Yogi Cameron - Ayurveda, Yoga, Health, Wellbeing, Spirituality

Waking up at 5am and to bed tonight at 9pm. This is a challenge for most people as everyone has something they are doing or want to do. The body and mind need sleep and at the correct times and in our society very rarely does this happen as the mind is very busy with thoughts. Now it is of utmost important to be at rest early and get up early because our inner energy becomes balanced with the rotation of the earth and sunrise/sunset.

This will be difficult for most but once experienced you will realize whether you have kids or like to work late, this one time may give you the insight to how much the body and mind need to rest at the right moments. At least this once we need to experience this discipline by going to bed and getting up by choice and not because we are exhausted and fall asleep snoring.

Prepare by going to bed the night of your fast at a earlier time than usual and get up at around 5am. Then again this night go to bed at 9pm sharp.

This exercise is to control the body and have the mind find some discipline. This seems simple but the action of doing it is not simple for most.

Happy dreams.

Yogi Cameron

Camerongoodhealth.com

Today is a day of fasting. Yes no eating or at least not eating after breakfast. Now it will be better to just drink warm water all day (5 or 6 cups is fine) but if you are diabetic or very attached to food, then do a partial fast. The less you eat the better you will feel, I promise. As with all the other practices so far we are cleansing  the mind of any toxins in the way of stubbornness, impatience, non-discipline and duality. Until the mind is focused it is no use taking up more difficult challenges as we will not have the strength needed to go all the way.

Wake up and have a glass of warm water. Sip on it for a while and see how you feel. Now the body is really not hungry but the mind is the one thinking of what to eat. If you distract yourself by doing other things, then you will not be hungry. This is a good practice on a busy home or work day when you have lots of things to do or it can be done on a quiet day but more discipline is needed for this as the mind tends to roam when it has little to do. Fasting is a physical clean but above this it helps one to be mentally free of material and physical attachments that control us, like food.

This can be a wonderful practice if you get on with the day and don’t think of food or it can be a day of struggle is you keep inviting food thoughts and keeping hold of those attachments. Be patient and be focused.

Yogi Cameron

Camerongoodhealth.com

This is the posting for January 5th 2009. I hope some of you have been following along however if you have missed a day or have just started just try and complete the challenges during January.

Day 4 How often do you sit still? For today we will practice a little meditation and sitting still for part of the day. Now this physical practice will bring about many frustrations as the body is not used to just sitting and the mind being free from thought. It is very important for the mind and body to be under our control, otherwise they will have us wondering about mentally and physically into all sorts of trouble (as we have all experienced).

For 15 minutes this morning sit in any posture which is comfortable for you and place your hands on your knees and sit without moving. This can be on the floor or on a seat. The important part is to focus on not moving and watching the breath going in and out. Be patient and sit for a full 15 minutes. Then again before bed sit for another 15 minutes. Make sure not to wait  until you are very tired before going to bed as the meditation will not be useful if you are half asleep. Let the mind just think the thoughts it wants but you focus on the breath.

Just sit there and be very still. You will realize form this how much noise, talking and movement there is in your life, which is uncontrolled. It is a very important practice to be still part of the day as the body and mind become imbalanced when there is excessive physical and mental activity continuously.

Be patient.

Yogi Cameron

Camerongoodhealth.com

This is the change exercise for day 3 January 4th 2009

How do you feel after yesterday’s practice? It sounded easy but once the mind starts to think it is not easy controlling it. The exercises of the last two days were to set out intention and getting to know ourselves a little better and why you want to change.

Today we will keep building on this foundation and root of change by partaking in a day or partial day of silence. Yes silence. Now you may be thinking ‘of all the days’ but it is the perfect day as in everything we do there is sacrifice. If I had picked any other day it would not have had the same impact as change comes with discipline and not convenience.

Now do as much as you like but the more you stick to the plan the better it will be for you. In this silence you should just observe your thoughts, avoid TV, do not be too busy so you are not aware of yourself and others. In this silence many new ideas and subconscious thoughts will pop up and you will become more aware of your surroundings and the amount of talk that you usually get involved in.

