Benefits of Binaural Beats for Anxiety Treatment

Many things in our lives are uncertain. For many, dealing with this uncertainty is normal, and doesn’t really affect that much. However, there are those whose feelings about uncertainty get amplified: At best, it is moderate worry and unease, at worst it can be crippling fear and panic. These are the characteristics of anxiety disorders, it is a serious issue that many people face today. This is where binaural beats can be of help.


What exactly is anxiety, and anxiety disorders?

Simply defined, anxiety is a human emotion that people experience when faced with situations and moments of uncertainty, like a very difficult life decision, a critical problem at work, a difficult exam in school, or deciding on the course of a relationship. These are just a few examples, but there are other, smaller ones that may also trigger anxiety. As mentioned above, most people who deal with this can do so normally, but those with anxiety disorders may find feel so much anxiety that it disrupts their capability to have and live a normal life. So the main goal of any treatment to be employed is to lower the anxiety levels to normal, thus returning normal mental function and the ability to go on with their day-to-day lives.


Examples of anxiety disorders

1. Panic disorder – very unpredictable, panic disorders can strike without warning, and may include physical symptoms like chest pains and palpitations, accompanied by difficulty in breathing and sweating. 
2. General anxiety disorder – similar to panic disorder, and may sometimes lead to it. It entails exaggerated worry about even the smallest things.
3. Social anxiety disorder -  an introspective anxiety disorder, this involves being hyper self-conscious about being judged, mocked, criticized, and ridiculed by others, which affects their responses to social situations or everyday actions. 
4. Phobias – certain fears that involve specific objects or situations, usually at a disproportionate level causing impractical reactions.

These are just general examples of anxiety disorders. Generally, these will cause everything from the mental (sleeping problems, excessive sweating, being unable to be calm and at peace) to the physical (palpitations and breathing issues, nausea, headaches, muscle tension, numbness, or tingling) in varying degrees, along with the feelings of panic and dread. So you can imagine how a disorder affects the victim so much that normal situations become much more complicated and difficult for them to deal with.


Binaural beats as a treatment

As previously discussed, on the benefits of binaural beats is the ability make the listener feel relaxed, calm, and have peace of mind. This is done by affecting the specific brainwaves whose domains involve relaxation, in addition to the audio therapy brought about by the tones themselves. Alpha waves (at 8-13hz) in particular, whose spheres of influence include body and mind relaxation, and Delta waves (0-4hz) whose domains are that of sleep, healing, and involuntary bodily functions, are examples of brainwaves that are stoked by binaural beats to achieve relaxing effects. A good balance of all the brainwaves (Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Theta, and so on) is the key to achieving the desired effect when using binaural beats as a tool to aid in dealing with anxiety.

There have been many scientific studies and research groups conducted to seek the validity of the use of binaural beats as anxiety and depression treatments, and virtually of them succeeded in showing results in varying degrees.

For instance, a study done by Peniston and Kulkosky in 1989 showed positive results in dealing with anxiety from alcoholics, showing only a 20% relapse rate for an experimental group who were regularly exposed to 20 minute sessions of Alpha and Theta binaural beats, versus an 80% relapse rate for a control group who were sent to a regular 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous program.

Another study from the Alternative Therapy Health & Medicine in 2001 used binaural beats to treat people with mild anxiety, five times a week over a whole month. Patients who received the treatment showed a significant reduction in their anxiety, and have been able to perform normal everyday functions at an increased capacity.

Many more studies have been conducted; these are just a couple as examples.


How to use binaural beats for anxiety treatment

Using binaural beats for anxiety treatment, at home, is quite easy, as we previously discussed here. But some conditions, when met, can make the experience much better. Specifically…

1. Prepare a relaxing area for the listener – a room with little noise, a comfortable chair or bed, and even aromatic candles or incense can be very conducive to relaxation and anxiety reduction.
2. Use the proper audio equipment – some binaural beats tracks don’t require headphones, but most do, as this is how binaural beats work, by directing two different tones, one in each ear. So make sure you have the right audio equipment depending on the track you’ll use. 
3. Have the right binaural beats track – certain tracks will have specific functions. Make sure to get tracks that specifically deal with anxiety and depression. And make sure that these tracks are of a good bitrate quality: a lower bitrate has lower yield and effects.
4. Do it consistently – binaural beats therapy, like any other form of therapy, is not a one-hit magic pill. While the effects of tracks can be potent, it has to be done consistently, like how it was done in the scientific studies mentioned above. Devote the time for the treatment, and the benefits will come in spades!

Here’s an example of a binaural beats track for anxiety and depression, which you can use for yourself or for a friend who needs it.

Many more can be found in our binaural beats music store here:  http://brainwavepowermusic.com/the-music-store

Check out these items that will help with your lucid dreaming!

The most advanced lucid dreaming supplement today.
Join the lucid dream revolution!

Lucid dreaming guide to the inner self

Group Meditation Is The Untapped Team Building Activity To Increase Productivity

It has been shown that meditation can improve business productivity, as we discussed in a previous blog post. This is done by decreasing stress, improving focus, and relaxing the mind and body so they can be rejuvenated. But what is done individually, by business owners, executives, managers, and employees, to improve their productivity, can also be done in a group, which will have a different dynamic, but increase the benefits even more.

Why a group?

There is a saying. “Surround yourself with people with the same goals as you.” This is because any activity done in a group that is able to support one another, through their actions and energies, yields more results. Just like an ant trying to lift a rock alone, versus a group of ants working in unison to lift the same rock.

But you might be asking: meditation is not a physical activity, so how will doing it in a group give better results?

Have you ever gone to a concert, or a sporting event, and every time the band plays a really good song, or your home team scores a critical shot, you feel uplifted by the sheer energy of the crowd? Many people refer to this as the “electricity” of the crowd, or the “vibe” of the crowd, just making the experience all the more amplified, versus watching the concert or the game at home alone.

The same principles apply with group meditation. When you're with the group, with the same goals, the same purpose, you will feel the vibrations from the crowd amplify your own, and improving the experience. Not only that, doing it with the group let's you share the experience with them, which results in a better bond forming with the people involved. And it is this that can improve your business and take it to the next level.

How to set a group meditation session

The first thing that needs to be done is to determine a suitable size for the group, and the right venue for them. If the group is too small, then the meditation session might not be amplified enough. Too big, and it can be difficult to conduct and control, especially if there are members who might not be there for the right reasons.

