Mantra Mantra Mantra

"Good and bad, happy and sad, are all in the mind.  The mind can be enslaved, totally trained like an elephant. It's a big huge thing. But with mantra, your mind works for you.~ Yogi Bhajan

 

Mantras - they are a part of life. They are the words and phrases we  say over and over to ourselves. They are the scriptures and hymns we say and sing often. They are the  quotes and encouragement we utter when  someone, or we ourselves, are struggling. They are words that teach, calm, and enlighten us.  They are everywhere and they are powerful.  Some of my favorite mantras in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  are:  "I am  a CHILD OF GOD!" "We are daughters of our Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love Him." "Families Can Be Together FOREVER!"  "I know Heavenly Father loves me!" "Choose the  Right."

Mantras are everywhere sports, music, church, school, gym, the  store, and in the media.  Sorting out the right mantras and letting the negative ones go takes practice.  Yes, we have many negative mantras that run through our heads too. "I am a failure." "It doesn't matter, no one cares anyway." "Im so fat, ugly, old, wrinkled, flabby, shabby, messy, sleep deprived or weak." " No one appreciates me." "I have no support, I feel all  alone." "I am never going to be good enough." "I am a bad ___" Fill in the blank there mom, spouse, friend.  Any of those sound familiar? 

The cool thing about positive mantras used when chanting, or in connection with meditation is that they help us  rewire our brain to think the positive stuff in difficult situations, instead of defaulting to the negative thoughts.  

So did you know  that  there are eighty-four meridian points, aka pressure points, in the upper pallet also know as the  roof of the mouth?! Every time you speak, you stimulate these meridian points and there by  stimulate  their associated glands and organs—with your tongue. And every time you chant a mantra, you are stimulating a particular set of meridian points, the rhythm, and duration of the chant initiates a chemical reaction produced in the brain.  The  brain carries that chemical change into the body. Thus changing our state of mind and being.   This is key when chanting mantras mindfully. We want this change, this rewiring of the mind  will help us be at peace, feel more positive, and be in a mindful state where we can make conscious changes to our way of thinking and being.

 Mantra chanting isn't easy for everyone. Some people  can feel  uncomfortable  or weird-ed out by saying the same  words over and over again in a yoga or meditation setting.  Yet, mantras are all around us and we dont think twice about using them in other situations.   You don't even blink when you see someone  rushing  by saying  "Im  late!  Im late!  Im late!"  Or the teen or 4 year old that tells you every 2 min " I am so hungry!"  They are mantras- not always good ones, but mantras  none the less.   If you find you are one of those people who have a hard time with mantras- or you  are trying to explain your love for them  to someone who is new to mantras,  here are a few tips and ideas.

 

You can take it or leave it - they are just things that helped me.

* Mantras are used as a way to focus the mind-  All sports have mantas. The coach will teach  a phrase to the learner to repeat over and over as they are learning their sport.  "Keep my eye on the ball.""I can do this." "There is no try." "I am speed." "Visualize the ball going into the net."  They are all mantras  designed to help the learner concentrate, focus, and be positive. 

* Mantras are also used as a way to redirect the mind- Having a mantra on my mind helps me stay positive.  Instead of doing my daily morning grooming routine constantly thinking about all the things wrong with my appearance, I replaced those running negative thoughts  with the mantra " I am the light of my soul- I am Beautiful, I am bountiful , I am bliss!"  I did it enough that I believe it, and don't look in the mirror and see my flaws any more, instead I see my body as a blessing.  THIS WAS A BIG SCORE FOR ME!  It was mantra that did it- not a specific  meditation, just a new set of  TRUE words  to play in my mind during a time that I  was most prone to  self criticism and  self degradation.  LINK to one of many music tracks for I am the Light of my soul

 

* A quote  about mantras helped me be more at ease with  them.  "Be gentle and easy on yourself as you are beginning.  (Mantra) is a form of yoga after all, and when you are just starting yoga, you can’t expect your body to twist into a pretzel shape right away!  Slow and steady progress is made through commitment and self-nurturing.   The more you do it, the more you shine."

