How to build your creative confidence | David Kelley

Most of us want to be creative, but we don't all have the confidence to pull it off.

Here's a fantastic talk from David Kelley for you to enjoy, digging further into creative confidence :-)

Cosmic Creativity: Alex Grey

Next up, another talk about cosmic creativity.

How does art evolve our consciousness?....

The Art of Creativity | Taika Waititi | TEDxDoha

Hey! Last week was all about music and how it helps us sleep. I hope you found some of it useful!

This week we are taking a step back and looking at the creative arts, and how they benefit us every single day.

I really hope you enjoy this next post, a TED TALK all about The Art of Creativity :-)

Is Sleeping With Music On Good Or Bad? | Dangers & Benefits

Alright, lets get into some hard facts about the correlation between sleep and music. Is it really such a good thing? Check out this video to find out!

Fact: One in four married couples sleep in separate beds!

Meditation Music - Be Calm Within

Fun fact! Sleep deprivation will kill you more quickly than food deprivation...sorry, not so fun after all...lets just agree to both eat and sleep, and we will be fine!

Meditation is not easily definable: depending upon the context, there can be many different types of meditation and thus many different definitions. Let us compare two definitions from authorities we can rely upon. The first definition is from that great tome, 'The Encyclopedia Britannica'. It defines meditation as 'private devotion or mental exercise consisting in any of innumerable techniques of concentration, contemplation, and abstraction, regarded as conducive to heightened spiritual awareness or somatic calm.'

The other definition is taken from the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia which says that meditation is a 'religious discipline in which the mind is focused on a single point of reference. It may be a means of invoking divine grace, as in the contemplation by Christian mystics of a spiritual theme, question, or problem; or it may be a means of attaining conscious union with the divine, e.g., through visualization of a deity or inward repetition of a prayer or mantra (sacred sound).' The common point between these two and all other definitions is the same; meditation is the act of consciously directing your attention to alter your state of consciousness.

Even though it is an ancient technique of relaxation, meditation is continually becoming more and more popular among people all over the world. When we speak of meditation the most common image that our mind conjures up is that of a Hindu saint sitting cross legged and chanting mantras. The description is quite accurate but from having seriously religious connotations at one time, meditation became the in thing by the efforts of one Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian who espoused the concept of 'Transcendental Meditation', which took the technique out of its religious settings and made it more popular among people of all faith. Today, 50 years since the birth of Transcendental Meditation, it still remains popular among western societies.

Music has always played a major role in the relaxation of the human mind and body. It also is a great accompaniment to meditation and yoga. The correct type of soothing music will make sure that you have a complete meditation experience and will also guide you through the steps of meditation. Inner Splendor Media, a New York based company specialises in providing meditation music, sleep music and more.

Original Source

Wind Down Yoga - 12 Minute Bedtime Yoga - Yoga With Adriene

...and we are back with Adriene!

Yoga really is a wonderful way to calm the mind and unlock the body. Even if you have never tried it, even if you think you will absolutely hate it, why not just try it for five minutes...you might be surprised.

Before you take the jump and try something new, here's a fact for you...

Giraffes sleep for only 1.9 hours a day, whereas a brown bat sleeps for 19.9 hours a day!

Experiment, enjoy some me time.

Sleep Music - Sleeping With Music

Here is an article from Sleep Expert Paul Geracy, weighing up the pros and cons about sleeping with music.

Fact: Within five minutes of waking up, 50% of your dreams will be forgotten! Good job too!

Enjoy :)

Insomnia is a common sleeping disorder, and is a concern for many people worldwide. Lack of proper sleep affects the waking hours of a patient, tiredness saps out necessary energy essential for everyday routine life. There are many causes that lead to insomnia that can include medical conditions or even lifestyle choices. However, there are several treatment options that can help solve your sleeping problems.

Although people suffering from insomnia try all sleeping aids ranging from medication to electronic sleeping aids, they tend to overlook one potential solution i.e. music. Music can be a plausible solution for sleep disorders; it can help relax both the body and mind to instigate sleep easily at the end of the day. After all, music is said to be the medicine of the mind.

There are many musical artists who create soothing music solely to help people calm down and relax, resulting in sleep. Although you would not come across these songs on radio stations or on the television, you can find this special type of sleep music at a music store near you. You can go for either instrumental music or music of nature, depending on which suits you the best.

Soothing instrumental melodies are a popular choice to treat sleeping disorders. They help calm the mind and are gentle to your ears at the same time. Due to lack of words in instrumental music, you are more drawn to the music and can allow your mind to relax, surrendering to the notes. Instrumental music often make use of instruments that produce gentle sounds like pianos, violins, flutes, clarinets etc. These instruments produce soothing sounds and you need not focus on one aspect as the melodies from every instrument blends with the rest to produce a comforting musical treat for your ears. Music can help lose tension and stress, resulting in peaceful and deep sleep.

Some people prefer sounds of nature to instrumental music. Sounds of nature like rustling leaves, sounds of rain falling, animal songs etc can help release a primal instinct in humans that can lead to sleep. The reason to this is said to be the fact that before civilization, humans only had the sounds of nature to lull them to sleep, and even now, these sounds of nature can help create peace of mind leading to sleep.

So if you are suffering from lack of sleep, you can try and use sleep music to get relief from your problem. Here below are a few ideas that can help you get started:

• Classical tapes/CD's work well for peaceful sleep, you can try Mozart's "Baroque Music" or Brahms's "Lullaby". There are many relaxing classical music compositions to choose from.
• Tribal music tapes/CD's provide organic sounds and makes use of several non-electronic instruments.
• Ambient Electronica tapes/CD's are also a good choice. They contain soothing melodies and offer gentle sound effects. Some examples are The Orb, Aphex Twin etc.
• You can also purchase CD's/tapes that feature soothing nature sounds like waterfalls, wind, rain and the like.
• Sound generating machines can also be used; they produce sound effects that contribute to sleep.

So, if you are having trouble getting proper sleep, music can act as your perfect solution. All you need to do is hit the play button and you can drift into beautiful, peaceful slumber.

Original Source