tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23749156206300466042024-03-13T19:34:00.776-07:00Yoga happened to me... Jiva Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915704620019657628noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2374915620630046604.post-35963260245405302572015-05-22T08:09:00.001-07:002015-05-22T08:23:58.415-07:00 MANTRA,OM,AMEN AND THE SOUND OF THE MOTOR <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<h4 class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I
just felt this enormous longing …just longing…longing and connection with the
nature around me! I felt so happy but at the same time I wanted to die …It was quite
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>powerful !</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What is mantra or mantram as it is also known? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many people will make an association with it with the image
of orange robes, garlands, exotic locations and incenses. But actually it has
been known all over the world for centuries, only different cultures call it
different names.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is a Sanskrit word.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>According to the explanation which Eknath Easwaran gives in his book’’
Meditation’’ the name ‘’mantra’’ links to the roots ‘’man’’ (the mind) and ‘’tri’’
(to cross).’’ ‘’The mantram, repeated regularly for a long time, enables us to
cross the sea of the mind’’.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2374915620630046604#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Humanst521 BT","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"></span></span></span></span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It transcends our mind beyond mundane
reality, it actually connects us with our deeper, true self. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Hatha Yoga Pradipika, mantra is described as subtle sound
vibration, it is a tantric process for releasing energy and expanding
consciousness from the limitations of mundane awareness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mantra could be a spiritual sentence, a formula of words or
sounds which has enormous power that has been transmitted from age to age, from
teacher to a disciple following a lineage or religious traditions. The
practitioners wanting to achieve this state silently repeat the word as often
as possible as each repetition ads to their physical and spiritual well-being.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After all Mantra is a spiritual tool which include the name
of God or of the supreme reality or the Self at some form or another. One can
come across different theories that explain that mantra is a part of the basic
vibrations of the universe, like ‘’OM’’, which
we will talk about later. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Following the examples which Eknath Easwaran mentions in his
book we can see that some great mantras and very commonly used ones can be
found in every religion and tradition from thousands of years ago until today:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. Christianity - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘’Jesus’’, or ‘’Hail Mary ‘’, or ‘’Lord Jesus
Christ, son of God have mercy on us ‘’ or just ‘’ Lord Jesus Christ’’. These
are mantras to awake the love and the mercy in our hearts like Jesus Himself
and the wisdom and unconditional love like Divine Mother as Mary.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. Judaism- ‘’Barukh attah Adonai’’(blessed art thou, O
Lord) , to help in time of distress and turmoil , emotional cultural etc. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. Islam -‘’Allahu akbar’’(God is great) or simply
‘’Allah’’(God).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4. Buddhism -‘’Om mani
padme hum’’ (the jewel in the lotus of the heart’’), corresponds to the hidden
divinity in each one of us. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5.Hinduism ‘’Rama’’ or ‘’Om namah Shivaia’’ or ‘’Hare
Rama-Hare Rama, Rama-Rama,Hare-Hare, Hare Krishna –Hare Krishna, Krishna
–Krishna, Hare-Hare.’’</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rama also was Mahatma Gandi ‘s mantra. It is to evoke joy
and inner strength.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But most popular of all is mantra ‘’Om’’
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
‘’OM’’ ! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In Patanjali’s sutra 27 :‘’tasya vacakah pranavah ‘’ (the
word expressive of Ishvara is the mystic sound OM).
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because it is difficult to understand anything without a
name, Patanjali gives the supreme Purusha /God a name. Using the interpretation
of Sri Swami Satchidananda’s yoga sutras of Patanjali ,it states that every form
vibrates with certain sound. Although the supreme is omnipresent and ever
pervading, Patanjali wants a name that gives us unlimited idea and vibration
which includes all sounds and all vibrations. He says it is ‘’Mmmm’’. Because
we can’t easily say ‘’mmmm’’ so he writes it ‘’om’’. In the sutra 27 ‘’om is
called ‘’pranavah’’- humming.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Om is the word for the supreme.
Even in the Bible it is said ‘’in the beginning was the Word, and the word was
with God and the Word was God’’. In the Vedas :’’The name of Brahman is Om ,and Om is Brahman’’.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The ‘’om’’ sound can be split in three - A (ah), U(oo) ,
M(mm). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the Mandukya Upanishads ‘’Aum stands for the supreme reality.
It is a symbol for what was, what is, and what shall be. Aum represents also
what lies beyond past, present and future.’<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2374915620630046604#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Humanst521 BT","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"></span></span></span></span></a>
It is divided in four stages- A,U,M and anagata (unspoken , beyond verbal pronunciation).