A good way is this: if you or the company you work for is small, around 15-20 people, include everyone. If it is big, meditation groups can be the employee teams themselves, with the team leader or manager being the meditation conductor.

A small business, like a cafe or a restaurant, can use the main floor venue as the meditation area by pushing aside the chairs and tables and making enough space. Not only does this save money and time, it also gives the staff the idea that their own place of work is not just for work, but can be a place of sanctuary and peace, a place to call home if need be. If it is a big company, a conference room can be used. In fact, it is highly advisable for businesses that will regularly use meditation to devote a room specifically for meditation, where individuals or groups can go to and just meditate.

Next step is to decide on a goal. Is the meditation to simply provide relaxation? Is it to focus on a particular goal? Is it to promote inter-personal dynamics? Is it to be introspective in order to be a better employee and team member? This will also determine which kind of meditation for business you can use for your session.

Once the goal is set up, determine who will lead the meditation session. As a business owner, manager, or team leader, it is good if you know how to meditate, as this will help in leading a group meditation session. As an employee, you can volunteer to take the lead and show initiative even if your position is not the highest in the team or company. Just be sure that whoever will lead the group meditation has experience in meditation.

Finally, invite the people who will be involved ahead of time, explaining the details of the meditation session, and to make sure they arrive prepared (perhaps they will need their own cushion or have not done meditation before; include a primer in the email, like a short description of what it is.) This will make sure that they enter the venue with the right idea in mind, and not be surprised or taken aback by what they will see.

From there, conducting the meditation is very similar to the steps of the different kinds of meditation for business, or any meditation method you choose. Set up each employee's space, give a brief and solemn talk about the purpose of the session, and then begin. One is leading the actions, like calling for proper inhales and exhales at the properly timed cues, or leading the mantra for the group to follow.

Meditation in a quiet place is good, but adding a speaker system to play a binaural beats track for meditation can also increase the meditation's potency. Listen to this binaural beats meditation track for motivation and success and give it a try on your next meditation session! 

Check out these items that will help with your lucid dreaming!

The most advanced lucid dreaming supplement today.
Join the lucid dream revolution!

Lucid dreaming guide to the inner self

4 Kinds Of Meditation That Will Bring Your Business To The Next Level

Meditation has many different benefits for business and work, as we have discussed in a previous blog post: it trains the mind to be focused and clear of distractions, makes it more goal oriented, and so on. Meditation benefits businesses so much that giants like Google have made it part of their operations. But what kind of meditation should you use for yourself, for your work, your employees, or your business? Below are 4 of the best kinds of meditation for businesses that you can choose from.

1.) Zen Meditation - tracing its roots in the Chinese Zen Buddhist tradition and all the way back to Indian monk Bodhidharma, Zen Meditation is a very deep, somber kind of meditation whose aim is to keep the mind empty of thought. It relies heavily on keeping a proper posture as a way of helping the person concentrate, and not be distracted by many different things.

Steps:

•  Find a place where you can sit, either on the floor over a mat, pillow, or some other cushion in a crossed-leg position, or on a nice comfortable chair with an upright backrest. Those who want to do this in the more traditional manner can go in a lotus or half lotus position, although this can be quite a challenge for beginners. 
• It is important that the back is kept upright and straight, with the eyes focused on the ground in front of you (around 3-4 feet on the floor) and the mouth completely closed, breathing mostly through the nose. 
• Focus on the breathing, slow, steady inhales and exhales that are of the same pace all the way. If this is difficult to do without any distractions, find a point on the floor where your eyes can focus, and keep looking at it as you breathe. Try to drown out everything else, be as empty and steady as you can, and just “be”.

2.) Mantra Meditation – Often used in Hindu tradition, a mantra may be a syllable, word, or in some cases, phrase, although phrases are only often used when trying to use the mantra as a form of affirmation. The mantra is then the focus of the meditation, feeling the vibration of the syllable or word when pronounced, and absorbing its meaning in the process.

This kind of meditation is especially useful for minds that are full of random thoughts, doubts, or full of high speed activity. This is because consistently pronouncing the mantra takes  effort, and in doing so, pulls the mind away from whatever is bothering it.

Steps:

• Like Zen, find a spot where you can sit comfortably, usually on the floor in a crossed-leg position. Make sure that your spine is erect from the hips to the nape of the head.
• Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and pronounce the mantra. The pronunciation is usually as long as your slow exhale (in fact the mantra is often a substitute for an exhale) and can be done consistently over a set period of time. 
• The pronunciation of the mantra is from deep inside the body, and will cause mental and physical vibrations. Be aware and absorb the vibrations as they happen.

3.) Qigong (Chi kung) Meditation – defined literally as “life energy cultivation”, Qigong meditation is one that integrates mind and body. Qigong as a whole can be used for a number of things, from martial arts to simple exercises, but is also used in meditation, and focuses on a variety of breathing and muscle control techniques. We will discuss the exact details of Qigong Meditation in a future discussion, but in general, Qigong focuses on the “Qi”, or “chi” as it is known in the West, the vital energy.

Qigong Meditation is perfect for those who seek both a mental and physical kind of meditation, as it can be integrated in different movements should the need arise.

Steps:

• Sit in any comfortable position, although the traditional meditative position is the best.
• Relax and calm not just your mind, but your body. Feel your muscles relax, your internal organs slow down, and your nerves be less tense. Regulate the breathing to make it slower, deeper, longer, and softer. 
• Internalize and focus on the body’s center of gravity, called the “lower dantien”, and is located around 2 inches below the navel. Keep focusing to gather vital qi into it. The dantien is the natural gathering place of vital energy, and focusing on it is the key to build qi there.
• Visualize and then feel the qi coursing through your body, rejuvenating it along with your mind.

4.) Self-investigative Meditation – A form of meditation tracing its roots in old Hindu traditions, Self-Investigative or Self-Enquiry meditation seeks to uncover who a person truly is, from the inside. The goal is to learn the “True Self”, which can only be found by internalizing and getting answers from the inner self.

This is a good form of meditation for professionals who are at an impasse with their careers, whether due to self-doubt, or due to a desire that they are not sure of, as it answers the very fundamental question, “Who Am I?”

