Affirmations Research

Did you know that research now confirms what MSI said about affirmations?

In Ascension! MSI said, “Simply deciding with the surface mind that ‘I am well’ is not only useless but potentially mentally deranging. Affirmations repeated by the conscious thinking level of the mind, although occasionally soothing distraught emotional states, are all but worthless for bringing about a deep transformation of perception of Reality. An affirmation repeated a few times a day does little to counteract the intensity of the habitual patterns created by the average adult human’s 50,000 daily thoughts.”

Dr. Joanne Wood at the University of Waterloo examined whether affirmations made students feel better.  68 students were asked to repeat to themselves every 15 seconds, "I am a lovable person."  Those with high self-esteem felt better, those with low self-esteem felt worse.  She theorizes that those with low self-esteem feel worse because they did not believe the statements and also they could not resist negative thoughts.  First, they felt bad because they had not responded to the affirmations as they thought they should, and second, they had negative thoughts. (1)

In Enlightenment MSI said, “There are a number of different teachings today that encourage a constant repetition of positive or idealized statements. One unfortunate effect of this is a polarization between conscious ideals and the unconscious belief systems of the destructive internal programming. If we fail to recognize, accept and change unconscious emotional and psychological imprints, these forceful tactics of the ego will only serve to create tension and resistance in the personality and can lead to a dangerous split between the conscious and unconscious minds.”

Trying to deal with duality from the surface of the mind only divides the mind.  The only “cure” for a divided mind is to Ascend.  Every time we use the Ascension Attitude, which has no opposition, the mind returns to the One Source of Everything.  Even if it is brief, as it may be when one first uses the practice, the mind moves out of duality for that moment.  Unity or duality.  For one who knows how to Ascend, there is choice.

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(1)  Wood, J., Elaine Perunovic, W., & Lee, J. (2009). Positive Self-Statements: Power for Some, Peril for Others. Psychological Science, 20 (7), 860-866

Breath

Many band-aid approaches can be taken toward Stress Management, such as learning to breathe correctly, guided imagery, self-help books, etc.

From medical journals to holistic practitioners, everyone seems to be touting the benefits and importance of proper breathing… also known as belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing.  The way you breathe affects your whole body.  Webmd.com says, “Deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower stress in the body.”[1] Everyone knows how to do it, but due to stress and other societal conditioning, other forms of breathing take precedence in most people.

A person under stress takes small, shallow breaths, using their shoulders rather than their diaphragms to move air in and out of their lungs. Shallow over-breathing (or hyperventilation) can prolong feelings of anxiety by exacerbating physical symptoms of stress.

In Enlightenment by MSI, a book that describes what happens as one expands consciousness, it states, “As the mind settles down during the practice of Ascension, the breath naturally stills. Refinement of the breath, then, can be considered the cause of the increasing health and happiness that are the common results of Ascending.”[2]

Other benefits of regular Ascending are:

o    Lowered blood pressure and heart rate
o    Improved immune system functioning
o    Increased physical energy
o    Feelings of calm and well-being
o    Relaxed breathing

Why manage stress?  The purpose of Ascension is to release ALL the stress from the nervous system and achieve full human consciousness.  Since the mind can only do one thing at a time, if it is floating in the pure experience of Unlimited being while using the Ascension Attitude, it has no time left to be caught reacting to the stress.
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[1] http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-breathing-exercises-for-relaxation

[2] MSI (Maharishi Sadasiva Isham), Enlightenment!, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali New Translation and Commentary by MSI, (The Ishaya Foundation, 1995), Pada 2 Sutra 49

Toxic Thoughts & Emotions

Every time you have a thought, it is changing your brain and your body – for better or for worse. 

Dr. Carolyn Leaf has studied the human brain since 1981 and wrote a book about the effects of toxic thoughts.  Below is a list from her book of common toxic thoughts:

•    "could-have", "would-have", "should-have" statements
•    "if onlys" statements
•    replaying situations that pained you or that haven't even occurred yet
•    creating the unpredictable future
•    making comments like "nothing ever goes right for me"; "everything I touch fails";
     "I always mess up"
•    Are you at cross-purposes with yourself - going through the motions, but not really
     committed to the goal, saying one thing but meaning another? How honest are you
     with yourself?
•    How distorted is your thinking? Are you forming a personal identity around for example,
     a disease? Do you speak about "my arthritis", "my multiple sclerosis",
     "my heart problem"? [1]

On a surprising note, Dr. Aaron Beck believed that toxic emotions arise from three negative and incorrect beliefs that people commonly think:
1.    I must do well
2.    You must treat me well
3.    The world must be easy [2]

Dr. Marion Diamond, another groundbreaking brain researcher, describes memory networks. In effect, these networks create "copies" of your "thought life" along with the emotions that the chemicals coursing through your bloodstream literally carry around your whole body like an information highway.  Information molecules are then able to cause changes at the cellular level, actually restructuring the cell's makeup on the outside and the DNA on the inside.  This is how diseases are able to take hold in the body. [3] The toxic waste that builds up actually distorts your memories!

