Please practice this simple exercise daily. I had the privilege to learn this meditation from my teachers in Israel. It has been taught by mystics all over the world.
Let go of all darkness now and choose to live in the light. 

The Cleansing Breath detoxifies Body and Mind
 
     The steady rhythm of your breath represents the continuous flow of life, a continuous exchange of giving and receiving; the concept of Yin and Yang. Inhalation represents Yang, the aspect of tension and exhalation is Yin the aspect of relaxation. The secret to all harmony is balance. As you consciously become aware of your breathing you allow balance and inner peace to enter your life.
     Breathing exercises can easily be combined with imagery and visualization. In the case of the ‘Cleansing Breath’ we will introduce the aspect of light. The meditative journey can also be called the journey to enlightenment, so it makes sense to visualize light.
 
1. Please close your eyes and bring your awareness to deep abdominal breathing. Observe the steady rhythm of your breath which now begins to slow down.
2. Begin to visualize a ball of vibrant warm light, right above your head. The light feels like warm vital sunlight. The presence of the light gives you peace and comfort. As you inhale you now visualize breathing in the warm and vibrant sunlight, coming from source of light above your head. The light streams through your lungs and from there to every cell of your body. You are now entirely filled with beautiful new energy, harmony, radiant health and inner peace.
3. As you exhale breathe out everything you would like to release and let go of. Everything that does not serve your highest good any longer; let it go, breathe it out.
4. Notice that each time you breathe out and let go, more light enters your body creating harmony, balance and inner peace on all levels.
5. Now let your awareness travel to your feet, feel your feet relax, becoming calm and quiet. Radiant light enters every cell. You breathe out everything that does not serve you any longer. Your ankles relax. The light streams into your lower legs, claves, knees and upper legs, bringing deep relaxation, balance and peace. Feel your pelvis relax, then hips, lower abdomen, reproductive organs. Breathe out everything you may have internalized, everything that does not resonate with the light. Each time you breathe out and let go more light enters your being. Enjoy the vibration of radiant health, balance and peace, which now fills every cell. Enjoy to feel your back and spine relax. Breathe out everything you might carry on your back and on your spine. Let it go, be new, set yourself free. It is so easy. Each time you breathe out and let go, more light enters your being. Feel your inner organs relax. Radiant light fills your liver, gallbladder, spleen, kidneys stomach and intestines. Breathe out all memories and emotions you may have internalized and feel the light and radiant health streaming in. Now send your awareness to your chest. Your heart beats in a perfect and steady rhythm; your lungs inhale and exhale easily. You breathe in the light, you breathe out everything that is on your chest and on your heart. Let go, be new. Release all memories from the past that do not resonate with the light, everything that is on your heart, your center for love, self-love and healing; breathe it out and feel the light, lightness and peace streaming in. Feel your shoulders relax and the light streams to your arms and hands. Enjoy the peace warmth and deep relaxation. Your throat and neck relax and now feel the radiant light streaming into your head, filling your brain, relaxing your face, relaxing your jaws. You breathe in the light, you breathe out everything that is on your mind, all thoughts that do not serve your highest good any longer, everything that does not belong into your head. Let it go once and for all. Every thought that now enters your mind is inspired by the light and creates beauty, harmony, balance, inner peace, radiant health, infinite love and infinite light on all levels.
6. The light within you grows, expands and intensifies with every breath you take. Your whole being is filled with light and you are surrounded by light. You are safe and secure in your physical existence. You are whole, balanced and complete. Enjoy the light that shines so bright within you and let it illumine the world, all around you.
7. Now enjoy to let your awareness travel to the happiest moments in your life. Beautiful and happy moments where you experienced great joy and happiness, Blissful moments when you felt infinitely loved. Recall these moments, feel them as if they were happening right now. Feel the smile on your lips, feel the vibration of happiness and joy which now fills your heart; inspires your soul. You are calm and quite and filled with gratitude for all the good in your life.
8. Now place all happy moments inside your heart, your center for love, self-love and healing. Feel the happiness and joy radiate from your heart to every cell of your being. Feel the smile inside your heart, inside your soul.
9. Then breathe the light into your heart, you center for love, self-love and healing. Your heart transforms into a radiant bright shining sun; an infinite source of love, light, bliss, joy and peace. The light within you shines brighter than ever before and now radiates all around, engulfing your neighborhood, your city, your country, the whole entire world, the universe and still growing and expanding exponentially. Your whole being is filled with light, you are surrounded by light and you are the light. 
 