Steps:

• Start by following the basic setup from the previous meditation styles: sitting properly, controlled breathing, and emptying the mind.
• But instead of a mantra, or breathing, or qi, focus on internally asking the question, “Who Am I?” or the phrase “I Am…” This will be your focal point.
• Ignore any impulse to verbally answer or affirm these. Simply use the phrases as an anchor deep within, and repeatedly ask or say it until the True Self answers back.
• If there is even a slight feeling of bias from the answer, discard it, and ask again. You will know when the answers are revealed by the True Self when it feels unconnected to any concept or bias, when it is beyond any intellectual, financial, practical, and emotional pursuits, and is simply a pure feeling of being one with the True Self. This may take a  lot of tries, as it seeks to answer a very introspective question, but the process itself already yields the benefits of meditation.

These are the 4 best kinds of meditation for business, as each one seeks to tackle each of the fundamental issues of business. To aid in your meditation, binaural beats tracks can be used, such as this binaural beats track for meditation and success in attracting money here:

Check out these items that will help with your lucid dreaming!

The most advanced lucid dreaming supplement today.
Join the lucid dream revolution!

Lucid dreaming guide to the inner self

Meditation for Physical Performance

We previously discussed how meditation can help in business, whether as a business owner, a manager, or as an employee. But the same benefits that businesses can enjoy from meditation, also translate to one’s physical performance, whether in sports or just recreational activities. In fact, meditation is now being integrated into sports training programs offered by different trainers, just like how binaural beats are being used as part of mental conditioning. It is a logical path to take, seeing as how an athlete or a fighter cannot win if they are already mentally weakened by different factors. And this is where meditation comes in.


Not a new concept

Meditation for physical performance is actually not a new concept. In fact, it is perhaps as old as the idea of meditation itself! In ancient times, warriors would spend time focusing their thoughts and emptying their mind of fear and distraction in order to be better fighters. In times of peace, the same ancient warriors who compete in friendly competition did the same before a match. While the process done by our ancient ancestors does not exactly fit the idea of meditation as we know it today, the fundamentals, and the results, were the same, although back then, it was understood as a spiritual effect. In modern times, many athletes refer to the time they spend alone, in silence, before a match, as “being in the zone” without realizing that they are actually tapping into the principles of meditation.

Eventually, athletes and their trainers discovered scientifically why meditation worked in training the mind to function properly during an athletic or physical performance. Russians started the idea of “neurogenic conditioning” in which the nervous system of athletes were deliberately trained and conditioned in order to improve their functioning, and part of this training included meditation.


Why it works

Aside from the aforementioned benefits of brainwave therapy through meditation we previously discussed, wherein meditation helps produce brainwaves in the right amounts to achieve different results, meditation done for sports or other physical activities conditions the mind the same way muscle memory training conditions the body.

A mind that is full of doubt and other thoughts that can impede the functioning of a bodily process can cause that said process to not be executed at 100%, resulting in sub-par performance. But emptying the mind of those doubts and distractions is not simple and easy, and can only be done by constantly practicing meditation, whose effect is to remove all unnecessary thoughts to achieve a state of relaxation and peace.

But why does the mind being empty help in physical performance?

Because it allows the mind to use up all its capacity to command the body to perform at its fullest.
Picture this. Have you ever tried cutting a piece of paper down a straight line with a pair of scissors, only for the cut to be crooked whenever a random thought enters your head, or you suddenly have a doubt about your next movement?

That is how meditation can help the athlete. Regular practice of meditation allows the athlete’s mind to stay solid and be calm regardless of whatever scenario it is put in. This is most especially valuable in high pressure events, wherein the slightest self-doubt or the smallest distraction can mean the difference between losing focus and losing, or staying focused and winning.

But as mentioned above, it is not just beneficial to athletes. Soldiers, policemen, emergency services personnel, doctors, dancers, firefighters, and all the other professions that require a lot from the body’s capabilities to perform, can benefit from meditation.


How is it done?

Traditional meditation methods are the most common ways to practice meditation for physical performance. Usually done before or after a training session, and before an event, one can find a nice quiet place to stay in, sit down, and perform the basic meditation techniques we discussed in our previous post, by focusing on slow, deep breaths, and trying to empty the mind.

But there’s another form of meditation that can be done by athletes: having a mantra.

Having a goal as a mantra, and repeatedly thinking about it as one practices, aids in mental conditioning and helps clear the mind when that specific action is done. For instance, a coach makes a comment to a basketball player’s jump shot, telling him to “roll the ball” as they release it. Constantly repeating “roll the ball, roll the ball” in the mind during practice, can have dramatic results.


Not just for athletes

Meditation employed in this manner is not just for athletes. Anyone who enjoys any physical activity, and wants to be better and better at it, can use meditation to reap its benefits. So start meditating today! Listen to this binaural beats track for meditation to motivate and promote positivity and success, and improve your performance ASAP!

Check out these items that will help with your lucid dreaming and more!

The most advanced lucid dreaming supplement today.
Join the lucid dream revolution!

Lucid dreaming guide to the inner self

How Dreams Changed The World

Dreams can yield fantastic imagery (or sometimes terrifying, depending on what you dream about) and to most, the images simply vanish into memory, or in a dream journal to be enjoyed sometime later. However, dreams do more than just make us experience things that are beyond our reality. They can also be a source of creativity and ideas, and in some cases, the ideas from these dreams changed the world. This is why the phrase “it came to me in a dream” is popular in pop culture.


Scientific Advancement From Dreams

Our world has achieved much when it comes to the scientific field, but many people don't realize that many of these advancements came to the scientists in the form of dreams!

The Scientific Method, the process in which science gets to prove or disprove principles and theories, was thought up by Rene Descartes, famous mathematician and philosopher, through a dream that was composed of ghosts, storms, a room full of sparks and thunder sounds, and a peaceful room, with a book that had nothing but one line in it: “What path shall I take in life?” He interpreted this as a calling to find out how to man should think about the universe he is living in, and came up with the Scientific Method followed by scientists to this day.

Other scientists that made advances in the field of science through dreams include Albert Einstein, who came up with the famous Theory of Relativity after it came to him in a dream about electrocuting cows. It is said that in his dream, a farmer had an electric fence where cows were standing, and when he turned it on, he saw the cows jump away from the fence one by one in a wave motion. From there, he put two and two together and realized that things appear differently for different people depending on where they are due to the time it takes for light to reach them: the Theory of Relativity.

