Personal growth is a slow process.  It seems, sometimes, that the spiritual part is the slowest. Perhaps because it’s the hardest to measure.  As we, daily, plod along toward our goal we can often feel that we aren’t getting any closer.

That’s when we should violate the “keep your eyes on the prize” maxim and look back.  A quick celebration of how far we’ve come come produce energy and motivation to keep plodding!

A post “Becoming Like Jesus Is a Slow Process” on Christian Daily Meditation talks more about “keepin’ on keepin’ on”.

Some more thoughts on the subject are found in “Strength to Continue the Journey“on A Meditating Christian

The “do it every day” maxim is as important to spiritual development as to physical development.

The Blarney Stone is a historical stone, or actually part of the Blarney Castle in Ireland where it was believed that kissing the stone can grant you the gift of gab. Yeah, it seems strange in this day and age, but who are we to question tradition? It’s not like I’m saying that Santa Claus doesn’t exist (OOPS!).

There is so much to know about conversation that anyone, even I, could ever realize. You can go though watching talk shows; radio programs; clubs dedicated to public speaking; ordinary conversations; certain rules still apply when it comes to interaction through words. It may sound tedious, I know, but even though it’s your mouth that’s doing the work, your brain works twice as hard to churn out a lot of things you know. So what better way to start learning to be an effective communication is to know the very person closest to you: yourself.

1. What you know.
Education is all about learning the basics, but to be an effective speaker is to practice what you’ve learned. My stint as guest at every Toastmasters’ meeting I go to taught me that we all have our limitations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn to keep up and share what we know.

2. Listening.
It’s just as important as asking questions. Sometimes listening to the sound of our own voice can teach us to be a little bit confident with ourselves and to say the things we believe in with conviction.

3. Humility
We all make mistakes, and sometimes we tend to slur our words, stutter, and probably mispronounce certain words even though we know what it means, but rarely use it only to impress listeners. So in a group, don’t be afraid to ask if you’re saying the right word properly and if they’re unsure about it then make a joke out of it. I promise you it’ll make everyone laugh and you can get away with it as well.

4. Eye Contact
There’s a lot to say when it comes to directing your attention to your audience with an eye-catching gaze. It’s important that you keep your focus when talking to a large group in a meeting or a gathering, even though he or she may be gorgeous.

5. Kidding around
A little bit of humor can do wonders to lift the tension, or worse boredom when making your speech. That way, you’ll get the attention of the majority of the crowd and they’ll feel that you’re just as approachable, and as human to those who listen.

6. Be like the rest of them
Interaction is all about mingling with other people. You’ll get a lot of ideas, as well as knowing what people make them as they are.

7. Me, Myself, and I
Admit it, there are times you sing to yourself in the shower. I know I do! Listening to the sound of your own voice while you practice your speech in front of a mirror can help correct the stress areas of your pitch. And while you’re at it you can spruce up as well.

8. With a smile
A smile says it all much like eye contact. There’s no point on grimacing or frowning in a meeting or a gathering, unless it’s a wake. You can better express what you’re saying when you smile.

9. A Role Model
There must be at least one or two people in your life you have listened to when they’re at a public gathering or maybe at church. Sure they read their lines, but taking a mental note of how they emphasize what they say can help you once you take center stage.

10. Preparation
Make the best out of preparation rather than just scribbling notes and often in a hurried panic. Some people like to write things down on index cards, while other resort to being a little more silly as they look at their notes written on the palm of their hand (not for clammy hands, please). Just be comfortable with what you know since you enjoy your work.

And that about wraps it up. These suggestions are rather amateurish in edgewise, but I’ve learned to empower myself when it comes to public or private speaking and it never hurts to be with people to listen how they make conversations and meetings far more enjoyable as well as educational.

About the author: Ron has been written articles for nearly 2 years. Come visit his latest website over at pacotescancun.com wich helps people find the best pacotes Cancun and information about Cancun .

Picking a yoga style for yourself can be confusing.

There are 8 “schools” (AFIK)

• Bhakti Yoga
• Karma Yoga
• Jnana Yoga
• Raja Yoga
• Mantra Yoga
• Laya Yoga
• Tantra Yoga
• Hatha Yoga

You can Google these to get more info.

I will suggest three steps before evaluating that info:

1. understand where you are and where you want to go.
2. understand the various tools to help you on that journey
3. decide if yoga is one of those tools

If the answer to 3) is Yes, then dig through the info and talk to people who
are using whatever flavor seems to fit your needs.

Here’s one article I found.

Basic Yoga stretches are extremely simple to pick up. No exercise equipment is needed. You only spend 30 minutes at the most doing everything. All that is needed is yoga mat and some space then unless you have serious mobility issues, you can get started right away. The human body is a very resilient and surprising piece of machinery. It can do things that can surprise us.

We can do things we did not know we can do. Yoga is an excellent case in point. Chances are, if you have seen pictures of asanas or yoga poses, you have seen the yoga practitioners do things that normally, you would not think possible, but they do it.

Chances are, you can do it too, but not immediately. Doing any one of the advanced asanas without prior conditioning can lead to severe injury on the part of the one doing the attempt. Proper and consistent practice of basic yoga techniques is necessary in order to make these advanced poses achievable.

There are said to be over 8,400,000 asanas or yoga positions compiled by the yoga masters over the period of 5,000 years that yoga has been in existence. For most yoga novices, a lot less are required in order to get started. The number of basic yoga asanas recommended by instructors varies but usually only a little more than 12 basic yoga positions are taught to beginners.

Yoga has been used to treat health problems such as backache, constipation, depression, various addictions, headaches, indigestion problems, high blood pressure, obesity and other health problems. Numerous studies have shown that the benefits of practicing yoga include giving people the ability to control a variety of body functions such as the temperature of the body, blood pressure, the heart rate, brain waves, your metabolic rate and respiratory function.

Additional benefits of yoga is yoga’s ability to help reduce pain by assisting the brain to regulate an important mechanism found in your spinal cord and by increasing the release of pain reducing substances made by your body. The breathing routines that are used in yoga also can provide pain relief.

If you have unwanted back pain check with your doctor to find out if basic yoga might be appropriate for you. Yoga has been shown to alleviate back pain by improving flexibility and strength. Practicing yoga will help you get in good physical shape and you will appreciate the physical and emotional benefits of yoga.

Here’s my favorite book/dvd on yoga stretching
The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga: An Integrated Approach to Strength, Flexibility, & Focus [With DVD]