The list of diseases and chronic disorders caused by toxic thoughts and emotions is quite long and includes all the major maladies of the day.

Unmaking or unlearning old belief patterns is extraordinarily difficult by consciously attempting to unmake them or change them.

But it is possible to change deep-seated belief patterns easily and effortlessly. This is done by the introduction of a few new seed thoughts. These seed thoughts have the unique and invaluable characteristic of systematically and effortlessly expanding the conscious boundaries of the individual’s mind. Each of these seed thoughts has the result of unmaking past belief patterns that keep our lives from unfolding in a healthy and harmonious way. Each of these seed thoughts, correctly practiced, causes the entire range of the personality to become aligned with the most basic force in the Universe.

"The Ascension Attitudes are designed to clear out past beliefs and behavior patterns which inhibit full mental and physical functioning. By effortlessly introducing these seed thoughts at a deep and refined level of thinking, the entire structure of the mental framework gradually and gracefully transforms to reflect Reality." [4]

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[1]  Leaf, C. PhD, 2007.  Who Switched Off My Brain; controlling toxic thoughts and emotions.
[2]  Beck, A. et al., 1979. "Cognitive Therapy and Depression." New York: Gilford Press.
[3]  Diamond, M. and Hopson, J. 1999.  "Magic Trees of the Mind: How to nurture your child’s intelligence, creativity and healthy emotions from birth through adolescence." England: Plume.
[4]  MSI, Ascension!

Multi-task Myth

I used to think that I was pretty good at multi-tasking. But, after Ascending and becoming more aware of what was actually happening around me, I found that I am not. Actually, current research seems to expose the myth about multi-tasking…being good at multi-tasking is an illusion created while in the busy mode of multi-tasking! 

Here’s some of the current research that you might find interesting:

•    In 2005, the BBC reported on a research study, funded by Hewlett-Packard and conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London, that found, “Workers distracted by e-mail and phone calls suffer a fall in IQ more than twice that found in marijuana smokers.”(1)

•    Researchers at the University of California at Irvine monitored interruptions among office workers; they found that workers took an average of twenty-five minutes to recover from interruptions such as phone calls or answering e-mail and return to their original task. (2)

•    Russell Poldrack, a psychology professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that “multitasking adversely affects how you learn. Even if you learn while multitasking, that learning is less flexible and more specialized, so you cannot retrieve the information as easily.” Discussing his research on National Public Radio, Poldrack warned, “We’re really built to focus. And when we force ourselves to multitask, we’re driving ourselves to perhaps be less efficient in the long run even though it sometimes feels like we’re being more efficient.” (3)

•    Stanford research put people who regularly multi-task and even consider themselves to perform well at multitasking through a series of tests. Tests showed that multi-taskers were outperformed by those who are only light multi-taskers. They found the heavy multi-taskers had difficulty with their memory plus were distracted by irrelevant information much more easily than those who did not multi-task often. (4)

•    Here’s a video that gives an example of how the brain is trying to operate in “multi-task” mode and further information on the subject:  click here.

It is rather difficult to multitask and stay in the present moment. One way to talk about being in the present moment is the art of paying attention --being available to truly listen to others, as well as the guiding voice within, and to become aware of the Source of All Thought. These cannot be accomplished when one is pulled in many directions at the same time.  

However, it is normal for minds in the waking state to wander aimlessly through 100,000 thoughts per day. These thoughts are random or in reaction to the environment. Few minds are accustomed to being one-pointed.   

In the Ascension! Book, MSI says, “The mind can be trained to think one-pointedly, or it can continue to think as most human minds think, in conflict and diversity. Ascension’s simple suggestion is that this process of re-training is not only effortless but easy, completely natural and extremely quick. Part of the secret is to charm the mind during every phase of this transformation.” The simple, regular practice of charming the mind to clarity using “The Art of Ascension” is all that is required to experience our heritage of Infinite Awareness, to gain true freedom, and to live life spontaneously. It becomes easier and easier to experience the love around us and to love more unconditionally. Life then unfolds in perfection. 