And Freidrich Kekule von Stradonitz discovered Benzene -a chemical that not many might be too familiar with, but actually encounters everyday because it is used in the production of fuel, rubber, leather, and so on- after dreaming about snakes. It is said that Kekule went for a nap and dreamt about snakes, who surrounded him and formed themselves into a hexagon shape, which upon waking up, he realized was actually what the benzene molecule was shaped like.

There are many more examples of inventions in the field of industry to medicine to information technology, from Elias Howe's dreaming of being stabbed leading to the invention of the modern sewing machine, to Larry Page dreaming about downloading the entire World Wide Web and coming up with the idea of Google!


Works Of Art

It is quite common for artists to be more associated with creations from dreams, what with the fantastic imagery of their creations often being reminiscent of what one could see from dreams. But some works of art truly shaped the landscape, without whom our world will truly look different today.

The field of science fiction first came to life with the work of Mary Shelley you might be familiar with: Frankenstein. Many consider her to be the mother of science fiction, and her famous work is said to have come from a dream. Or in this case, a nightmare. It is said that she saw a hideous humanoid looking creature in this nightmare, utterly terrifying and like a mockery of life itself. The image was so powerful that it continued to scare her even after she had woken up, and she decided to write it down, thinking that what scared her would definitely scare others. Thus, science fiction was born.

As well, Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, struggled with a plot for his story, and is said to have come up with the idea when he dreamed a particular scene involving a window, split in two, showing Mr. Hyde actually undergoing his infamous changing process in front of police. This is an important breakthrough in literature as it set a new genre of the struggle between good and evil inside protagonists, of which many modern stories have derived their ideas from.

Another famous name in the field of literature, HP Lovecraft, is said to have come up with the name “Necronomicon”, a famous book in his stories, when he heard the name spoken to him in a dream.

One of Dali's most famous works

But not all works of art came in the form of nightmares. Salvador Dali was fascinated by the images that occur between the sleeping and waking states, and actually experimented with numerous methods to conjure up the images he is known for, an art genre called Surrealism. One way he would do it is he would put a tin plate on the floor, sit beside it while holding a spoon over, and relax. Images would then appear in his mind as he was about to fall asleep, and when the spoon fell on the floor creating a loud sound, he’d be woken up and he’d capture what he saw.

And then there are musicians like John Lennon and Bob Marley, among many more, who came up with their fantastic pieces of music and their message of hope and love through their dreams..

These are just a handful of examples of breakthroughs that came about through dreams. So don't let your dreams pass by without writing them down on your journal! You will never when your dream might lead to something bigger. As well, improve the experience of your dreams with this binaural beats tracks for dreams!

Check out these items that will help with your lucid dreaming and change the world!

The most advanced lucid dreaming supplement today.
Join the lucid dream revolution!

Lucid dreaming guide to the inner self

Meditation Improves Business Productivity

Many people often associate meditation with spirituality, finding inner peace and achieving nirvana, and only done by those following a certain religion, or a practitioner of a far-eastern martial art. It is so old fashioned, that it’s something that no one in the modern world has time for, right? Well that couldn’t be further from the truth, because science has shown that meditation has its place in modern society, and one such place is, as we will be discussing, so unlikely that those not in the know might not even expect it: Business.


What is meditation?

Depending on your source, meditation may have different meanings. But each has one thing in common. Meditation is a state of mind wherein it is emptied of whatever may trouble or disturb you, to pause and be at peace with oneself and be calm. Contrary to popular belief, meditation is not an action: it is a state of mind and awareness; often we can see someone trimming some plants, doing calligraphy, or some other similar act, and still be meditating just the same as someone who is in a lotus position in a garden. But the latter is the common image and way of performing meditation.


How does it help me in business/work?

The main benefits of meditation for business, both for employer and employee are very valuable. In fact, meditation, as it was discovered by the Harvard Business School, and INSEAD, Europe’s top business school, is one of the two most effective business tools for executives and employees (the other being intuition.) Meditation affects the individual, going up to the team, and all the way to the entire business organization, all the while positively influencing each branch to bring overall results.

Meditation actually helps solve the four key components for a successful business, namely:

1. Coming up with, and adhering to a clear vision of the business’ goals
2. To be inspired and innovative in the way they provide their product or service to the market
3. Proper leadership
4. Solid teamwork

And it does so by doing the following:


Benefits of meditation

1. Stress relief – one of the things that can bog down a person’s productivity the most is stress. Stress caused by overworking, or anxiety about deadlines, can compound the problems further, bogging down the business engine even more. And stress can actually affect the person physically, causing loss of energy, slower thinking, and even other health issues. Meditation relieves stress and rejuvenates the mind to be able to do what needs to be done.
2. Improved focus and creativity – stress in work is caused by many things, and one of these is being unable to solve problems. Meditation helps this by calming the mind down, emptying it of unnecessary thoughts, and allowing the person to be mentally and emotionally well enough to focus on the problems at hand. Being creative allows the members of the business to be able to solve problems faster and more efficiently, leading to success which will provide boosts in morale and lead to even more solutions being thought of.
3. Better mental and physical health – the rigors of work and the stress that it causes can affect a person’s mental and physical well-being, from anxiety and insomnia to heart ailments and complications. Some employees have even been known to develop clinical depression! This can cause problems at work ranging from inability to achieve targets, to absences, to bad relationships with co-workers, which all lead to loss of productivity. Meditation calms the mind down, resets the heart rate to a healthier level, and reduces the risks of physical and mental problems. 
4. Better employee teamwork and relationships – staff members who meditate, whether individually or together, become more calm and easier to work with, due to their relaxed, peaceful state. This leads to better teamwork, which is critical in any business venture. Not only that, a good demeanor leads to people respecting each other better, with employers being able to trust their employees and employees being more motivated to deliver for their employers. 

What’s the science behind this?

Some may think that this is nothing more than some new-age idea embraced by some businesses as a fad. But rest assured that, if big companies like Google use it, there is a science behind it. And there is!