    
As you practice this simple exercise daily you will notice increased inner peace and balance. Always remember that the more you practice the more you will reap the positive benefits. Meditation is exercise for the mind just as a physical workout is exercise for the body.
 
     Practicing the cleansing breath for 10 minutes before bed time improves the quality of your sleep and reduces insomnia. Throughout the first dream cycles at night, the mind processes the events of the day. If you experienced stress, pressure, frustration during the day, it significantly reduces the quality of your sleep. If you are able to consciously let go and release the issues and events of the day before falling asleep you will experience more peace of mind.

     Research has shown that by focusing our awareness on different parts of our bodies, these parts show a physiological response, as increased blood circulation. This is a great tool for pain management and to support the healing process.
The visualization of happy memories has been shown to improve the immune system functions and also speeds up patients’ recovery time after surgery. Nowadays, scientific evidence proves the validity of the ancient wisdom, “As you think, so you are.”
This simple exercise empowers you participate in your personal healing process and the healing of Mother Earth creating health, happiness, balance and peace on all levels all around.

The digestive organs may relate to a person’s ability to digest the events in his or her life. Constipation may represent the inability to let go and holding on to the past. Diarrhea relates to an over-stimulation, an influx of too many new impressions. The person is not able to deal with them or integrate them.

Back stands for support and stability. Hips relate to balance. Legs have to do with movement and flexibility, as well as the ability to go with the flow of life. Bladder issues represent the need to relief pressure. The eyes, of course, relate to the aspect of seeing, e.g. if a person does not want to look at things in their lives or refuses to gain insight.

The respiratory organs represent the rhythm of life as well as contact and relationship. Breathing demonstrates the law of polarity. Breathing in is tension and breathing out is relaxation. The two form a steady rhythm and do not exist without one another. If the rhythm is not kept a problem might occur.

The alveoli of the lungs have a surface of approximately 230 square feet, in contrast to the skin which has a surface of around 6.5 square feet. The skin forms the border form the outside world and it is up to a person’s will if he wants contact or not. However the contact of the lungs is indirect and not under control of the will or ego. If the lungs are affected issues concerning relationships and contact may be considered.

The head stands for intellect, reason and thinking. A human being has two centers, the heart and the brain. When a headache appears it is a sign to take a break and to listen to the heart. One has to change the focus from thinking to feeling. It is not a surprise that in our head-oriented society so many individuals suffer from headaches.

There is also significance to the two sides of the body. The left side relates to the relationship to the inner self or the relationship to a close female figure, as mother or wife. The right side has to do with the interaction with the outside world, as well as a male figure, the father or husband.

The knowledge of the deeper meaning of our organs is not a new invention and we can find it deeply embedded in our language with expressions like:
- thickheaded
- spineless
- someone without a backbone
- brave-hearted
- soft-hearted
- heartless
- heart-broken
- something sticks in our throat
- to jump out of one’s skin
- a person who has a lot of gall
- to have two left feet
- to stand with both feet on the ground
- pain in the neck
- someone is handy

The following example illuminates the practical application of this knowledge for the holistic practitioner. A woman came to see me for Reflexology. She had consulted several physicians and nobody had been able to help her. Her presenting complaint was severe pain in her hips and her lower back.
My first question was: “When exactly did the pain occur for the first time and what was happening in your life then?” She reflected briefly and answered: “The pain started the day after I received notice that the firm I work for would go out of business and I would loose my job.” Amazingly nobody had asked her this question before.
From the holistic viewpoint the mental state of my client had immediately manifested in her physical body. The pain in her hips could be translated as her sense of loosing balance. The lower back is related to survival, the sense of feeling safe and secure in our physical existence, which also includes the financial aspect.
The analysis of her feet revealed high sensitivities in the reflex-points related to the kidneys. According to Chinese Medicine every organ of the body is associated to a particular emotion. The kidneys are associated with fear and anxiety. My client confirmed that she was filled with fear when she thought about her future. She couldn’t sleep at night.
In our Reflexology sessions I focused on balancing all her bodily systems and stabilizing the energy flow to her kidneys, her hips and lower back. After her first
one-hour session my client felt a significant reduction in her pain.
She practiced daily the meditations I taught her. This allowed her to take part in the healing process and learn the tools which are essential for prevention of disease. She meditated before she went to bed and was able to sleep through the night. She felt increased confidence and reported a more positive outlook on her future. After three Reflexology sessions her pain was completely gone.

