8 Effective Cold Prevention Strategies

1. Wash your hands - The world we live in is filled with viruses and bacteria that can make us ill. Your hands are no exceptions. Wash your hands often to keep them clean. If you cannot wash them, at least use some hand sanitizer, such as Purel.

2. Drink hot fluids, especially in the morning - The rhinovirus incubates in the back of the throat and spreads in the upper respiratory area because it's cooler than the body temperature. Rhinovirus can't survive at 98.6 (hence it doesn't travel far down into the bronchi or the lungs). By drinking hot fluid (such as hot tea and lemon) you can prevent the virus from incubating.

3. Keep your hands out of your face - We have already discussed the germs and viruses on your hands. You cannot wash them continuously, so in between washings keep your hands out of your face. Your face is an open portal to your insides. Keep the germs away from your portal.

4. Drink water - Drinking more water is my answer to everything. Water will help clean out your body and keep it clean. It will also keep your body functioning at 100%. You should drink at least (eight) 8oz glasses of water everyday. This will also help you lose weight.

5. Eat your fruits and vegetables - There are phytochemicals and antioxidants in fruits and vegetables that can help strengthen your immune system and prevent diseases. You should eat at least four servings of vegetables and two servings of fruits every day.

6. Multivitamins - If you are not eating all of your fruit and vegetable servings, you should take a multivitamin to ensure you are getting all of the vitamins your body needs to function properly. Take a simple one-a-day multivitamin everyday.

7. Stay warm - Being cold weakens your immune system and makes your body more susceptible to illness. Look at the day’s temperature at weather.com before leaving your home. Wear layers in and out of your home when it is cold.

8. Relax and rest - Stress weakens your immune system. You can reduce your stress levels by relaxing and getting more sleep. Sleep is essential to maintaining a healthy immune system. Sleep will also boost your recovery time if you become ill.

Getting a cold can derail your nutrition and activity plans. However, if you follow the strategies I laid out for you, you can prevent this from happening

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Practicing

5 Reasons Why You Should Start Practicing

Yoga And Meditation

The practice of yoga and meditation has become increasingly popular in the past few years, but I am sure that there are many people who are still asking themselves, “What’s in it for me?” So, if you have been wondering whether it would be worth your time to start practicing yoga and meditation, I would like to give you five good reasons why it would be a very worthwhile activity for you.

1. Yoga and meditation will improve your health

Yoga postures put gentle pressure on the internal organs of the body and help them to function properly. In particular the postures help your digestive system to work smoothly and thus avoid problems such as constipation, acidity and indigestion, which are common conditions that can lead to more serious problems later on. Meditation and deep relaxation can be just what you need to lower your blood pressure. Thus, yoga postures plus meditation is a great combination for maintaining and improving health.

2. Yoga and meditation will help you to overcome bad habits

What’s a “bad habit?” It’s something that you are doing continually, and something that you know is harming you but you can’t stop it. Are you smoking now? Maybe you thought it was good when you started, but you would now like to stop. The trouble is that it is not so easy to quit smoking or a similar habit once it has become established.

This is where yoga and meditation can help you out. The yoga postures help you to become more relaxed and mentally balanced. Meditation can help you to concentrate your mind and build up your will-power. Once you become internally balanced and have a stronger will power, it will become possible for you to break any habit, even one that you have been troubled by for many years.

3. Yoga and meditation will help you to lose weight

Obesity is one of the biggest health problems of the modern era. Our lives have become more sedentary and our food sources have changed over the last 100 years and this why many adults and even children are now overweight.

Although this is a life-style problem, it is something that can be dealt with. The surest way to lose weight is to get more exercise and to control what you are eating. This is of course, easier said than done. But yoga and meditation can help you out. There are some yoga postures that are helpful in weight loss programs. Similarly, the mental strength that you can get from both yoga postures and from meditation can help you to gain a better control over your diet and this can result in healthy and permanent weight loss.

4. Yoga and meditation will bring you inner peace

You may be earning a lot of money and you may have a lot of social prestige but is physical or social wealth the goal of your life? Whatever material or social wealth you have, if you are not contented, satisfied and at peace with yourself then you will not be a happy person.