Our previous blog posts talked about brainwave patterns and the benefits of brainwave therapy like binaural beats. There’re Alpha Waves, which govern the brain’s cognitive, creative, and problem solving abilities, Beta Waves, which govern the brain’s focus, fight or flight response, and logic, and Delta Waves, which control the body’s healing capabilities and involuntary processes (like heart rate and breathing.)

Being able to produce the said brainwaves in the right amounts and right combinations will allow the mind to reap all of its benefits, and one way to do this is… yes, meditation.


Basics of meditation

There are many ways to meditate, and we will discuss the different methods in a future post soon, but for now, here are some basics to get you started.

First, find a plane surface you can sit straight on. Close your eyes, try to relax, and breathe slowly, in and out. To help empty your mind, focus on your own breathing, and nothing else. If you get distracted or are unable to focus, block it out, and keep your focus on your breathing. Do this for as long as needed until you feel better and relieved.

To increase your chances of being able to focus, the venue is important. If you have your own office at work, lock the doors, put a no disturb sign, close the blinds, and sit on the floor. If you don’t, find a room in the workplace where you can be alone, and do the same. If you’re a business owner, devoting a room for meditation can help your employees do this.

And finally, using binaural beats for meditation to motivate and success definitely helps. Try to listen to this track and it will definitely make you more relaxed and focused on your meditation.

Check out these useful items that will help with your lucid dreaming and more!

The most advanced lucid dreaming supplement today.
Join the lucid dream revolution!

Lucid dreaming guide to the inner self

Binaural Beats For Athletic Performance

When people hear binaural beats, oftentimes they associate it with just the mind and how it can relieve stress and help with lucid dreaming. However, as we have discussed before with how binaural beats work, affecting the mind can have a direct impact on the body. And it is these effects that many coaches and athletes are benefiting from for their athletic capabilities.

There have been numerous studies about binaural beats and athletics, but here’s an example: The American Journal of Human Biology has shown that binaural stimulation caused a group of healthy adults to have an increase in their maximal aerobic physical performance in a graded treadmill workout, after a 15 minute quick listening session, versus the control group who did not listen to anything. The study then labeled this process as an “entertainment-enhanced warm-up” which many athletes can do prior to their training or game performance.

But how exactly does this work? The answer lies in the brainwave targets of the binaural beats.








Alpha Waves For Amazing Performance

We have previously spoken about Alpha Waves and its effects to the mind, namely how it helps with relaxation and keeping both the mind and body calm. At first glance, it may seem quite counterintuitive to think that mind and body relaxation can help with the rush and intensity of athletics. But in reality, this is exactly what differentiates good athletes, from great athletes.

Sports scientists have discovered that Alpha Waves are produced in massive bursts by athletes just before they are about to perform a move at maximum efficiency yielding maximum results. In numerous studies, everyone from basketball players to golf players produced bursts of Alpha Waves before they took their best shots, often associated with the Alpha Waves letting the body relax and move as the athletes were trained to do, without any excess muscles tensing up and ruining the motion or any stray thought making them do unnecessary movements.

As well, because Alpha Waves can awaken the brain’s ability to “super learn”, training for new skills and getting better at existing ones becomes much better.

Increasing your Alpha Waves via binaural beats that specifically target to increase it can make your mind enter that “zen” zone faster and easier, which makes training and performance much easier and yield faster gains.


Beta Waves For Better Focus

The effects of Beta Waves are associated with focus and critical thinking, on the flight-or-fight response, as we have discussed here. It is what governs our brain when we are awake and highly active. You can imagine by that statement how beneficial it will be for athletes and sportspeople.

That’s because Beta Waves can greatly increase an athlete’s cognitive abilities, both in training, and in game time. In training, Beta Waves helps the athletes keep focus on the lessons that need to be learned, to not quit because the mind is not distracted by other things, and to help absorb as much of the knowledge and training done during the time. During game time, Beta Waves can help the athlete’s cognitive thinking, assess the ever-changing situations of a game, and come up with the moves that need to be done in order to win.

In short, Beta Waves make the athlete as sharp as they could be, yielding better results.


Delta Waves For The Details

The effects of Delta Waves govern deep sleep and healing, but it also affects the autonomic nervous system that controls the involuntary, automatic functions of the body’s various organs. This includes the heartbeat, breathing, lubrication of and the focus of the eyes, perspiration, delivery of oxygen to muscles and removal of toxins, and so on.

Having these functions perform at peak condition will allow the athlete to perform at peak condition as well. When even one of this functions lag behind, such as perspiration’s temperature control function, or an irregular heartbeat, the athlete’s performance suffers. In fact, some studies have shown that an irregular delta wave pattern in athletes can cause the heart to show symptoms of weakness, even if the athletes themselves have good physical condition.

In addition, Delta Waves are able to help the body recover and heal after a good day of training or competing, done during the healing that occurs during deep sleep. This is an essential part of maintaining peak condition and performance.


Gamma Waves And Theta Waves For The Game

We have yet to discuss in detail what gamma waves and theta waves are (we will do so in a future blog post) but essentially, Gamma Waves, the highest frequencies our brains can achieve, occurs even way beyond the Beta Wave stage, resulting in being even more highly alert and focused, and is associated with assimilation of new, detailed information and skills.

Known to ‘bind the senses’ in that due to its laser focus benefits, all the senses can work in conjunction to each other, and allows all areas of the brain to communicate properly, Gamma Waves also yield “eureka moments” when it comes to skill learning and performance.
When an athlete gets to realize that crucial detail that was missing to make their performance transcend goodness, to greatness, that is due to Gamma Waves.

Theta Waves are akin to Alpha Waves, in that it helps with creativity and out of the box thinking. For athletes, this allows them to come up with alternative solutions to problems and achieving goals. Ever saw a basketball player perform a shot so unorthodox, so unique, that it made you go “What the heck?!” That may be due to Theta Waves.

Overall, binaural beats and their brainwave therapy can help athletes achieve specific performance goals, when listened to regularly and as part of their training. Listen to this binaural beats track for workouts and gain the same benefits received by top athletes!

Check out these items that will help with your lucid dreaming!

The most advanced lucid dreaming supplement today.
Join the lucid dream revolution!

Lucid dreaming guide to the inner self

The Astral Plane And The Silver Cord

In a previous post, we talked about what astral projection is, and how to perform astral projection. We mentioned in that discussion that it is possible to go to the astral plane, and that there is a tether people call “the silver cord” that binds the astral body to the physical body. But what are the astral plane and the silver cord exactly? And why are they relevant to astral projection?