Meditation and guided imagery shows you how to achieve positive changes in your body through the power of your mind.

Every thought that enters your mind creates reality.

On a personal level you can very easily observe this fact. If you entertain positive thoughts and feel happy you are having a good day. If you are down and upset the opposite happens.

I would like to share three simple meditation exercises with you:

1. Breathe to your abdomen. When you are stressed you breathe to your chest. Abdominal breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system and breaks the stress cycle.

2. Focus on happy memories. Feel the vibration of happiness and joy. Feel the smile on your lips. Research has shown that a happy outlook on life strengthens your immune system. And please remember that whatever you focus on you get more of.

3. Visualize yourself surrounded by bright-shining, benevolent light. The light is all around you. It protects you and shields you from all harmful influences. Through you breathing you bring this light into your body.

Let it fill you entirely and exhale everything that does not serve your highest good. The light cleanses and purifies your entire being. Make this a daily habit, so you don’t internalize negative emotions and stress which, over time, may manifest as disease in your physical body.

Scientific studies have proven that the regular practice of meditation and guided imagery has many positive benefits. These include:

• control of blood pressure with less medication
• reduction in chronic pain
• improvements in sleep
• reduction of premenstrual symptoms
• reduction of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy
• reduction in anxiety
• and more

We held a book release party at WYEP and you are welcome to watch my reading on video:

Gloria experienced this first hand. She hadn’t slept well, was worried about an important project and felt exhausted while rushing to work. Her mind was cluttered with negative self-talk and she expected a dreadful day at the office. Then she remembered an exercise from the meditation and guided imagery class.

She took a few deep breaths, faked a smile and forced herself to recall happy memories. Several minutes of focused thought allowed her to feel more relaxed. Happy memories filled her mind and a sincere heartfelt smile began to spread on her lips. Feeling better she entered her office building and shared the elevator ride with five colleagues.

To her surprise everyone smiled back at her. One woman even commented on how happy Gloria looked. Her day at the office turned out to be a very good one. All issues she anticipated concerning her important project resolved easily. She also received compliments from her boss for her competence.
This day Gloria promised to herself to never get trapped by negative thinking again.

The Kabbalist Baal HaSulam explains that a single thought is as powerful as an atomic bomb and if we actually became aware of its impact we would be afraid to think.

On a personal level you can very easily observe this fact in your everyday life. If you entertain positive thoughts and feel happy you are having a good day. If you are down and upset the opposite happens.

At this time of global interconnectedness we should ask ourselves if our individual thoughts cause effects on a global scale. We are all plugged into global media, news and entertainment. This causes millions of people to think the same thought at the same time.

Imagine that the effects you see in the outside world, like global crisis, natural disasters, wars and epidemics, were an actual result of our mass consciousness as a human family?

Look at what is playing in theaters now. Recently I saw a preview for the apocalyptic movie 2012, which entertains us with end of world scenarios. If this could be a preview to life’s coming attractions all of us together need to take bold steps right now to change this course.

Considering this, we actually may be creating a very scary future. Research has shown a direct correlation between events presented by mass media and the events following in real life. This was first observed in Germany after World War II.

Not only our actions, but also our everyday thoughts contribute in a cumulative and subtle way in how history unfolds. We are not powerless victims or passive participants. Decide right now to become the active creator of your reality. You are powerful beyond measure. Don’t allow random thoughts to bombard you. It is your personal responsibility to think consciously.

