Candle Meditation

The Advantages of Candle Meditation

If you’ve had problems with other forms of meditation, candle meditation might be the answer.

You may, for example, have found the visualization exercise difficult. For some people reconstituting an image in the “mind’s eye”  can be really hard work.

Now, on the other hand, there’s something attractive about a candle flame. It has a “living” quality that just makes you want to look at it. And that’s its main advantage. You won’t have to struggle to create a mental image. You’ll have a real, concrete image in front of you, one that’s almost begging to be looked at.

Preparation for Candle Meditation

First of all, you’ll need a chair with a high, straight back. It should be one that you can rest your head against if necessary.

You’ll need a candlestick of some sort to place on a desk or table in front of you. This is because the candle flame needs to be at the same height as your face. You shouldn’t be stooping as you look at it.

Please note that the candle should be at least 50 cm from your face.

I didn’t realize until I started to do the research for this post that there was some sort of controversy over which type of candle to use.

There’s apparently a growing number of people who avoid the use of candles made from paraffin wax because they believe that they give off toxic fumes.

This viewpoint could have its origins in research conducted at South Carolina State University in 2009 which showed that paraffin wax candles emitted air pollutants like toluene and benzene.

Apparently lighting the odd candle once in a while doesn’t pose any threat. But lighting candles frequently or lighting many candles at once age could lead to the aggravation of asthma, irritation of the respiratory tract or allergy-like symptoms.

I suppose a sort of worst-case scenario might be taking a hot bath in a small bathroom surrounded by 20 lighted paraffin wax candles.

If you suffer from asthma or other respiratory problems, or if you are simply concerned about this, look for candles made from beeswax or soy wax. Make sure that you see those words on the packaging.

Candle Meditation

Allow at least 10 minutes, plus five minutes rest afterward, for candle meditation.

Sit on your chair with your back straight, but relaxed.

Practice your breathing. Breathe in through your nose, counting to 4. Feel the breath on the bottom of your nostrils as it goes in. Follow it down into your lungs. Feel your abdomen rise. Hold your breath and count to 4. Now breathe out, counting to 4. Feel your abdomen fall. Follow the breath up to your nose. Feel it on your top lip as it goes out.

Turn down the lighting in the room you’re using.

Place the candle in front of you. Light it.

Keep our eyes on the flame. Watch it moving.

Carry on breathing into a count of 4, holding your breath to a count of 4, breathing out to a count of 4.

If you experience distracting thoughts, don’t fight them. Just imagine them like passing clouds… floating away.

Keep watching the candle flame.

Now, as you breathe in, imagine yourself breathing in light from the flame. As you hold your breath, imagine yourself filled with light. As you breathe out, imagine yourself breathing out the light.

You may find, after a time, that your vision of your surroundings gradually fades until you can’t see anything but the candle flame. This is quite OK.

However, if you don’t have this experience, don’t get depressed and feel that you have “failed”.

The purpose of candle meditation, like all other meditation, is to enable you to center yourself, to relax in the present moment. Just breathing, watching the candle flame and allowing distracting thoughts to “float away” will enable you to do this.

After Candle Meditation

When you’ve finished your meditation, either sit in an armchair or lie down.

Close your eyes and rest for about 5 minutes.

Make sure that your vision is back to normal.

As with all forms of meditation, try this a few times before deciding whether you like it or not.

If you decide that candle meditation is for you, practicing it once a day should be enough.

Binaural Beats Meditation

Copyright Galina Barskaya/Dreamstime Stock Photos

What is Binaural Beats Meditation?

The aim of binaural beats meditation is to get you into a state of consciousness like that of meditation by influencing the frequency of your brainwaves. Technically this process is known as brain entrainment. You achieve the desired state of consciousness by listening to binaural beats(usually accompanied by soothing music) through stereo headphones.

How do Binaural Beats work?

Two sounds of almost equal frequencies are played one in each ear by means of headphones or speakers. On hearing them, the brain integrates the two signals and causes the sensation of a third sound which is called the binaural beat.

The frequency of the binaural beat is the difference between the frequencies of the two sounds that are played. So, if a sound of frequency 100 Hz is played to one ear and a sound of frequency 110 Hz is played to the other ear, the brain creates a binaural beat of 10Hz.