The Astral Plane

From the ancient Greek mythologies, to Judeo-Christian religions, to Far-Eastern philosophies and everything in between, many cultures from all over the world have their own interpretation of the astral plane. But common denominators arise: that the astral plane is a place where angels, spirits, and other cosmic beings reside. It is the place where the astral body travels or crosses, depending on the religious or philosophical belief, from death to the final resting place, or from death to rebirth.

It is also recognized by many as the “emotional plane”, because the astral plane reacts to our emotions and thoughts and desires, a counterpart to the tangible, physical realm. Whereas the physical realm is interacted with and manipulated by our bodies, the astral plane is done so with our astral body and our emotions. This is so, because it is believed that our astral bodies carry within them, or even are composed entirely of, pieces of the astral plane itself.


The Silver Cord and Astral Projection

As we have discussed before, the astral plane can be visited through astral projection, and be “skimmed” during a near death or out of body experience. This happens when the astral body leaves the physical body. But during such an event, the astral body, while free, is not without an anchor. After all, the astral body needs to return to the physical body somehow, lest it be lost to the aether. To prevent this from happening, the astral body and the physical body are connected by what’s known as “the silver cord.”

Put it simply, as the name implies, the silver cord is a silver-colored cord that connects the astral body to the physical body. In many fields of philosophy and metaphysical studies, it is described as being strong, almost indestructible, yet soft and elastic that can stretch and flex to make sure that the astral body is truly tethered to the physical one.

But while it is almost without limit, the silver cord also makes sure that the astral body doesn’t wander off too far, and many people have been snapped back to their physical bodies after traveling some great distance away.


The Risks Of The Astral Plane And Keeping The Cord Safe

As mentioned above, the astral plane is populated by cosmic entities, both benevolent, and otherwise. Now, this can be quite a scary prospect at first glance, but if you think about it, it’s no more dangerous than walking down a populated street, where you have no idea who and what can attack you at any moment.

The good thing about the astral plane is that your own astral body’s frequency will affect who you will be attracting there. An astral body that is full of fear or aggression will be bound to attract the more malevolent beings that reside there, like a wounded fish in a sea that has sharks, or driving in a bad neighborhood in the middle of the night with your windows down and a sign that says “I’m rich!”

But it is inevitable that sometimes, we do feel fear in the astral plane, so when this happens, you can call on your spirit guides, your angels, and overcome your fear and project a frequency of love and compassion (like changing the radio station to get a better one) and this will attract the more benevolent beings of the astral plane that will keep you safe from harm.

With regards to the silver cord, we cannot know for sure whether or not the severing of the cord during an astral projection would result in death. After all, anyone who might have perished doing this will have no way to confirm it for us. But there are ways to make sure we do not put our silver cords at risk.

First, make sure that when the silver cord is fully stretched and taut, to give it some slack. This usually happens when you have traveled too far. While it might be tempting to truly go beyond what your mind can perceive, the pull coming from a stretched cord is something we should not take lightly. So, go back.

Second, if malevolent entities are attracted to your cord, steer clear from them, and if they are following, like the tips above, call on your guides and angels for help.

Third, travel prepared. A strong, unfearing mind will help keep the silver cord strong and free from the attention of malevolent beings. If you are stressed, weakened, or not in a good state of mind, don’t astral project and bring your silver cord at risk.

And finally, when in doubt, go back. If you feel uneasy while astral projecting, go back to your physical body, fast.

Remember and understand these things, and you will have a more pleasant and fulfilling astral projection experience. It also helps to have a binaural beats track for astral projection to prepare your mind for it, like this one!

Dreaming With Delta: What Are Delta Waves And What Are Its Benefits?

Brainwave therapy is the main purpose of binaural beats and brainwave entertainment, using specific brainwaves to induce benefits and promote feelings of wellness and mental health. We have previously talked about brainwaves, specifically, what Alpha Waves and Beta Waves are and what are their benefits. Next up, let’s talk about Delta Waves!

What are Delta Waves?

Discovered in the early 1900s by a man named W. Grey Walter, Delta Waves are associated with the very deepest levels of sleep, relaxation, and peace of mind.

Operating at a frequency range of 0-4Hz (the slowest of all the brainwaves), Delta Waves are what cause sleep to be restorative, which allow the person to wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. It is also important for the healing process –through the release of various hormones during sleep-, and is what controls many of the body’s unconscious functions, like the heartbeat, digestion, breathing, and many other things we don’t often think about, but actually need.  As such, it is also associated with loss of consciousness and physical awareness.


Benefits of Delta Waves

1. Deep sleep and healing – the main benefit of Delta Waves is allowing the person to get a good night’s sleep, which allows the body to heal itself and rest and revitalize the mind. Without it, a person will wake up feeling lethargic and weak instead of recharged. In some cases, Delta Waves even help slow down the aging process, through the production of hormones like DHEA and melatonin, which affects the skin, bodily functions, and overall well-being. It also helps produce natural human growth hormone by the pituitary gland, which also helps restore the body (and for athletes and people who love to workout, reap the benefits of the day’s efforts), as well as improve the immune system to further protect the body from sickness and illness.
2. Regular bodily functions – Delta Waves control all of the body’s activities that we are not conscious of. Proper heartbeat, proper kidney functioning, proper liver functioning, proper breathing, proper digestion, etc. Having a good dose of Delta Waves makes sure that everything is in-sync and of good working order. And this is important. Because while we can stop ourselves from tripping over something and avoiding injury, we have no control of how kidneys go and function. So we are relying on our body to simply function well. 
3. Increase in empathy and intuition – a good production of Delta Waves allows the person to care more and empathize more with people, generally leading to being more receptive to their problems and being more willing and fulfilled to help them. It also helps to further accept and understand other people’s emotions, relate to their problems, and think of ways to help. Included in this is an increase in one’s intuition, which in scientific terms is the body’s natural response to certain events or activities. Intuition allows the person to tap into the body’s natural capabilities and the mind’s expectations, thus allowing for better decision making when it comes to “trusting your gut.”