The goal of meditation is to help you find the inner core of your being. Who are you? Is it the name and address on your identity card? If you start meditating you will find that deep within you is a pool of infinite love and peace. This is the real you. If you can reach this place, then you will find peace and contentment; it is guaranteed!

5. Yoga and meditation will make you a wiser person

Every one of us has made mistakes that we regret. There is nothing we can do about the past. We can’t go back in time and not make the mistakes. But what we can do is to build up our capacity to see what has permanent value and what is transitory. When we attain this state of discrimination, then we will not do actions that we will regret later on.

Meditation helps a person to go beyond the “chatter” of the mind and attain a state of wisdom that will always be of help. Wisdom does not mean stuffing your mind with “facts” but it does mean to have a mind that will choose a course of action that brings about the welfare of everyone.

I have a list with many more reasons why yoga and meditation are helpful, but I thought I would start off with these five reasons. So, if any one of these items are interesting for you, then why not see for yourself, and start practicing yoga and meditation? 

Brief Introduction of Bhagwan Swaminarayan

_{^{This section will briefly acquaint you with the Swaminarayan Sampraday, presenting an abridged biography of Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan (Shreeji Maharaj). The easiest way to explain what Shreeji Maharaj achieved in such a short time-span would be to read the prose written by the great poet (Kavishwar) and staunch devotee Shree Nanalal Dalpatram.}}

_{^{Janmya Koshal Des, Vesh Batuno Lai Teerth Mahi Farya 
Ramanand Malya Swadharma Chalavyo, Yagnaadi Mota Karya 
Mota Dhaam Rachya Rahya Gadhpurre Be Desh Gadi Kari 
Atardhaan Thaya Leela Hari Tani Sankshipt Uchari}}

_{^{Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan was born in the Koshal region of India, in a village called Chhapaiya (near Ayodhya, UP). Having served His parents until their demise, the Almighty took to a pilgrimage of India, adopting the life of a nomadic hermit.}}

_{^{On completion of the 7 years’ sojourn of India, the Lord met up with Ramanand Swami, and established the purest and unadulterated form of religion, based on ultimate devotion to God only, with total observance of non-violent dharma. Shreeji Maharaj re-introduced the non-violent yagnas, on a grand scale. He instructed numerous acts of social welfare; alms-houses, digging of village wells / lakes, explained in detail why it is important to worship Satvic deities. Shreeji Maharaj discredited the act of enforced Sati & female infanticide.}}

_{^{After the passing of Shree Ramanand Swami, Shreeji Maharaj held a large gathering of the followers at the town of Faneni. It was during this sabha, whilst explaining that God is one, He is Narayan, He is our Swami, Shreeji Maharaj introduced ‘the father of all Mantras’, Swaminarayan. It should be noted that there was no Swami who He had appointed His successor or as an ideal devotee, at that time. The name refers wholly & solely to Bhagwan Purushottam Narayan (Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan). The poet Dalpatram Kavi dedicates a whole chapter in his granth, ‘Shree Harileelamrut Sagar', written on behalf of the Late Acharya Maharajshri Shri Vihaarilalji Maharaj (3rd Acharya on Vadtal Gadi), to the greatness of the name Swaminarayan}}

_{^{He established temples at; Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Muli, Vadtal, Junagadh, Dholera, Dholka, Gadhpur & Jetalpur – installing images of various manifestations of God, such as Nar Narayan Dev, Laxmi Narayan Dev, Radha Krishna, Radha Raman, Revti Baldevji, etc. Shreeji Maharaj made Gadhpur His home, in recognition of the exceptional devoted love from Dada Khachar.}}

_{^{At Vadtal, Shreeji Maharaj established the dual Acharyaship, in direct succession to Himself. This He did by means of a legal document (known as Desh Vibhagno Lekh), which He dictated and got written by Shukanand Swami. Learned saints and elder satsangis witnessed this document. Copies were presented to Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj & Raghuveerji Maharaj – these are currently in the possession of the current Acharyas.}}