When the beat frequency falls within the range of human brainwave frequencies( i.e. 0.5 – 40 Hz), the brainwaves entrain to or move towards the beat frequency.

Brainwaves and the State of Consciousness

There are a variety of human brainwave frequencies. They’re classified by letters of the Greek alphabet. Each one produces a corresponding state of consciousness.

Gamma Waves(over 40 Hz) is associated with the higher mental activity(perception, problem-solving) and fear

Beta Waves (13-40 Hz) are associated with active concentration and busy or anxious thinking

Alpha Waves((7 -13 Hz) are associated with deep conscious relaxation, pre-sleep drowsiness, rapid eye movement sleep and dreams

Theta Waves(4-7 Hz) is associated with deep relaxation and non-rapid eye movement sleep

Delta Waves(less than 4 Hz)  are associated with deep dreamless sleep and loss of consciousness.

Alpha Waves are the ideal frequency range for meditation. A frequency of  10 Hz is ideal.

How to Meditate with Binaural Beats

If you haven’t already got any, get yourself a pair of stereo headphones.

Download some meditation music into which binaural beats have been embedded. There’s a wide variety of music out there. Choose some which you find pleasant and relaxing. Make sure that the music you’ve chosen is designed to entrain your brain to an alpha wave frequency.

Sit upright in a high-backed chair. Place both feet flat on the ground and place your palms face down on your thighs. Close your eyes and follow your breath in and out of your nose.  Feel it on the bottom of your nostrils as it goes in and on your top lip as it goes out. Don’t attempt to control your breathing in any way. Just let it happen. If thoughts come into your mind don’t try to engage with them. Simply let them come and go like passing clouds. Do this for about five minutes.

The rest is easy. Put on your headphones, plug them in and play your music.

Again, if thoughts come into your mind, don’t engage with them. Let them come and go, then gently return your attention to the music.

It’s possible to listen to binaural beats without music(you can find them on the internet). Indeed there are those who say that this is the only way to do it. However, I feel that most people would find it rather boring.

It normally takes about seven minutes for human brainwaves to entrain to the required frequency. An ideal session of binaural beats meditation lasts about 30 minutes.

The Advantages of Binaural Beats Meditation

I’ve included a preliminary breathing exercise in my version of this meditation. It ’s to help you forget about the cares of the day and relax a bit.

But, other than this, with binaural beats meditation, you don’t have to work hard to attain a desired state of consciousness. You just relax and listen.  For this reason, it’s useful for people who find breathing, counting, concentrating and so on difficult.

Most forms of meditation have a sort of “religious” feel about them. That’s because a lot of meditation procedures are secularized versions of Eastern religious practices.  This puts some people off. Binaural beats meditation is more “technical” in nature and might appeal to those people.

Chapattis

Chapatti Flour is now available in some branches of the major supermarkets. It is of course sold by Indian stores, where it ’s known as Atta(emphasis on the first syllable). It comes in brown and white varieties. I happen to prefer the brown.

If you can’t find Chapatti Flour where you live, a substitute can be made by mixing 50% Wholewheat Flour with 50% All-purpose Flour.

Chapattis

Author: Martin

Recipe type: Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 4

 

Chapattis(or Rotis, as they 're sometimes called) are the traditional Indian flatbreads. They're often served with vegetable curries like Mattar Paneer.

Ingredients

• 500g Brown Atta, or Chapatti Flour
• 200 ml Hot(but not boiling) Water
• Flour for Pastry Board
• Reduced Fat "Buttery" Margarine

Instructions

1. Sieve the Chapatti Flour into a mixing bowl
2. Gradually mix in the hot water until you've got a stiff dough
3. It shouldn't be too soft!
4. Knead the dough until it's fairly elastic
5. Divide it into balls the size of a tomato
6. Spread flour over a pastry board and rolling pin
7. Roll each ball into a thin pancake
8. To cook the Chapattis use a Tawa(traditional Chapatti Pan) or a heavy-based Frying Pan
9. Spray or brush the pan with oil
10. Get it very hot
11. Cook each Chapatti for about 15 seconds each side.
12. As you're cooking the second side, the Chapatti may start to puff up
13. This is OK. It's a sign that it's cooked and it'll go down
14. Traditionally Indians rub the top side of each Chapatti with butter
15. Use a reduced fat substitute that's suitable for cooking

Aloo Paratha (Parathas stuffed with Spiced Potato)

ALOO PARATHA
Copyright: Mojosaurus
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

This Aloo Paratha recipe produces a more substantial type of flatbread than the basic Chapatti.