 

*  But Why "Chant" the mantra?  Isn't once enough? You may say something like mantras are great, I just don't like  the saying it over and over part. Its the Chanting that turns me off. Why do you have to chant? You can not hide feelings when you chant. There are days  where you chant  Sat Nam- meaning "Truth is my identity" and you just don't feel it!  You know something is not right when you are not feeling it, and it is not enjoyable. These feelings are an indicator that something is off.  You then can ask yourself where are you not being true to yourself, to God, or Others?  The feelings and emotions that come after chanting a few min stir your soul to change for the better, and  direct your thoughts to a safe non-judgemental space, where you can address and process those feelings. Chanting mantras can also stir great feelings of  gratitude, peace and joy.

Chanting  "God and me, me and God are ONE" and really feeling it is true can bring the same feelings that come with bearing testimony!  Even if there is no one to hear your  testimony, when you speak truth over and over and believe it - you FEEL it, and it lifts your spirit. Chanting it over and over also helps create new neural pathways so our thoughts and words will be positive. Chanting helps us act and not react.  LINK to God and me, Me and God are one

* Understanding the meaning of mantras makes them  more powerful.  For example,  one can chant the Mantra: Aap Sahaee Hoa or the complete Mantra is " Aap Sahaaee Hoaa, Sachay Daa Sachaa Doaa, Har, Har, Har" But it is the translation that makes it meaningful to me.  Here it is in English, "You, Divine One, have become my refuge. True is Your support, Great Creative Infinite." But WHY do I chant in Sanskrit or Gurmukhi instead of English? People who learn to speak different languages will often find a song or a phrase they love in that language. Do they sing that song or use that saying in their everyday life in English?  NOPE! They don't, they use the phrase or sing the song in their new  acquired language.  But WHY? Im not sure I have the answer for that. But I can say that  once you chant a mantra enough the concepts, the translation, and the feel of the mantra  resonate deeply regardless of the fact that it is not your native tongue.  Also remember those  meridian points we talked about?   The language we are  using helps us hit the right points in the right order that produce the changes we want. English translations  wont be as effective at hitting those same points because the sound current will be different when using English words.   Here is a  LINK to  a mantrapidea  that has mantras meanings, lyrics, translation and pronunciation guide, and sometimes meditations that are connected to a certain mantra.  Understanding the mantra is  a good way to appreciate it and feel more comfortable chanting it. 

* We chant mantras all the time but  they are usually negative ones "I'm late- I don't have enough time!" "I can't do that."  "This is so hard." "I hate my body."  "I am so busy!"  "I am so tired!"  "I am not enough."  "I am stupid- or that was stupid of  me. " " You are all driving me crazy!"  And on, and on, and on.  These are things that most people say and think over and over  every day. Chanting positive mantras for  a few min each day  can help us keep that positive mental attitude through out the day.  The time spent chanting  helps us be positive  when we start to think or say, "Ahhhh!  I don't have enough time!" Because we have spent time developing  new neural pathways we catch ourselves in that moment and can say " No, that is a lie, a trap and tactic of Satan to try and help me feel stressed. The truth is, I always have enough time for the things that are important. God  can help me order my life so that everything fits that SHOULD be in my day. " This redirection of the mind happens so easily and freely if we have spent time chanting  the good things.  Just like the coach  will redirect the language of a struggling teammate when they say "I can't do it, its  too hard."   Your mind comes forward with encouragement and a positive mantra to replace the negative thoughts. Some good news is, it just gets easier and easier with practice.

 

 * Chanting  mantras is like  singing!  Kids DO IT ALL THE TIME!!!!!  They take a phrase or a part of a song and they will sing that  part over, and over, and over, and over! They usually don't sing the  whole song.  Why?  Because they are chanting- They pick a phrase or two and chant it.  Most Kundaini Mantras are set  to a tune.  You don't have to call it "chanting" you can call it singing!  When I am teaching a child how to meditate I dont  use the word chant- I say " OK,  here is the part where we sing from our hearts- I am Happy! I am Good!" LINK  or " Be Still and Know That I Am."  LINK

I hope that these points or suggestions  will help you be more comfortable about using mantras. But like most things  it really takes trying it  before you  Understand it.

