase of reaching out to anything that was shiny and saying “I want…” As adults, we still struggle with this verbal and emotional condition. Often, we aren’t clear about what we want or don’t know how to get it. This is where the “I Want” Manifesto comes into play.

The “I Want” Manifesto – I want what I want, when I want it. But…how do I get it?

Figure out what you want. This seems obvious, I know. In order to get what you want, you first have to know what those wants are. Ironically, most of us are walking around in a fog, attached to the short-term material things that we can easily obtain – those shiny objects we learned about in our childhood that distract us from our big dreams. Stuffed aside for later are our emotional needs and wants. Form a really clear vision detailing the type of lifestyle you desire. There are certain key areas in our lives that, when in harmony, allow us to obtain just about anything we want. Those areas are: relational, financial, personal and professional. What do you want for yourself in each of these areas?

Even deeper than the type of lifestyle you desire is your inner fire, your deep purpose. Inside each of us is a uniquely tailored voice that no one else has. A voice that, when found, is so powerful we have the ability to change thousands of lives. What do you want to share with the world?

Journal, ask and live.

Tired of this advice yet? All those wants are occupying your thoughts. Save yourself the energy of remembering them and write them down instead. Go ahead and put a column out there for the “I Don’t Wants,” too. You’ll relieve yourself of the pressure to keep track of it all. Keep a special journal that you can update frequently and read often.

Next, start asking for it! Whether it’s a small personal goal or a huge dream, start asking for help. You can ask God or the Universe, whichever you are more comfortable with. The important thing is to put your order in. Find your voice, summon the courage and ask. There is no limit to how much you ask for either. Just make sure it’s what you really want, because you have a really good chance of getting it!
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Spirituality Means ‘Waking Up’

by Anthony De Mello

Spirituality means waking up. Most people, even though they don’t know it, are asleep. They’re born asleep, they live asleep, they marry in their sleep, they breed children in their sleep, they die in their sleep without ever waking up. They never understand the loveliness and the beauty of this thing that we call human existence. You know, all mystics -Catholic, Christian, non-Christian, no matter what their theology, no matter what their religion — are unanimous on one thing: that all is well, all is well. Though everything is a mess, all is well. Strange paradox, to be sure. But, tragically, most people never get to see that all is well because they are asleep. They are having a nightmare.

Last year on Spanish television I heard a story about this gentleman who knocks on his son’s door. “Jaime,” he says, “wake up!” Jaime answers, “I don’t want to get up, Papa.” The father shouts, “Get up, you have to go to school.” Jaime says, “I don’t want to go to school.” “Why not?” asks the father. “Three reasons,” says Jaime. “First, because it’s so dull; second, the kids tease me; and third, I hate school.” And the father says, “Well, I am going to give you three reasons why you must go to school. First, because it is your duty; second, because you are forty-five years old, and third, because you are the headmaster.” Wake up, wake up! You’ve grown up. You’re too big to be asleep. Wake up! Stop playing with your toys.

Most people tell you they want to get out of kindergarten, but don’t believe them. Don’t believe them! All they want you to do is to mend their broken toys. “Give me back my wife. Give me back my job. Give me back my money. Give me back my reputation, my success.” This is what they want; they want their toys replaced. That’s all. Even the best psychologist will tell you that, that people don’t really want to be cured. What they want is relief; a cure is painful.
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