In fact, they’re very substantial. An adult probably won’t want to eat more than two at one go.

Green Chillies vary in strength. The thin ones sold in Indian stores are very hot. If you’ve got reservations about heat, use two mild Green Chillies(the ones as thick as your fingers) and leave out the Red Chilli Flakes.

Indians would traditionally use Ghee(Clarified Butter) for frying, Sunflower Oil is a healthier substitute.

Aloo Paratha (Parathas stuffed with Spiced Potato)

Author: Martin

Recipe type: Breakfast/Lunch/Picnic Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Serves: 4 - 6

 

Aloo Paratha - Parathas stuffed with Spiced Potato. Stuffed parathas are usually eaten on their own(for breakfast, lunch, picnics) rather than as accompaniments to curries.

Ingredients

• 500 g Atta/Chapatti Flour
• 200 ml Hot(not boiling) Water
• Flour for Rolling Pin and Pastry Board
• 1 Kg Potatoes (suitable for mashing)
• 1 Large or 2 Small Onions, Chopped
• A 2 cm Piece of Root Ginger, Peeled and Chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 2 - 3 Green Chillies, Chopped
• 1 Bunch Fresh Coriander, Chopped
• ½ Teaspoon Dried Red Chilli Flakes
• ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• Sunflower Oil for Frying

Instructions

1. Use the Chapatti Flour and Hot Water to make a dough(See Chapatti recipe)
2. Peel and Boil the Potatoes
3. Don't overboil! The Potato mixture should be stiff
4. Fry the onion until soft(not browned!)
5. Add the Ginger and fry for about 2 mins
6. Add the Garlic and fry for 1 min
7. Add the Chilli Flakes and Cumin Seeds and fry for 1 min
8. Mash the Potatoes
9. As you do so stir in the onion mixture
10. Then stir in the Chopped Fresh Coriander
11. As I said above, the Mashed Potato should be fairly stiff
12. Divide the dough into balls the size of a large tomato
13. Roll them out into "Pancakes" 13 - 14cm wide
14. Place 2 Tablespoons of the Mashed Potato into the center of each "Pancake"
15. Fold the dough of each one over the Mashed Potato so that it is completely covered
16. Roll out each one into a "Pancake" 17 - 18 cm wide
17. Heat a Tawa or Heavy-based Frying Pan to a high temperature
18. Add oil
19. Fry each Paratha for 45 sec too! min on each side
20. When cooked they should be lightly browned

E Cigarettes – Don’t deny smokers a chance to quit smoking

E-cigarettes are in the news.  Mark Drakeford, Health Minister in the Labour-run Welsh Government, has announced proposals to ban the use of e-cigarettes from public places in Wales. Political commentators have said that, if this proposal becomes law in Wales, it won’t be long before it becomes law in the rest of the UK.

What are e-cigarettes?

E-cigarettes are electronic devices which resemble tobacco cigarettes. Some have a glowing tip. They contain liquid nicotine, which is vaporized with the aid of a battery. The user inhales the nicotine vapor. S/he gets a nicotine ‘kick’ without the tar which comes with tobacco smoke. Of course, it’s the tar that causes the health problems associated with smoking.

Are e-cigarettes safe?

They’re much safer than smoking and they have no effect on anyone but the user. The problem of passive smoking, which led to the UK ban on smoking tobacco in public places, doesn’t exist.

Professor John Britton, of the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians, has said that if all smokers were to switch to e-cigarettes it would prevent 5 million deaths. In his opinion pure nicotine(without the tar) has the same effect on the body as caffeine.

The BMA(British Medical Association), particularly the co-chair of its Public Health Medicine Committee Richard Jarvis, claim that allowing e-cigarettes to be used in public places will undermine the legislation banning smoking in public places. The BMA also claims that the use of e-cigarettes will encourage people who wouldn’t have considered smoking to take it up.

Dr. Vivienne Nathanson, a spokesperson for the BMA says of e-cigarettes

“We don’t know they’re safe. The content of them varies considerably and adequate research has not been conducted. I would either take them off the shelves or heavily regulate them so that we know the contents are fixed.”