Most people have tried the sports mantras and they "Get" that, now its  just taking mantras to the next  step. Instead of  " keeping your eye on the ball"  or  "visualize the goal post" , we are  keeping our eyes on the eternal perspective, and visualizing ourselves the way God sees us, so  we can reach the ultimate goal of being with  Him and being as He is.

Other reading
Mantras in the Scriptures 

Unity "Of one heart"

  Becoming One


Moses 7:18  Pearl of Great Price

And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.

An Amazing Phenomenon Happens to the Heartbeats of Choir Members When They Sing Together

Why are we asked to sing before we do anything else at church? Why is singing  so powerful?  It brings the spirit but it also has the power to unify is and make our hearts as one.  Being one in heart is part of being a Zion people.
This is why I love it when we sing and meditate as a family. It knits our hearts together in love.
Mosiah 18:21
Book of Mormon
And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.
In  the video below  we are all metronomes going through life at our own tempo. With a common foundation of Christ and the Gospel to build on we can synchronize our hearts  or tune them so that we can be unified. Music does this. I am so glad we are commanded to sing the songs of the Gospel.  Elder Oaks reminds us to sing- even if we dont think we are good at it. LINK  When we dont join in song we are loosing out on an opportunity to feel the spirit and have our hearts beat with those who are striving to  live  a Zion life.

Below is a news story on this concept if you want  to read more.

Choir singers not only harmonize their voices, they also synchronize their heartbeats, a study suggests.

Researchers in Sweden monitored the heart rates of singers as they performed a variety of choral works.
They found that as the members sang in unison, their pulses began to speed up and slow down at the same rate.
Writing in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, the scientists believe the synchrony occurs because the singers coordinate their breathing.
Dr Bjorn Vickhoff, from the Sahlgrenska Academy at Gothenburg University in Sweden, said: "The pulse goes down when you exhale and when you inhale it goes up.
"So when you are singing, you are singing on the air when you are exhaling so the heart rate would go down. And between the phrases you have to inhale and the pulse will go up.
"If this is so then heart rate would follow the structure of the song or the phrases, and this is what we measured and this is what we confirmed."
Sing from the heart
The scientists studied 15 choir members as they performed different types of songs.

When you exhale you activate the vagus nerve... that goes form the brain stem to the heart

Dr Bjorn Vickhoff, Gothenburg University

They found that the more structured the work, the more the singers' heart rates increased or decreased together.
Slow chants, for example, produced the most synchrony.
The researchers also found that choral singing had the overall effect of slowing the heart rate.
This, they said, was another effect of the controlled breathing.
Dr Vickhoff explained: "When you exhale you activate the vagus nerve, we think, that goes from the brain stem to the heart. And when that is activated the heart beats slower."
The researchers now want to investigate whether singing could have an impact on our health.
"There have been studies on yoga breathing, which is very close to this, and also on guided breathing and they have seen long-terms effects on blood pressure... and they have seen that you can bring down your blood pressure.
"We speculate that it is possible singing could also be beneficial."



 http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23230411

The Armor Of God Meditation- time with Heavenly Mother

  We are told we need to put our armor on EVERY DAY I find that when I do  it this way I can feel it and I know where it  is weak. It only takes a few min but it is so powerful.

Here is how we do it at our house.

