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If Goldilocks were to leaf through a few meditation books, she might find some approaches to be too hot, others too cold. But soon enough, we know she'd land on a system that feels "just right" to her. She always does.

Meditation is Like Porridge

When you take your first taste of meditation, it is good to follow your inner guidance. Too hot? Too cold? Find an approach that feels "just right" as it offers you a bridge from your every day state of mind into the clarity, awakening, and healing you seek.

Scattered Mind

In our ordinary state of mind, we rapidly alternate our focus between what is wanted and what is not wanted. This creates static in our vibration. When you focus in such a way that increases the split in your energy, you feel worse. When you deliberately select a focus that brings you into alignment, you feel better.

The more you become like Goldilocks, the more you can clearly tell which technique feels too hot, which one's too cold, and which one is "just right" for you. The more you follow your inner guidance, the more easily and swiftly you can bring yourself into a deep and beneficial meditative state.

The Missing Ramp

Most people give up their meditation practice (or never even begin) for one reason. This reason takes many forms but there is really only one reason. It may feel like "I don't have the time." Or it may show up as "I don't really understand how to do it." It may even look like "I try but I fall asleep."

All these obstacles to meditation are the same at their root. They may look different, but they are all evidence of something missing. The thing that is missing is a ramp.

Your mind is functioning at one frequency and meditation asks it to function at a completely different frequency. When you sit down in your everyday mental pace and ask yourself to jump levels with no ramp, you may be asking the impossible of yourself.

But when you have a ramp, you can do it. When you have a simple way to reliably move from the rhythm of your everyday mind into the rhythm of meditation, you advance rapidly. You begin to reap the benefits of meditation that usually take years and years to achieve.

Aligned Mind

A physical ramp will get your car from one level to another, but what kind of ramp will elevate your mind? The ramp that brings you comfortably into meditation is built of inner alignment. And just like Goldilocks, who knows a good ramp when she sees one, you will know you have achieved a shift in your vibration when you have found your inner alignment. It feels "just right."

Here is an exercise you can do right now to begin your inner alignment. Try this before you meditate and see if it changes the experience for you.

1 - Sit with your spine upright and close your eyes.

2 - Imagine a vertical beam of light running through your spine. It extends infinitely above your head. It also extends below you through the center of the earth and beyond.

3 - allow your muscles to relax and let this beam of light call your spine to a relaxed and powerfully upright posture.

4 - On each in breath, feel your breath begin at the base of your spine and let it rise through the beam of light to the top your head.

5 - On each out breath, feel the breath and the light expand outward to fill your whole body. Feel it illuminate and cleanse your physical cells as well as your energy body.

This simple process of beginning your alignment with the vertical axis offers many benefits:

It brings you into greater awareness of the now.
It promotes healing.
It heightens your sensory awareness so that you have more joy in your human experience.
It augments your insights and talents.
It increases your natural abilities by making you whole.

As you do this process, I recommend you approach it like Goldilocks. Find a way to do it that feels "just right."

For a complete system of inner alignment that leads you into deep meditation in record time, comfortably and easily, read Dr. Rebbie Straubing's book "Rooted in the Infinite: The Yoga of Alignment" You can download the introduction and first chapter at http://RootedintheInfinite.com

Most of us recognize the continuing escalation of violence around us, due to intolerance, and many of us blame it on somebody else. Parents teach their children, all the time, and when one of us displays road rage, while our child is in the car, we teach a brand new skill set.

Although, road rage is inappropriate behavior, at any time, and can get you killed, most children who are exposed to it, will duplicate the actions of their parents, when they are old enough to drive.

So the first step, is to set an example and, possibly, use some of these ideas, for yourself. Studies show that anger causes atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaques in the arteries, that is a major factor in developing high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, and premature death.

Also, during a temper tantrum, adrenaline and blood pressure levels rise beyond normal. This behavior is more dangerous to parents bodies due to the normal wear and tear already existing.

Now, you may be convinced that anger can kill you, but lets look at one more factor. You could hurt someone else, find yourself in prison, or get yourself killed due to inciting violence against others. There are other people, who are having difficulty dealing with anger management too.

Back to our children: All children need exercise and they are naturally full of energy. Look at any other species, and you will see the same behavior. Should we drug our dogs, cats, and parrots, when they display youthful exuberance?

Children have to run, jump, and shout. So let them play in the back yard, in a park, and get them involved in sports, Yoga, dance, or martial arts. You will never regret letting your child enjoy life, constructively learn in the process, and just be a kid.

For all of us, there is a time to be quiet and a time to shout. Children need years to learn this, so lets keep them active in the process. Keep them away from the television, Internet, and video games, except for rainy days. Coloring books, board games, and reading are also good activities for rainy days.

A heavy bag is a great tool for letting anger out. You and your child can use it together. You can learn to punch and kick it, for the aerobic benefits, as well. If you have a friend who is a boxer or martial artist, you could get some pointers. After just a 20-minute session, I guarantee you, and your child, will have dealt with anger - there will be little, if any, left.

Teach your child forgiveness, through your own example. I am not asking you to let people walk all over you. However, let grudges go; life is really too short to keep a feud going.

You can also control your childs circle of friends, just by getting him or her involved in, group activities such as: League sports, dance, yoga, or martial arts. The parents who have their children in these activities want the best for them and are willing to sacrifice their time, or money, to get it.

This will keep your child busy, happy, and active, with a pre-selected crowd of friends, who have parents that care. This is a win win situation and well worth the investment.

This is not to say that every child you run into, at these functions, will be perfect, but in the above mentioned activities, all of them are structured, adult-supervised, and rules for behavior are in place. This form of organization becomes a habit, your child will follow these guidelines, and bring them home.

Here is another idea that will help. have your child take care of a pet or a plant, every day. Children love to care for animals or plants, but they still need supervision. The result of this will be, your child learns compassion.

Compassion will keep anger in check every time.

Paul Jerard, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in north Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? - for Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher.

http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org