I’m tempted to observe that heavy regulation seems to be a bit of a knee-jerk reaction with the BMA, particularly when there’s an element of pleasure involved.

There is, however, one blot on the landscape as far as those who suffer from vascular problems are concerned. Chi-Ming Hai, a physiologist at Brown University(Providence, Rhode Island, USA) has conducted a study of nicotine replacement methods and come to the following conclusion.

“In my opinion, if taking nicotine for a short time can lead to a complete cessation of smoking then it will be beneficial to take nicotine as a bridge to smoking cessation. However, our data suggest that long-term consumption of nicotine by use of e-cigarettes is likely to increase the risk of developing atherosclerosis by stimulating invasion of vascular smooth muscle cells.”

Can e-cigarettes help you to quit smoking?

A  recent survey of 6000 smokers conducted by a cancer research center at the University of London showed that e-cigarette users(8% of the total) are more likely to stop smoking than those using other methods of nicotine replacement like patches or gum. (The results were published in Addiction magazine in May of this year.)

On the other hand, research by Dr. Pamela Ling, an Associate Professor at the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California led her to the following conclusion.

“When used by a broad sample of smokers…… e-cigarette use did not significantly increase the chances of quitting cigarette smoking.”

(These results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.)

Dr. Michael Siegel, Professor of Community Health at Boston University School of Public Health,  thinks the British study is significant. This is because it looked at those who said they were using e-cigarettes to quit smoking, as opposed to Dr. Ling’s study which looked at users of e-cigarettes in general.

The pros and cons of e-cigarettes

For……

• E-cigarettes are much less harmful than smoking.
• There’s no effect on anyone but the user. There’s no such thing as “passive vaping”.
• A lot of people claim that e-cigarettes have helped them to quit smoking.
• A recent study conducted at the University of London confirms this.

Against……

• The Brown University study suggests that prolonged use of e-cigarettes leads to atherosclerosis.
• The BMA correctly points out that the “ingredients” of e-cigarettes vary considerably.
• The BMA believes that the use of e-cigarettes undermines the law banning smoking from public places.
• The BMA believes that the use of e-cigarettes will encourage people to start smoking tobacco.

Should we ban e-cigarettes or not?

If you suffer from high blood pressure and/or vascular problems and you’re still smoking you must stop. You must take action right now.

Some of you will be able to quit smoking by will power alone. Some of you will need help  – either nicotine replacement(e-cigarettes, patches or gum), prescribed drugs or counseling. It doesn’t matter how you do it so long as you do it.

If you don’t suffer from vascular problems but want to quit smoking because you know what it can lead to then please, please give it a go –  and keep trying.

But, having quit smoking myself, I can tell you that it ’s difficult. I found it much more difficult than the public health ads suggest.

For this reason, I think that it would be absolute madness to deny smokers anything that might help them to quit.

For this reason, I oppose the proposed limitation on the use of e-cigarettes.

There’s something else too.

The language of some campaigners with respect to both smoking and the use of e-cigarettes has been very judgemental.

Here are some of the words of Mark Drakeford, the Welsh Health Minister.

Having expressed the fear that e-cigarettes might be “normalizing” smoking again, he said

“We have spent 30 years creating a climate in this country where people understand that smoking is not glamorous or desirable.”

The implication of these words is that smokers are morally wrong.

I believe that labeling smokers in this way will simply turn them off and stop them trying to quit. Indeed it may induce some of them to carry on smoking out of “sheer cussedness”. ( I’m remembering myself as a young man here!) It will be counterproductive.

Quitting smoking is difficult enough. Smokers need to be met with understanding and given all the encouragement and support they need.

Indian Style Fried Rice

Copyright Wong Yuliang/Dreamstime

Indian Style Fried Rice is a dish I originally threw together at short notice.  As with other recipes, I’ve played about with it over the years. It’s a bit like Chicken Biryani. I didn’t call it that because I think that some people would(quite rightly)  have criticised it for not being authentic. The best thing to cook it in is an Indian Karahi.  

If you can’t get hold of one, a Chinese Wok or a large frying pan will do. Basmati Rice can be expensive(it tends to be cheaper in Indian stores), but it’s worth it because it gives a better result in terms of “fluffiness” and flavor. I’ve described it as a lunch or supper dish. You can use it as an accompaniment, but in that case, I would omit the chicken, especially if the thing that it’s accompanying is a meat dish.