I talk this out for my kids. Now they have done it so much they can  do it on their own. 
Close your eyes and picture yourself in a white bright room. There is a table there with your armor on it. It is complete and made just for you. At the end of the table you see a woman. She is beautiful, and has a bright smile, love radiates from her. THIS IS YOUR HEAVENLY MOTHER. And as all mothers she wants you to be safe and protected and she is here to help you get dressed in your armor.
You can take a moment to greet her and tell her you love her.
Look at the table. It is spread with your armor. Heavenly Mother will tell you were to stand. Then she will walk to the table to help you get your armor on.
First she takes your helmet. She places it on your head, straps it under your chin, and lowers the visor so your face is also protected.
Next she takes your breast and back plate. You can hold the front as she puts on the back plate. It straps over the top of each shoulder. You will then have to raise each arm so she can make tight the straps on each side.  First on your right side , and then on your left.
She goes to the table and grabs a chainmail skirt. She wraps this around your waist and it ties in the back she then tucks it up and under the breast and back plate so there are no gaps.
Next come your leg grieves. She puts them in place and they strap at the upper thigh, above the knee, below the knee, and above the ankle for both legs.
She then goes to the table and gets your shoes. You can hold on to her as you step into each shoe. Once you are in she bends down and synches them for you and makes sure your ankles are covered.
Next hold out your arms and Heavenly Mother will put on your arm grieves. (Every ones armor is different and tailored to them. Your Arm grieves might strap to you similar to your leg grieves or they might be like great big gloves that go from your finger tip up to your shoulders.)
Feel the movement and comfort of your armor. Take time to twist and bend and feel safe and protected, flexible and strong.
Hold your arms out as Heavenly Mother brings you your sword and shield. Pay attention to which hand she puts them in. If your shield is in your dominate hand then today is going to be a day where you must protect and shield yourself and others. If your sword is in your strong hand then today is a day where you need to stand up for the things that are right and fight for Christ and his Gospel.
See if Heavenly Mother has any thing else for you that day that might help you or protect you.
Once you are all dressed give her a hug and tell her thank you. Tell her you love her and that you will try hard to be the kind of person she would want you to be. Listen to anything she has to say to you. And open your eyes.

This process can take any where from 1 min to 10 if you have a deep conversation or ask questions about your armor.
You can visualize this for anyone you are a steward over. Your armor is weakened or comes off completely when you sin, loose your temper, or are not true to the light you have. You can repent and ask God to re install it for you.
You can also muscle test to see if you are missing any pieces of your armor. Or to see if your sword is out... its not a good idea to keep it in the sheath it doesnt do you much good in there.
Everyone armor is different. Mine changes from time to time... I have a Sunday set of Armor that I LOVE. But it is only set out on the table on Sundays. On other people I have seen roman armor, mid evil armor, ninja/oriental armor, and even one little girl has armor that is pink and shinny with glitter all over it. It fits her personality.
This is so important that EACH of my kids have been told In their new years blessings for this year that they need to get up and meditate with mom and put on their armor every day.
Hope it helps.... ON a side note make sure that conversations with Heavenly Mother stay conversations. If you have anything that sound like a prayer make sure and rout it through Heavenly Father. We pray only to Him... but that doesnt mean we cant talk to our Heavenly Mother or have a relationship with her. 

Sat Nam

What do God's Answers FEEL like?

   This post comes from my dear eternal sister and friend Allie Duzett. She is a wiz with words and says things better than do.  

Follow the Spirit: learn your baseline

In the Home Healing Course I'm teaching, we spent the past week studying intuition (among other things). A bunch of people commented that they wished they'd known this one technique for their whole lives, so I'm just going to share it here in the hopes that it helps others.

The secret trick: every time I pray with a question now, I have God remind me ahead of time what yes and no feel like.

So the other night, I had this weird experience where I was supposed to go to a social event, and when I got there, I started feeling like the Holy Ghost was telling me not to go. This was basically an enrichment activity involving just a bunch of people from the ward, and so I was very confused. Why would I be told not to go to that?

So I ignored the prompting, got out of my car and headed toward the house, only to be told over and over again not to go, not to go. So I went back to my car and prayed.

Image here.

Fortunately, I had this tool in my tool belt. I prayed for God to remind me what a "yes" feels like, and I allowed myself to feel that for a few moments. Then I prayed for God to remind me what a "no" feels like, and I allowed myself to feel the difference.

Then I prayed again, asking: should I be here? (No.) Should I go home now? (Yes.)