One interesting study has shown that the practice of group meditation in high crime areas significantly reduces crime. During an 8-week period in the summer of 1993 focused group meditations were practiced in Washington, D.C., The findings later showed that the rate of violent crime – which included assaults, murders, and rapes – decreased by 23 percent during the June 7 to July 30 experimental period. The odds of this result occurring by chance are less than 2 in 1 billion. (The study was conducted by John Hagelin, Ph.D., a world renowned quantum physicist and the director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy.)

Exercise – Three things you can do to change your thoughts from negative to positive:

1. Create your own positive thought current. Focus on the favorite qualities you would like to experience in your life and repeat them like a mantra. For example say to yourself: I am harmony. I am balance. I am inner peace. I am radiant health. I am happiness. I am joy. I am abundance. I am fulfillment. I am infinite love. Focus on these qualities and soon positive inner images will follow. Even a clear roadmap on how to experience these qualities at all times will reveal itself to you. Remember; whatever you focus on you get more of.

2. SMILE. Smiling is contagious. Each time you smile endorphins, natural pain killers, are released. Smiling boosts your immune system, because you are more relaxed. When you smile there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure (If you have a blood pressure monitor at home please try it out. Smile for 10 minutes and measure your blood pressure before and after.)

3. Visualize yourself surrounded by benevolent golden light, which comes from the highest level and serves your highest good. The golden light is all around you. It protects you and shields you from all harmful influences. Through you breathing you bring this golden light into your body. Let it fill you entirely and exhale everything that does not serve your highest good. The meditative journey is called the journey to enlightenment; by visualizing light you come closer to enlightenment.

We change the world by changing our thoughts.

Dorit Brauer gets around. Born and raised in Germany, trained in complementary medicine in Israel, and fresh off her 7430 mile cross-country motorcycle trip (upon which she walked 46 labyrinths—but that’s another story), to say she gets around is an understatement.

Even in her newly adopted hometown, she seems to be everywhere, whether its practicing reflexology at UPMC’s Integrated Medicine Center in Shadyside, or teaching meditation for Highmark or as part of your place of work’s corporate wellness program, or building a labyrinth for the Cameron Wellness Center in Washington PA and of course facilitating the opening ceremony, complete with singing crystal bowls.

She shared with us her answer to the question “Why do you choose to live here?”

I noticed that Pittsburghers sometimes display low self esteem about their city, but you have good reason to be proud. Pittsburgh is awesome. This is my list of why I love Pittsburgh so much:

1. I love Pittsburgh because of its people. Pittsburghers are loyal, honest and down to earth.

2. It has small town flair with a big city atmosphere, offering world class art, culture and entertainment.

3. Pittsburgh has beautiful beaches, only two hours away on Lake Erie. I love the nature around Pittsburgh. Everything is green and
I enjoy taking my motorcycle for a ride to the Laurel Mountains and Ohiopyle.

4. Pittsburgh’s energy is very unique, because of its three rivers and the fourth underneath, which feeds the fountain.

5. The cost of living is affordable, allowing for an excellent quality of life and a relaxed lifestyle.

6. The Pittsburgh International Airport is located conveniently close to the city. It is an important factor if you like to travel a lot.

7. I love the rich diversity and the vibrant multicultural character of Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, e.g. Little Italy in Bloomfield, Deutschtown in Allegheny East, and I also have met a wonderful Israeli friend in Squirrel Hill.

8. I cherish the spectacular view of downtown Pittsburgh, when exiting the Fort Pitt Tunnel. There is nothing like it in the world.

9. I am blessed to have the most wonderful friends in Pittsburgh. It is said that if you make a friend in Pittsburgh you have found a friend for life.

10.Since my move to California, I found myself defending Pittsburgh many times. People, who have not visited Pittsburgh, often think of it as a polluted steel-city. My dear friend Erin Hart said: “If you are defending our city, you are a real Pittsburgher.”

For more on Dorit, including photos of her travels, visit www.DoritBrauer.com

Do you wake up in the morning happy and energized, looking forward to another fantastic day?

Do you know with all your heart that everything good comes to you easily and things always work out in the most perfect and divine way?

Do you look forward to the wonderful people you will meet, knowing that they come into your life to enrich you and to serve your highest good?

Do you always expect the best?