Indian Style Fried Rice

Author: Martin

Recipe type: Lunch/Supper

Cuisine: "Indian"

Serves: 4

 

This is a bright yellow colored rice dish containing chicken, almonds, and pineapple. It's suitable for lunch or supper on its own.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Basmati Rice
• 4 Cups Water
• Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil
• 1 Large Onion, Chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 2-3 Chicken Breast Fillets, Thinly Sliced
• 50 g Shelled Almonds
• 1 Large Can(about 500 g) Pineapple Pieces
• 2 Teaspoons Curry Powder
• 2 Teaspoons Turmeric
• 5-7 Cardamom Seeds
• 5-7 Cloves
• 1-2 Limes

Instructions

1. Use the same cup for measuring rice and water
2. Put the rice into a saucepan
3. Add salt(omit if you're worried about it)
4. Pour in the water
5. Bring to the boil
6. Turn down to a low heat
7. Put the lid on
8. Simmer until the water has evaporated, about 20 mins
9. Don't remove the lid until towards the end of the 20 mins
10. The rice should be firm(i.e. not "blown") and fluffy
11. Put it on one side.
12. Fry the onion over a medium heat until soft and golden(not burnt!)
13. Add the Garlic and fry for a minute
14. Add the chicken breast slices and fry until cooked
15. There should be NO PINK BITS!
16. Add the Almonds and fry for a minute
17. Drain the Pineapple Pieces, add them and fry for a minute
18. Add the Curry Powder and Spices and fry for 2 mins
19. Stir in the rice you cooked earlier, making sure that the dish is an even yellow color.
20. When serving, squeeze over some lime juice and decorate with thin slices of Lime

Haddock Au Gratin

Haddock Au Gratin is a light dish for those hot summer days when you just don’t feel like a hearty meal. It’s low in fat and calories too!

This recipe uses Haddock. Of course, any white fish can be used.

If the fillets have been frozen, make sure that they’re completely thawed. If they’re not, they’ll hold water, and your sauce will be way too thin.

Don’t be tempted to use double cream. It’s 48% fat, as opposed to single cream, which is 19%.

Any blue cheese can be used for the sauce. I use what happens to be in the fridge at the time.

I’ve suggested a Feta Cheese and Kalamata Olive salad. Reduced Fat Feta Cheese(the major supermarkets all stock it) can be as little as 11% fat. It’s quite salty, so you shouldn’t need to add salt. Olives can be as much as 15% fat, so make sure that you use a fat-free dressing.

You can, of course, vary the salad mix to suit your taste. As alternatives, I suggest either tomato, cucumber, and red onion or watercress and fresh orange segments.

Haddock au Gratin

Author: Martin

Recipe type: Lunch/Supper

Cuisine: European

Serves: 4

 

Haddock Au Gratin is a light fish dish for those hot summer days when you don't feel like a hearty meal. It's light in fat and calories too!

Ingredients

• 4 Fillets of Haddock
• 1 can Celery Soup
• 1 Tablespoon Plain Flour
• 30 g Blue Cheese, grated
• 1 Tablespoon Single Cream
• 4 Heaped Tablespoons Breadcrumbs
• 30 g Half Fat Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Lettuce(washed!)
• 200 g Reduced Fat Feta Cheese, cut into cubes
• Pitted Kalamata Olives
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Fat-Free Vinaigrette Dressing

Instructions

1. Place the Haddock fillets in individual ovenproof dishes
2. Gradually mix the flour with the Celery Soup
3. Bring it to the boil and remove it from the heat
4. Add the Single Cream
5. Stir in the Grated Blue Cheese
6. Mix the breadcrumbs with the Grated Cheddar Cheese
7. Pour the sauce into each dish
8. It should JUST cover the fish
9. Cover each fillet with the breadcrumb mixture
10. Bake in a moderate oven(180C/350F/Gas 4) for 25 mins
11. Place the lettuce on the plates to be used for the salad
12. Mix together the Feta Cheese, Kalamata Olives, and dressing.
13. Season generously with Freshly Ground Black Pepper
14. Spoon the mixture on top of the Lettuce.