I went ahead and phrased my questions different ways--Can I go in? Should I leave right this minute? Do I need to be at home tonight? Just testing my answers' consistency. When the answers all matched, I ended up turning the car back on and driving on home, just on faith. I wanted to go be with friends but as soon as I acted on my prompting I instantly felt better. When I got home I felt to ask my husband for a blessing, for all my confused feelings. The blessing basically was like, "Good work following the Spirit!" and that was that. So I have no idea what that all was about, but I did have a good time alone repackaging my long-term food storage and listening to Har Hari Haray Wahe Guru over and over on YouTube.

That story is just an example, though, of this principle in action. I believe I was inspired to begin asking God for these reminders of what yes and no feel like. Getting answers to prayers can be hard enough without having to guess if the feeling you're getting is a yes or a no.

So, a challenge: spend some time this week with God just learning what a "yes" and a "no" feel like. Go ahead and take it a step further, if you want, and ask what a "deceptive no" feels like--the most convincing false yes that the adversary could plant in your heart. Practice discerning the difference. Watch how much more easily you will be able to discern the yes-no answers to prayers as you live your daily life. Where it used to take me personally quite a while, sometimes, to understand if I was getting a yes or no about something, now it does not take long at all. I still ask for reminders of yes and no at the beginning of important prayers, but overall I am much more confident at knowing that when I get a feeling, I will be able to recognize it for the answer it actually is.

Yes Feeling Samples

Image here.

Talking to random people who have tried this, "Yes" feelings seem to tend to include:

- feelings of light or warmth of tingling in the lungs and face
- feelings of spiritual expansion
- feelings of energy rising in the body
- feelings of spiritual "smiling"
- open feelings in the heart area

No Feeling Samples

- feelings of being closed off
- energy sinking downward instead of upward
- tingling on different parts of the body (my guts sometimes tingle, or a friend's ears tingle)
- feelings of constriction

False Yes Feeling Samples

- dizziness
- energy moving around, but not in the same way as a yes
- different body parts tingling than you would feel in a yes or a no

Everyone Is Different

It's important to figure out for yourself what your baseline is. You might have the same yes and no feelings that I do, or you might not. I suspect it's like muscle testing. For most people, if they stand up and ask themselves what their name is, their body will sway one direction or another as an answer. But for some people, instead of swaying, their body will make, for example, the right arm tingle or lift for yes, and the left arm tingle or lift for no. That's not wrong. It's just different. There are lots of different ways a yes or a no feeling might manifest for a person, but it's up to you to discover what those manifestations look like for you.

Personal prayer. Image from lds.org.

And it's so, so important to learn what a deceptive no feels like. The adversary wants us to fail when we seek answers from God. The more important the issue is that we're praying over, the more he will try and influence us falsely. If God's answer is no but the adversary's answer is yes, you need to be able to recognize what that feels like.

Similarly, you need to be able to recognize feelings of "yes" as being from God, because sometimes God tells us answers we don't want to hear. "Yes" feelings for me are not particularly comfortable. So if all I asked was a yes or no question and I got that uncomfortable sensation of yes, that buzziness in my chest, if I didn't know any better I could easily just tell myself that my answer was a no, because what would I have to compare it to? And a lot of times I think people seeking answers expect them to come in a specific way, without asking God if that specific way is appropriate for them or not.

Also, I'll mention that another thing I like to do is specifically pray that God will send me answers in a way that is unmistakeable, that I will fully understand. God will always send us answers, but there's no guarantee we'll understand them unless we ask for that understanding too!

God is not going to lead you astray with this. If you go directly to Him to get your baseline, He'll be happy to give it to you. He wants you to be able to easily discern between yes and no. I believe it's actually one of His big goals for all of His children. So I challenge you to spend some time this week practicing with this. Get on your knees and ask Him what yes and no feel like. Ask Him a question and ask Him to give you the answer in a way you won't be able to misinterpret. Notice the difference in the quality of your prayers.

  Check out  her other awesome blog posts I have her linked to my page on the side. Believe! Witness miracles!