Or – do you wake up in the morning exhausted, dreading another busy day – filled with activities you don’t really enjoy doing?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to the last question it is time to set a clear intention for the day.

Every thought that enters your mind creates reality. As you think, so you are. You truly have the power to reprogram your mind and create the reality you want. By consciously deciding to have a perfect day, you become the creator of your reality.

C.G. Jung stated that we live in an intelligent and responsive universe which acts and interacts with us towards our best interest. The universe will assist you in every way. Pay attention to synchronicities and meaningful encounters.

Every morning as you awaken spend ten to fifteen minutes visualizing your perfect day. See everything working out easily; see yourself in the flow and good things all around. See that every person enters your life to enrich you and presents new delightful opportunities. Invite happiness, joy, ease and health into your life.

You can integrate the practice of setting your intention into your every day activities, e.g. as you are driving to work. Instead of listening to the radio, focus your thoughts on visualizing your perfect day.

You have the power to change your reality right now. Yes, it is that easy to create a wonderful and happy day. Practice this exercise daily for two weeks and see miracles happen.

The labyrinth is not to be confused with a maze, where you can take choices and reach dead ends. Mazes became popular during the period of rationalism in the 15th century, emphasizing reasoning and thinking. This was also a time when the holistic understanding of the universe lessened. The body mind connection and the knowledge of how the mind rules matter vanished. It is interesting to notice that now we have come full circle. In the last 20 years the labyrinth movement in the Unites States flourishes with dozens of new labyrinth created every year.

The labyrinth is a spiritual transformation power tool that answers our call to wholeness.
It allows you to reach states of clarity, during troubled times and turmoil. Its single winding path invites you to relax, give up control and trust.

As you walk the labyrinth consider the three R’s. Release, Receive and Reflect.
Following the journey into the labyrinth consider to release everything that does not serve your highest good. With every step visualize breathing in bright shining divine light. You exhale all concerns, worries, painful memories, aches from your body, as well as beliefs and perceptions that do not resonate with the light. Enjoy this cleansing and purification process.

The center of the labyrinth represents your connection to the divine, your higher self and it is a place of unity and oneness. Here you may ask for guidance to life’s challenges. Be assured that the answers to your questions will emerge in the days following your labyrinth walk. Now as you have exhaled everything that does not serve you any longer you may visualize breathing in the light and breathing it out, the light with in you and all around you grows and expands. You become a vessel for the divine light; let your light shine bright and radiant.

Then trace your steps back out of the labyrinth. Count your blessings and all the good you have received throughout your life. Focus on happy memories, moments of joy and love. Every thought that enters your mind creates reality. Reflect and see the miracles and wonders which are always there.

Always, when walking a labyrinth expect miracles to happen. You have planted a seed of light in your consciousness and it will grow and expand and reveal itself in the most blissful way in all aspects of your life. You are invited to walk the labyrinth again and again, creating a reality of love, light, joy and peace on step at the time.

I am very grateful to the Cameron Wellness Center who asked me to build their labyrinth. I have chosen the 7 circuit Cretan design, dating back to 350 B.C. Built out of pea gravel and river rock this sacred circle is beautifully integrated into the nature setting. You are invited to walk the labyrinth any time. It is located at Wilfred R. Cameron Wellness Center of Washington Hospital, 240 Wellness Way, Washington PA 15301, on the Waling Trail behind the Wellness Center.

Being caught in our busy everyday lives, most of us don’t appreciate our well-functioning organs. We take them for granted, until something goes wrong.

I would like to ask you to take a moment and appreciate your heart. Sit comfortably in your chair and acknowledge the amazing task that your heart performs everyday. Say thank you and practice gratitude for several minutes.

You will notice that as soon as you bring your focus to your heart it relaxes and you heart beat slows down.

Research has shown that the heart is directly affected by our emotional states and stress is a major underlying cause for heart disease. In order to gain a deeper understanding about the negative effects of stress on our heart health we need to examine its metaphysical function. The heart is our emotional center for love, self-love and healing. The heart center also puts us in touch with our life’s purpose.

If we excessively expose ourselves to stress, it translates to the fact that we don’t honor, value and love ourselves. We neglect our essential need for balance and relaxation.
The first key to a healthy heart is to love yourself, to give and receive love freely and to listen to your heart.