Jyoti Ishaya

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(1) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4471607.stm
(2) http://www.isr.uci.edu/~gmark/CHI2004.pdf
(3) http://m.npr.org/news/front/7700581?page=2
(4) http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/august24/multitask-research-study-082409.html
The picture shown of the woman with post it notes came from http://wordfromthewell.com/2012/02/28/do-one-thing-at-a-time/

The Bliss Chemical

Natural By-Product of Meditation

Did you know there is a bliss chemical in human beings? Anandamide, the bliss chemical, is produced naturally when we pray, meditate, breath correctly, and are at peace with the world. 1.  The name anandamide is taken from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means bliss.

 What does anandamide do in the human brain? For starters: anxiety relief, appetite enhancement (compounds similar to anandamide have been discovered in dark chocolate), suppression of nausea, relief from the symptoms of glaucoma. 2. Anandamide is the chemical that gives you the "chills", the little orgasmic thrill you get from noticing something beautiful. It is the supreme pain killer and much stronger and more effective than morphine. 3.  A study published in 1998 shows that anandamide inhibits human breast cancer cell proliferation. 4.



How does that connect with Ishayas’ Ascension?  MSI said “Praise leads to Bliss in the shortest possible time”.  We begin to live Praise, and life unfolds for us in ways that we previously could not imagine.  From the very first Ascension Attitude that we learn, every time we use it, we are beginning to structure Unified Consciousness! 

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1. Pacher P, Batkai S, Kunos G (2006). “The Endocannabinoid System as an Emerging Target of Pharmacotherapy”. Pharmacol Rev. 58 (3): 389–462. doi:10.1124/pr.58.3.2. PMC 2241751. PMID 16968947
2. http://addiction-dirkh.blogspot.com/2008/01/anandamide-brains-own-marijuana.html
3. http://ezinearticles.com/?Anandamide,-Natures-Morphine&id=7193383
4. De Petrocellis L, Melck D, Palmisano A, Bisogno T, Laezza C, Bifulco M, Di Marzo V (July 1998). "The endogenous cannabinoid anandamide inhibits human breast cancer cell proliferation". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 95 (14): 8375–80.

Scientific Evidence of the Power of Choice

Dr. Carolyn Leaf has been researching the brain since 1981. She explains that as we journey through life, we must actively make choices about what thoughts to accept.  Toxic memories take up space, affect the way you think and the way the brain functions. You’ve accepted a thought or belief when “you choose to ask, answer, discuss, and analyze to give meaning to”. If you accept toxic thoughts, “you push it into a ‘memory tree’ of toxic chemicals.” She shows a picture of the brain that has “accepted” a “toxic” thought. It looks like a tree, having many branches and looks dark and troubled. She says it contains toxic emotions and toxic chemicals that can be a precursor to disease. You can view the picture and her comments at http://are-you-for-real.com/faith/how-to-stop-toxic-thoughts-from-poisoning-your-brain/.

Dr. Leaf says an unforgiving attitude can cause such things like high blood pressure, angina, strokes and aneurysms. Saying or thinking things like “I can’t do it”, “I always mess up”, “things will never change”, “that’s not fair”, “you always hurt me” overtime can make you sick. [1]

How powerful then the practice of the Ishayas’ Ascension that can root out these troubled trees. Plus, using the eyes-open practice gives a simple way to actively choose for Praise, Gratitude, Love or Compassion that will magnify the root of the Tree of Life; as a result, the old trees of duality atrophy and wither away.


[1] Leaf, C. P. (2008). Who Switched Off My Brain? Controlling Toxic Thoughts and Emotions.

Cooperation ~ the Key to Evolving Intelligence

Ever wonder why we get together to Ascend and to share our experiences of evolving Consciousness? Ever wonder if there is any scientific evidence for the saying; “When 2 or 3 agree about anything they ask for, it will be done by the Father in Heaven” (Matthew 18:19)?

Many new scientific studies are showing that cooperation is the key to evolving Intelligence. In fact, cooperation has been at the hub of many studies since the early 1970's. Early studies show that when children cooperate rather than compete in school everyone improves test scores dramatically.

A recent study of elephants showed that elephants cooperating to solve problems came up with more solutions than the scientists creating the tests! Here is a great video showing dolphins learning and evolving together: http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/planet-earth/videos/shallow-seas-dolphin-waves.htm. This video not only exemplifies the challenges and risks of evolution, but also that a group effort reduces the exposure as well as speeding up the entire process. One recurring theme comes through the research: the impact of giving to others creates results that far outshine those with individuals working totally from self-interest.