Reaching the Theta State

For more reading on brain waves  you can look Here

Going into theta the long way. I forget to tell you to sit with your feet flat on the floor if you are trying this for the first few times.

 

Ok here is  reaching Theta in a shorter way through your  Pineal Gland...  If you need a visual of where that is in your brain  its right in the very center... It looks like this

 

The next and  quickest way is  by using "The Tibetan Eye Roll"

 Good luck always remember to  be gentle with yourself.  If you are having a difficult time... relax and  pray for help.

Fasting for those who can't

 Pregnant? Nursing?  Diabetic or hypoglycemic? Sick?  But its fast Sunday and you want to fast and have the blessings that come with it. So what do you do?  Lets take a look at why God has us fast.  In chapter 25 of the Gospel Principles manual it says  "Fasting helps us gain strength of character. When we fast properly, we will learn to control our appetites and passions. We are a little stronger by having proved to ourselves that we have self-control. If we teach our children to fast, they will develop the spiritual strength to overcome greater temptations later in their lives."

I have come to learn for myself that Fasting is all about over coming the Natural Man and feeding  the spirit.   Fasting is about denying your ego and your negative mind. When you fast your  negative mind will  start to get irrational "We are going to die if we dont eat!" it will say. "IF I just eat a little bit I can still call it fasting." "I ate bread for the sacrament sooooo  I can eat this slice of bread and its not really breaking my fast."  You will have whining, and kicking, and screaming from your negative mind telling you to eat or you will die a horrible grueling death of 24 hour starvation.  If you are truly fasting you will have some of these thoughts but if you push through you will see that in about 20-23 hours of a true fast the urge to eat and the compulsive rationalizing to eat are gone and you feel  at peace.   

Lets look at the  phases of fasting and what it does to the brain/body really  quick or you can skip down to  how to modify a fast.

Stage one is eating the last meal before you fast from food and drink. So lets say it is Saturday night at 5 and you eat a nice light dinner and drink plenty of water.  At this time your insulin levels increase because of the food you just ate. You  have a uptake of glucose and any excess glucose is stored in the liver.

You get ready for bed, sleep nice, and wake up in the post - absorptive phase. This happens 6-24 hours after beginning your fast.  In this phase your insulin levels start to decrees.

 So if we stay on our  time table this happens at about 11am-3pm Sunday. Your insulin levels are very low and your body is constantly reminding you that you are hungry and thirsty. If you do not give into your body's  urges to eat and drink, your body will start to  breakdown the stores of glycogen in the liver releasing it as glucose. Your glycogen stores last for roughly 24 hours.

Near the end of this stage you will start to feel less of an urge or compulsion to eat as your body consumes the stored glycogen. This sensation of being satisfied could happen  as early as 20 hrs from the time you started your fast.

At roughly 23-24 hrs from your fast you reach a new phase where new glucose from amino acids  is manufactured in the liver in a process called “gluconeogenesis”. Literally, this is translated as “making new glucose”. Your glucose levels will  fall a bit but stay within the normal range.

The cycle is complete  at  5 on Sunday when you are sitting down to a nice light meal and drink plenty of water.

The CYCLE.

Being fed and life is great! 

I m kind of hungry. 

I NEED it!  I need food NOW!- - breaking point

Im at peace and I feel I can wait a few more hours.

Then breaking your fast and feeling fed  again.

How to modify a fast

I have been pregnant or nursing for the last 8 years  and have wanted to fast.  After studying  what fasting was doing to my body and what fasting was doing for me mentally and physically I started to fast on Fast Sunday. Now even  with a 4 month nursing baby who likes to eat every 2 hrs - I fast nearly every Sunday.  The key is to  follow the cycle  that fasting from food and water provide.  Pick something that you feel  like you would have a hard time living without... some examples are internet, meat,  your phone, chocolate, electricity, grains, your mirror, saying your favorite expression. The point is to make it something HARD to go without and then follow the cycle. 