Those are the main benefits of Delta Waves. But like with anything, too much can be a disadvantage as well. Having too much Delta Waves can cause people to lose focus; remember, Delta Waves are associated with relaxation and sleep, so having too much may cause the person to have difficulty retaining information or focusing on the task at hand. This is commonly associated with various learning disabilities and even ADHD in people and kids.
So the solution here is to produce just enough Delta Waves!

How To Get Good Delta Waves

One natural way to regulate your Delta Waves (that is, get a good amount, not too much, not too little) is through meditation. Specifically, deep meditation. While this can be quite a task to do, it is a very good method. We will be discussing different meditation techniques in a separate blog post.

Another is through listening to binaural beats. We have already discussed how binaural beats work, and there are binaural beats tracks for deep sleep using delta waves that you can listen to, like this one!

Dream Desires: Lucid Dream Sex

Warning: the following post may be of a sensitive nature. Reader’s discretion is advised.

We have discussed in previous blog posts how to have lucid dreams, and what you can do in lucid dreams. But one topic we have not touched on yet is the “why”, because many people will have different reasons why they want to have lucid dreams. But one prevailing reason for wanting to learn to lucid dream, is the ability to fulfill one’s ultimate fantasy: to be with their dream partner via lucid dream sex.

What is lucid dream sex?

As the name implies, lucid dream sex is having sex while in a lucid dream. The vivid nature of lucid dreams, coupled with the dreamer’s ability to control the dream scene, is what makes lucid dream sex lucrative to beginners or curious people who want try lucid dreaming. How can it not be, after all? It is a prospect most people will have at one point or another, to be able to be intimate with a long-time crush, a celebrity, an ex-lover, and so on, without having the face the hardships (or consequences) in doing so in the real world.

And it can be as real as it gets. Scientific studies have shown that the sexual act itself and the orgasm that follows in lucid dream sex, most of the time also include the physical responses as if it was done in real life. Increased heart rate, muscular contractions, and even physical orgasms for both men and women. This is similar to wet dreams that pubescent teens go through during puberty.

With that said, how can anyone not want to try lucid dreaming? Right?

Well, the truth of the matter is, it’s not as easy as it sounds.


Intimacy and connection

One thing that people misunderstand about lucid dreaming is the prospect of “doing whatever I want!” And while technically this can be true for many other aspects of lucid dreaming, it is not the case when it comes to interacting with characters in the dream. Just as people are not objects to be manipulated outside in the real world, so too are dream characters not there simply for use for the dreamer. There have been many cases wherein the dreamer, despite being truly lucid, at best gets rejected by the dream characters constantly, or at worst, transforms into someone mad, aggressive, and even looks terrifying and monstrous. In fact, horrible character transformations are a common occurrence in lucid dream sex, and it’s not because the dreamer is not lucid dreaming correctly.

It’s because when it comes to lucid dream sex, an intimate connection has to be present first, just like how it is with most sex in real life. Even a one-night stand starts with a spark, a common connection between the two participants, before it happens. It is a basic human trait to desire a connection of some sort. But because many people can easily disregard this valuable part of the sexual experience, what with being exposed to modern culture’s idea of being able to treat sex lightly and often the objectification of sexual partners, this is often brought into the dream which causes the lucid dream sex experience to fail.  Unless of course, the dream partner ends up as a mindless automaton (which can happen) who will simply do as you please, in which case, no connections are needed. But for the most part, this isn’t the case.

Make a connection. This is the key in initiating proper lucid dream sex. There are several ways to do this, which are, coincidentally, very similar to how one can make a connection in the real world.

1. Talk – When you see your desired sexual partner in your dream, don’t just suddenly grab them and try to go straight to the act. Talk to them first. Remember that whoever that partner is, they are projections of how you know and see that person, from your own subconscious, and as such their motivations in that dream may not always be to have sex with you. Talking to them, learning about them, and in turn them learning about you, helps create that connection necessary.
2. Keep eye contact – Just like how keeping eye contact in real life can show sincerity and being truthful, so too in the dream world. Eye contact is a very powerful tool, and doing so can greatly increase the chances that your partner will give consent and not suddenly transform into a hideous beast.
3. Go through the motions – Whatever sexual act you’re aiming for in your dream, don’t rush things. Let go and go through the motions. Why rush things when you can enjoy the experience fully, right? Intimate acts like kissing, holding each other in an embrace, and so on, may be initiated by yourself or your partner prior to having sex itself, so this is part of the process. As well, rushing beyond what your sexual partner is preprogrammed to be comfortable with may turn the experience sour, and result in them rejecting you mid act or the aforementioned terrifying transformation.

Remember that lucid dream sex is a chance for you to explore your desires safely and in the confines of your own mind, so don’t be afraid to spend the time and experiment. But as with anything, practice is key, and if something goes wrong or not to your liking, just remember that you are in control, and can simply choose to wake up from the lucid dream experience.

And as with all lucid dreams, binaural beats can help! Listen to this binaural beats track for desires and get started on exploring the sexual possibilities of lucid dreaming!

For more tracks and albums, visit our binaural beats library. Send out a FREE binaural beats track gift in our gift page here and get your friends started on the path of mental relaxation and enlightenment!

W.I.L.D.: The Power Of Wake Induced Lucid Dreams

For a while now we have been discussing facts about lucid dreaming, like how to prepare for a lucid dream and what to expect once lucid dreaming. But what most people know about lucid dreaming is just scratching the surface, and today we’ll discuss a higher level of lucid dreaming. In fact, it is considered to be the highest form, one that gives full control and lucidity to the dreamer: the Wake Induced Lucid Dream, or W.I.L.D.


What is W.I.L.D.?

Tracing its roots back to Tibetan monks who have been practicing the method for hundreds of years (a process they refer to as “Dream Yoga”), WILD, put simply, is a lucid dream that you can start even while you’re awake. Yes, you read that right. WILD allows people who have mastered it to have lucid dreams –on command-, where beginners and intermediates would require effort to do so.

Being awake, WILD allows you to be totally conscious and will be conscious throughout the process and thus not rely on your subconscious to initiate the lucid dream process. In addition, because you are conscious throughout and aware, most of the time there is no need to perform reality checks, which can be something of a challenge in and of itself for beginner and intermediate lucid dreamers.


How to perform a W.I.L.D.

Because each person is different, has never been one truly specific way or method to induce WILD, and there are so many known approaches. However, there are still a set of guidelines that each dreamer can follow in order to come up with their own specific methodology of inducing WILD, which will also lead to slight variations in their experience.