Now, what does it mean to you to listen to your heart?
How often do you listen to your heart?
When making important decisions do you listen to your head or your heart?

In a society that emphasizes rational reasoning and thinking, we are not encouraged to listen to our hearts. But you have the freedom to choose differently. Learn to listen to your heart by practicing this beautiful exercise, which changes your life and heals your heart:

Listen to your Heart – Exercise:

1. Sit in a comfortable chair, close your eyes, inhale and exhale deeply, breathe to your abdomen. Let your awareness travel to your heart and notice how your heart feels like. Is your heart happy? Is it open, light-hearted or does it feel heavy or broken?
2. Exhale everything that is on your heart. You may travel back in time and breathe out all memories and emotions that do not serve your highest good. Every time you exhale and let go more light, lightness and peace enters your heart.
3. Now let your mind wander to the happiest moments in your life, moments of joy and love. Blissful moments that make you smile. Cherish these happy memories and place them all at once into your heart, your center for love, self-love and healing. Feel your heart smile. The smile brings a beautiful vibration of radiant health which now spreads throughout your entire body.

Practice this exercise every day and expect miracles to happen. This is the best form of preventative medicine, as the ancients knew by saying: ‘A merry heart doeth good like medicine.’

Do you ever feel that it is a challenge to find the right words to express your innermost emotions?

Have you ever experienced that you say one thing and the other person hears something different? Do you ever find yourself exclaiming, “I never said that!”

Studies have shown that 80 percent of all quarrels are a direct result of mis-communication.

If you answered “Yes” to the questions, you have experienced the limitations of verbal communication.

Conversations charged with emotions of anger and hurt offer boundless potential for havoc and disaster. First, you have to translate your own inner world into words, which offers the first potential for confusion. As you speak, the tone of your voice and your body language offers a second opportunity for misunderstanding. The other person then translates what they hear (and remember, hearing can be very selective) into their own inner world and then deciphers the message. This is a very complicated process.

A proverb says: Silence is Golden.

In German we have an equal expression saying: Talking is silver, silence is gold. “Reden ist silber, schweigen ist gold”, and an American philosopher once quipped, “One of the things you can never get back is the spoken word.”

Please consider the deep wisdom found in these words. They contain the secret to creating harmony and peace in all your relationships.

We know, though, that in today’s society, biting your tongue doesn’t always resolve issues. Meditation, however, teaches you how to practice the art of nonverbal communication and how to connect to the other person on a spiritual level.

It’s easy: Next time, wait before you speak, especially when you are emotionally charged. Take a few deep breaths and center yourself. Visualize yourself surrounded by bright shining light, as well as the person you are communicating with. Set an intent for balance and peace which serves the highest good for all parties involved.

This example from a meditation student, a business director, illuminates the art of nonverbal communication.

Once a month her supervisor visited from out of town to evaluate her office. Even though her office was one of the top performers in the business, a week prior to the meeting my client got nervous and didn’t sleep well. She dreaded the meeting, and over the years it became a major stress factor in her life. When she arrived at meditation class her major complaint was lack of communication with her superior. “We don’t connect, he has a negative attitude and I don’t think he likes me,” she said.

I suggested that she practice the cleansing breath meditation, and to surround herself with brilliant light, as well as her superior. In addition, I asked her to write down a positive vision for the meeting, in which she described the best possible scenario of perfect communication. Skeptical, my student practiced the meditations and focused on her vision every evening before she went to sleep.

Prior to the meeting she visualized the conference room filled with bright shinning benevolent light. She surrounded herself with light and sent a loving intent from her heart to her supervisor’s heart.

Then she received a flash of insight: She saw her superior sitting comfortably in the chair next to her and not across from her, which felt more confrontational.

She rearranged the chairs, and her supervisor didn’t seem the least bit surprised to sit next to her instead of across from her. The atmosphere was relaxed and all the previous tension my client had felt was gone. For the first time, she enjoyed the meeting. It was never again a problem. She reported that a miracle had happened, and her newly acquired meditation tools allowed her to experience improvement in all of her relationships.