Fasting should be hard- a sacrifice- a way to exercise self-control. If it isn't hard... it isn't truly fasting.   As of right now I fast from the internet every Sunday and from food I need to chew. After a few months my body will make  enough milk for 24 hrs on my last fasting meal and water and I will skip  the small smoothy. So Pick something uncomfortable, something that will give you  constant reminders that you are fasting from it, like fasting from food does.  Then complete the cycle.

It is important to  note that depending on what you chose to fast from your cycle may take longer than  24 hrs.  If I fasted from something like meat or sugar it may be several days before I get to  " I HAVE TO HAVE THIS NOW" or the breaking point part of the cycle. This is where you justify anything to have what you are fasting from.  If you decide to fast from electricity you may reach this breaking point in 8- 30 hrs.  Remember not to break your fast until you have  moved past this stage and are feeling at peace or satisfied, and a have a willingness to wait until the prescribed time to end the fast has arrived. The point is to give your self an opportunity to put off the natural man and deny the body and its impulses and take that time to focus on the purpose of your fast regardless of what you are abstaining from.

One other thing to consider is a prolonged fast.  When I do a prolonged fast I pick a time frame usually 10-40 days and stick with it long enough to  repeat this cycle a few times. When I do a prolonged fast I fast from sugar, or meat, or I do a diet of grains and green. Eating only green things, primarily vegetables, with an emphasis on leafy greens for calcium, seaweed for minerals, and avocado for healthy fats; with a few fruits (green apples, green grapes, kiwi, or pears) and pistachios to enrich the diet and keep the blood sugars balanced. This diet allows the blood to become more alkaline, decreases cortisone and other stress factors in the tissues, adds moisture to the colon and purifies the liver, pancreas, and intestines. If it is not a grain or not the color Green I dont  eat it. This allows me to eat, and eat well I might add, but still gives me practice being the master of my body and practice denying myself the things my body might want or think it needs.  Another prolonged fast diet is called the Kitchari Diet and lots of Kundalin Yogi's do it for 30 days.

 A part often over looked when making fasting modifications is the fast offering. Continue to pay your fast offerings as if you were fasting from food- be generous with your offerings.  This  is also part of the law of the fast. Abstaining and giving are key to fasting. Just because you are not doing a true food and water fast does not mean you are exempt from the fast offering.

Mastering the  fast helps us master our selves. It makes it easier to exhibit self-control in other areas of our lives. Its an important commandment to keep.

As you find ways to  put off the natural man, exercise power over your body, and  let your spirit be in control you will be  blessed.  Fasting is a great way to do this.

However you do it, whatever you eat or don't eat, or do or don't do for your fast, remember to fast with prayer and purpose. Remember the cycle and move all the way through it, and not just give in as soon as you are at the breaking point. Its getting past that point and into the feelings of peace and acceptance where the true power of the fast comes in to play.

Sat Nam

 Put off the Natural man and come of conquer!

Of Devils and Angels

"If our eyes were open to see the spirit world around us, . . . we would not be so unguarded and careless and so indifferent whether we had the spirit and power of God with us or not but we would be continually watchful and prayerful to our Heavenly Father for His Holy Spirit and His holy angels to be around about us to strengthen us to overcome every evil influence." - George Q. Cannon (Gospel Truths, 1:82)
I did energy work for someone I  am close to and know to be a  great person. After I had cast out many devils and demons and a few dissembled spirits this person said... "Thanks for the energy work but I dont think I am as bad as you think I am. "  I tried to explain that the amount of devils does not equate to how good or bad you are. But they are a part of this existence and plague us all. We can choose to  let them stay near and afflict us or we can choose to send them away.