Some guidelines on WILD are as follows:

1.) Proper timing – It is important to know when to try and initiate a WILD, as the chances of it succeeding increases dramatically with the right time. The best time is after around 4-5 hours of deep or at least normal sleep, which will allow your mind to go through most of its non-REM sleep phase. This means setting your alarm clock around 2-3 hours earlier than you normally would, so you can wake up, but with enough tries and practice your body should be able to wake up on its own, naturally, during your WILD time.

Be very careful with this. You still need to be able to go back to sleep once you wake up, so do NOT have an alarm that will be so jarring that your mind gets rattled unnecessarily and prevents you from going back to sleep. Some phone apps and clocks have a “smart rise” feature which uses a slowly fading melody to wake you up, which also helps you rouse relaxed and ready for the next step.

2.) Returning to sleep and setting the scene – Once you’re up, the next step begins: going back to sleep! During this phase you should be able to relax properly, usually done through paced and smooth breathing sessions as well as freeing your mind of any thought, other than you repeatedly reaffirming to yourself that “I’m dreaming.” This keeps your focus on the task at hand and will help initiate the next step of the process.

What’s interesting to know is that many of us experience this stage without knowing what it is exactly. Have you ever gotten up in the middle of your sleep to go use the toilet, or grab a glass of water, feeling all groggy and like you’re floating on a cloud, bordering on sleeping and being awake? That’s it! So once you experience this feeling, you’re ready for the next phase.

3.) Creating the scene and entering it – A few minutes into phase 2 you’ll begin seeing and experiencing hypnagogic images, which we discussed in our lucid dream post before. This will be different from person to person, and may include flashing colors, ribbons of light, random patterns, and so on, until it develops into actual recognizable scenes.

Once you’ve achieved this state, your body can now approach the barrier between being awake and being asleep, and it is at this point where the WILD can be initiated fully. This is done by having your mind stay active and resisting the urge to move or shake. Keep focused and control the body, even if it feels quite uncomfortable at the start. Successfully doing so will make your mind and body enter a sleep-paralysis state, which as we discussed before, is a stepping stone to lucid dreaming. But unlike simply experiencing it with no control, this time you are fully aware of what is going on, and are actually welcoming it, rather than being scared.

After this, your mind will start shutting off receiving external inputs, and begin generate dream visions, all the while with you being fully aware of it. Once the dreamscape has been completed by your mind, you can enter it fully and enjoy the experience of a WILD!

Remember that as with all things, WILD needs a lot of practice, and it being the highest form of lucid dreaming, it may take a while and a lot of attempts to get used to it. Just remember the tools we’ve shared with you in the past, and don’t forget to use binaural beats to help the process become easier! Listen to this binaural beats track for lucid dream induction and try experiencing a WILD!

The War On Nightmares: Fighting Back With Reality Checks And Lucid Dreaming

To many, dreaming is an amazing experience that they look forward to every day, sometimes from the moment they wake up in the morning. However, dreams can turn terrifying when they become nightmares instead, and when this happens, it can cause the dreamer great distress, and sometimes even make them feel physical effects upon waking up. But what exactly are nightmares, and how can we combat them?

What exactly is a nightmare?

A nightmare, put simply, is a disturbing, terrifying dream, often vividly realistic and almost indistinguishable from reality (despite absurd scenarios), that shake the dreamer from their sleep. As the night goes on, REM sleep becomes progressively longer, so oftentimes people will find themselves experiencing nightmares in the early morning, or perhaps earlier.

Nightmares vary depending on the dreamer’s personal experiences, sometimes influenced by what they have gone through on the day, sometimes drawn from a lifetime of collected stress, bad memories, or traumatic events. And while nightmares have unlimited variations, making each one unique and personal to the dreamer, there are common themes that many people share, and what the possible meanings of each one is. We will discuss all of these in a future blog post soon.

Causes of nightmares

There are many possible causes of nightmares, often associated with the brain being influenced by the actions of, or actions done to, the person. A lot of people experience nightmares when they eat at night, which causes the body to increase its metabolism and make the brain active, causing it to produce vivid images. Drugs and other medication, such as those taken for depression, blood pressure, and even the simple cough and cold, can cause a nightmare reaction. And finally, stress of different forms can cause nightmares. Work stress, personal anxiety, depression, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), can all trigger nightmares.

We previously wrote about ways to prevent nightmares from happening, which can be found here, but what can you do once the nightmare starts? How does one deal with and conquer nightmares?

Your Weapons: Recognition, Reality Checks, And Lucid Dreaming

There is a saying: knowing is half the battle. And this is very true when it comes to fighting nightmares. The first step is to increase self-awareness, and to practice reality checks. We have discussed what reality checks are and what they can do in a previous blog post here, but as a recap, reality check is being able to recognize if you are dreaming or awake. This is a powerful tool when it comes to combating nightmares.

Recognizing that you might be in a dream, and performing a reality check to confirm, can lead to one of two outcomes: waking up, or facing the nightmare head on.

A basic result of performing a reality check and succeeding is waking up, often done out of a compulsive need to get out of a terrifying scenario. Oftentimes, a mind not yet conditioned to take full control of dreams will almost always simply command the brain to wake up. This ends the dream, brings the dreamer back to the waking world, often with nothing more than a terrifying memory of the dream to contend with.

The other scenario is to facing the nightmare. A mind that has been conditioned and trained to perform lucid dreaming can take control of a nightmare after a reality check, and instead of simply waking up and leaving the nightmare, the dreamer then confronts it and experiences it fully, with the knowledge that they are safe and with the intent of trying to understand the nightmare and be stronger against it. Since nightmares are tied to the dreamer’s personal experiences and worries, this method is very useful for people who have recurring nightmares or are experiencing constant anxiety, or if the nightmare is about their fear or phobia, as it builds courage and a healthier mind.

It is important to know however that lucid nightmare is quite different, in that the dreamer knows that they are in a nightmare, but is unable to control or influence it as they would a lucid dream. We will be discussing this in further detail in another blog post soon.

Practicing recognition, reality checks, and lucid dreaming are your weapons in the war on nightmares. And binaural beats can definitely help with that. Listen to this binaural beats track for lucid dreaming and get started on training to fight nightmares!