Most of us have no idea of all the chatter we are doing day and night, at work, with the family, on the phone, with friends and in our sleep. This silent practice will give us the opportunity to hear the inner voice and be a little more connected to listening instead of ‘being heard.’

All of these three practices set out for the first 3 days will give us the foundation for change as we go deeper into more difficult physical and mental evolution.

Be strong

Yogi Cameron

Camerongoodhealth.com 

This is the 2nd day of change and is for January 3rd 2009.

So the 2nd day of change should be the beginning of a lifetime of change for the betterment of not just your self but the betterment of everyone - humans, animals and the earth alike. This is the first rule of change, that anything we partake in has a good affect on all of humanity and it is not just selfishly good for us alone or the ones we love. If this is not our attitude and intention then karmically the ending will not be a positive one for anyone.

For this day I would like us all to think how we are impacting ourselves and the world around us in terms of pollution, creating waste, verbal mismanagement, body and mind intoxication’s, over indulgences, excess and all the other habits we have come to call by different terms.

Today we take 15 minutes to think this over and let it affect the way we behave for the rest of the day. 15 minutes to contemplate and take in the reality (with utmost truth) of how our behaviour towards our body and mind, as well as our speech towards others and how much waste we create each day-physical and mental waste which affects this planet and all the other living beings.

The 15 minutes begins now….

Now we decide on what we should do about it. Start to monitor how much garbage you put out each day, how much idle talk you get involved in, what goes into your body and how often, how often do you feel like helping others, how do you feel about the way you live and how much do you really know about yourself.

Now keep this in your thoughts today as you go about your business, then at the end of the day see if you have been conscious of your actions or not. This will give you an idea of how you are living your life and how much control you have over your mind.

Until tomorrow.

Yogi Cameron

Camerongoodhealth.com

I will be posting these exercises the day before so that everyone around the world will be able to start the exercise at the beginning of their day wherever you may live. This is the first day and we will start this on Friday the 2nd of January 2009.

Before you undertake any kind of change from your usual routine or habits you will have to change the mind before the physical changes can take shape. The main reason why most people find change slow and difficult is because the mind has not been prepared beforehand or made focused enough. You can change a few things with excitement or adrenalin but the real changes comes through will power and discipline of your mind.

Here is the beginning of this change by focusing the mind first on habit alterations and seeing how much resistance you are going to come up against. Change is as much spiritual as it is mental or physical and for this we have to acknowledge that there is a greater force at work than bigger than us and we need to be in sync with this energy to find our true power. Any kind of life long change has to grow from this intention and root cause.

In the next ten days we will prepare the mind for change by some simple practices and exercises, which you may find difficulty in doing. But stick with them and change will happen.

Day 1

Setting out our intentions in anything we do is the first step to change. If we are not sure why we want to achieve something we will never have the discipline or patience to see the changes through long enough for them to take root.

Sit for 15 minutes and see why you think you want to change and what difference it will make to your life if you don’t make these changes. This will be a test of how important it is to you.

Now that you have contemplated a little, the questions becomes - can I live without these changes? If you can then you may never start the journey as there will be little conviction that change is necessary. But if you cannot live in a happy or peaceful way without change then hold on to this thought and start on your new path.

So today’s practice is to contemplate change and why we want to make our lives different, better or happier. Are we only looking for short-term changes, for example changing the shape of our body or are we determined and aiming for the deeper real alterations of health and happiness- which will be difficult but worth the effort.  Are we looking for physical change or mental distractions? These have to be very clear before you start these 10 days as it could mean that you will never need to look again beyond your own strength to solve these issues.

This is the root of all change and needs deep thought and commitment, so you do not start something and get frustrated if you cannot see it through. Contemplate all day as you do your work and see what the answer is at the end of the day. Remember, reward comes at the end of the journey and not at the beginning.

Yogi Cameron