"Every person who desires and strives to be a Saint is closely watched by fallen spirits that came here when Lucifer fell, and by the spirits of wicked persons who have been here in tabernacles and departed from them. . . . Those spirits are never idle, they are watching every person who wishes to do right and are continually prompting them to do wrong." - Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses 7:239)

Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, 1958: “Through supernatural means, by the power of the Holy Ghost, devout persons are permitted to have visions and to see within the veil. They are enabled to see spiritual personages and to view scenes hidden from ordinary sight. These visions are gifts of the Spirit. (Seventh Article of Faith.) They come by faith and vanish away when faith dies out. (1 Sam. 3:1; Isa. 29:9-14.) Thus they stand as an evidence of the divinity of the Lord’s work in any age. If the Lord is giving visions and revelation to a people, such group constitutes the people of God. If visions and revelations are not being received by any church or people, then that group is not the Lord’s people. By this test the identity of the true Church is known. (Moro. 7:30-38.) … Visions serve the Lord’s purposes in preparing men for salvation. By them knowledge is revealed (2 Ne. 4:23), conversions are made (Alma 19: 16), the gospel message is spread abroad, the church organization is perfected (D. & C. 107:93), and righteousness is increased in the hearts of men. And visions are to increase and abound in the last days, for the Lord has promised to pour out his ‘spirit upon all flesh,’ so that ‘old men shall dream dreams,’ and ‘young men shall see visions.’ (Joel 2:28-32.)” (Mormon Doctrine [Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, Inc., 1958], pp. 745, 747.)

Once you start a daily meditation practice and do kundalini yoga you will see that your senses are open to more.  It is not  uncommon to see spirits both good and bad around you and others.  Just as Satan had no power over Moses  and he sent him a way by commanding him in the name of of the Savior to leave, we also have power to call upon our savior and deliverer and command them to leave.

If you find that you feel like its  an exceptionally hard day and you are tempted on every hand. Or if you find yourself  thinking degrading thoughts or thoughts that are not your own, chances are you are

being influenced by these  evil beings.  They are around us and it is their job and pleasure to create pain and to make temptation harder to resist. No one is immune. Some times members get confused by thinking that since they are repentant or have just been to the temple, or they are a good person  that  these "bad guys" will not be  with them.  Unless you have sent them away they are there to cause as much damage as they can. You are not immune because  you are a good person- a child- a priesthood  holder- a yogi - or energy worker.  They are here and they are real.

Here is a side point that I feel is worth addressing...
The Lord said,“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”(Matthew 5:16) President Davis O. McKay talks about radiating this light. There is another responsibility correlated and even co-existent with … agency, which is too infrequently emphasized, and that is the effect not only of a person’s actions, but also of his thoughts. Man radiates what he is, and that radiation affects to a greater or lesser degree every person who comes within that radiation” (“Free Agency … the Gift Divine,” Improvement Era, February 1962, 87). 

So IF we are close to the spirit and living as God would want us to we shine with a bright white aura. We radiate to others through our aura and even if they cant see it they can sense that a person is good. Satan can not know our thoughts. So how does he and his  followers know if they are being successful in tempting us to think bad things or not if they cant hear our thoughts?  Easy, they can see our aura. As soon as we start  giving into temptation our auras dim and diminish. The more we listen the more we make choices that remove us from "the light" the more dark we become.   Now back to the  meat of it.

  God has not left us powerless against them. We  have prayer and scripture study and other things that raise our vibration making it difficult to be tempted by their influence. These things bring a heightened awareness to the environment around us and we can if we chose to send them  away by calling on the name of Christ and  commanding them to depart.   We can also call on others from the normally unseen world to help.  We are  not only surrounded by devils but  also  angles. They are members  from our heavenly and earthly family who  are there to help us and  aid us. They are eager to help us and  bless us.

"President George Q. Cannon said this about how God has prepared you and me and our children for the tests we will face: “There is not one of us but what God’s love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels—invisible beings of power and might—charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping.” What President Cannon taught is true. You will need that assurance, as I have needed it and depended on it."-  Henery B Eyring  (To My Grandchildren, general conference  Oct 2013)

So in short. Its a war- you are the prize - you have those fighting constantly for you and against you.  Pray for those  who  fight with you and for you and  Cast away those who would influence you to do evil, for they are subject to you.  Surround yourself with  all that is good. One can not expect evil to stay away if one lets it in  though music, media, filthily and offensive words, and hot tempers. 
Be clean in  all that you are and do, and send evil on its way.
Sat Nam
  A really good read on the subject  HERE