_{^{Shreeji Maharaj appointed Shree Raghuveerji Maharaj to the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi at Vadtal, and Shree Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj to the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi at Ahmedabad. Presently, HH Acharya Maharajshri Rakeshprasadji Maharaj adorns the illustrious seat of Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi, whilst HH Acharya Maharajshri Tejendraprasadji Maharaj has spread the glory of God as Acharya & leader of the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi at Ahmedabad, for the past 4 decades. It is the uniqueness of the authentic bonafide Swaminarayan Sampraday, that the closest a tyagi (saint) comes to leadership is being appointed the Mahant Swami (head-saint) of a Shikharbandh Temple. At all times, the true saints of the Sampraday take their instructions from the Acharya, their ultimate Guru & leader.}}

<sub><sup>At the age of 49 years, His work having been accomplished, Shreeji Maharaj left His physical body at Gadhpur, promising to remain within the Swaminarayan Sampraday in: 

1. the images He installed (and the Acharyas succeeding Him as per the Desh Vibhagno Lekh) 
2. the Acharyas installed by Him (and those in direct succession) 
3. the saints He initiated (and those initiated by succeeding Acharyas)
4. the scriptures, such as Shikshapatri, Satsangi Jeevan, Satsangi Bhushan,etc (and those authorised by succeeding Acharyas)</sup></sub>

(kalupur swaminarayan mandir-original swaminarayan sampraday)

New Pictures of Bhagwan Swaminarayan

Bhagwan Swaminarayn Guru

SHRI RAMANAND SWAMI  THE GURU OF LORD SWAMINARAYAN    (vadtal swaminarayan mandir)       Ramanand Swami was born of Ajay Sharma (father) and Sumati (mother) in Ayodhya in Vikram Samvat 1795 in a Brahmin family. His child-hood name was Shri Rama Sharma. Ramanand Swami was considered to be the incarnation of Uddhavaji and he resembled Uddhavaji in knowledge and all other meritorious qualities. As he was inclined to asceticism from childhood, he decided not to enter worldly life. He invariably worshipped the idol of Lord Shri Krishna every day. Leaving home-life and visiting pilgrim spots he arrived in Talaja village in Saurashtra and studied Vedic and Indian Philosophical scriptures under scholar Kashiram and became the chief disciple of Atmanand Swami, the great ascetic at Gopnath. His contact with the Guru (Preceptor) led him to the Darshan of divine light of Brahman, considered as the ultimate reality in the universe. But Ramanandji always cherished a strong desire to have the Darshan of Lord Krishna with a form (shape).

His Guru Atmanandji believed in the principle of non-dualism. So he left that place and arrived at Sri Rang Kshetra in the south. There he accepted Bhagawati Diksha (prescribed procedure to initiate a person into particular discipline of religion) in meditating state at the hands of Shri Ramanujacharya and after attaining the Darshan of Lord Krishna he went to Prayag, where he happened to meet Dharmadev, the father of Lord Swaminarayan. Ramanand Swami first offered Mantra Diksha (to initiate into Holy Fellowship) to Dharmadev and then touring through religious places arrived in to Saurashtra region and set up a hermitage in Loj village. About fifty sadhus became his disciples; the chief among them was Muktanandji. When leaving worldly life Lord Swaminarayan known as Neelkanth Varni arrived at Loj, He came in contact with Muktanandji.       Neelkanth Varni cherished a desire to meet Ramanand Swami. The meeting between Ramanand Swami and Neelkanth Varni took place in Piplana village. As Ramanand Swami asked Him about His caste and family; from this it was discovered that His father too, was his disciple. Ramanand Swami offered Diksha to Neelkanth Varni and initiated Him and gave Him two names Sahajanand Swami and Narayan Muni. On the 11th day of the bright half of Kartik month in Vikram Samvat 1858 Ramanand Swami assigned religious responsibility by consecrating Shri Sahajanand Swami on the High Seat of the Holy Fellowship. On that occasion Shri Sahajanand Swami asked for two boons from Ramanand Swami. 1.If any of your devotee suffers the pain of one scorpion-bite, let the pain come to Me in crores of bites (stings). 2.If any of your devotee is fated to hold a begging bowl, let it come to Me and let not any of your devotees should feel the want of food and clothing. Even to day these boons are magical and mysterious blessings, which bring blissful happy life to the devotees of Lord Swaminarayan. He left his material body on this earth in Faneni village on the 13th day of the bright half of Margashirsha month of Vikram Samvat 1858 and left for heavenly imperishable abode.

Videos of Bhagwan Swaminarayan

Pictures of Bhagwan Swaminarayan