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A –is the beginning of every sound, our first sound when we
are born is normally a cry like ‘’Ahhhh’’, it is almost every nation’s alphabet
first letter or sound. ’’A’’ sound is produced by opening the mouth and making
the sound, it is produced in the throat where the tongue is rooted. It
corresponds to the first level of consciousness Vaishvanara (Mandukya
Upanishads), where senses are turned outward and one is aware only of the
external world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then comes U – pronounced between the tongue and the palate,
closer to the lips. U is Taijasa or <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the
second state of consciousness (Mandukya Upanishads), the dreaming state , the
senses are turned inward where<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘’one
enacts the impressions of past deeds and present desires’’. Then closing the
lips, producing M. In Mandukya Upanishads it is referred as Prajna state of
consciousness .One neither dreams nor desires. There is no mind, no separateness,
but the so called sleeper is not conscious of it, when he/she is ‘’awake ‘’ to
this state it will ‘’open the door to the state of abiding joy’’(Mandukya
Upanishads)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So in other words - A is creation, U is preservation and M is
culmination or beyond. A-U-M, according to Swami Satchidananda, includes the
entire process of sound and all other sounds are contained in it. Om is the origin or the seed of all the sounds and words,
it is dormant in all other words.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But after the sound ends, there is still a vibration, says
Swami Sachidananda. That is the unspoken sound or so called anagata. This
corresponds to the forth, the super-conscious state, called Turiya ‘’neither
inward, nor outward ,beyond the senses and the intellect, in which there is non
other than the Lord.’’(Mandukya Upanishads). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is always a sound vibration within us, which was
before A and will be after M. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We can tap into this inner ‘’humming ‘’ when we become quiet,
when we manage to still the mind and the senses through different ways of
meditation like mantra repetition(japa), Bhramari pranayama etc. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This basic sound is always part of us, no one can stop it. It
is the seed for all other sounds to manifest from. Just because we can’t hear
it we think we are disconnected from it, but through practice we can become aware
of it within us and all around us. As Swami Satchidanadna explains it ‘’the
entire world evolves from that and goes back into that again. That is why God’s
name should be OM. No other name should be adequate to represent Him.’’<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2374915620630046604#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Humanst521 BT","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"></span></span></span></span></a>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We can find OM in Amen ,
Amin or Ameen …they are only different variation of the same sound , or just
simple hmmmm in the humming of the bumble bee ,the motor of your car , the
couch sound ,the noise of the ocean- ‘’truth is one , seers express it in many
ways ‘’ ( Swami Satchidanada quotation from the Upanishads,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘’Ekam sat, vipraha bahudha vadanti’’).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every chant starts and ends with OM.
It is to open and enrol the creation we tap into during the chanting. So by
opening a chant or a mantra with Om we connect
to a certain aspect of the universal consciousness. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Om reminds me of the shape
of the egg, broad base, oval walls (arches) and pointed tip. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In terms of yoga and asana, especially, it helps me and
inspires me to teach or hold a posture. When we start we must be open like A,
broaden and well based in our pose to support us in our journey, then the
breath is the U that transcends our mind and our awareness to the deeper levels
of finding our true self, while at the same time supports this pose, and finally
M,the tip , the top or <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the one
pointedness where we achieve union and peace with the our <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>edge- physically , mentally and spiritually
and we become nothing but the subtle vibration hmmmmm .Take for example Lotus
pose …. Obviously it is my simple theory but it helps me to be more observant
and present in my practice. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In conclusion about OM I’d
like to say that every time when I start a class we start with a Om. Some students are not so open to participate , others
are very enthusiastic .Their Oms are ever so present and open , especially the
A bit .Which made me think that we are likely to emphasise<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>more on the physical ,dense, aspect of the
creation. By the time we slowly get to the U our breath is not enough and M is
almost not existent .But for a class of beginners it is understandable to be
like this.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I try to encourage them to use the full length of the breath
when we chant OM but it happens with practice
of course.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People who are more advanced in their practise, like some of
Amma’s ( Mata Amritaanandamayi , The Hugging saint ) swamis ,hardly ever open their
mouth when they chant OM , it comes out as
strong and very powerful Hummmmm, resembling a motor of some kind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So really the way we chant it shows where are we in our
journey...or at least I believe so. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Observing my relationship with Om,
I can see when I am physically unsettled or distracted- I have longer A,
worried or emotional- I have longer U, and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>when I am more introverted I tend to do it
like a humm … </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On some occasions I chant a mantra after Om. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mantra chanting is very beneficial to set the mood and the
tone of the class. It transforms the atmosphere helps the student to get into a
zone for practice, exploring and studying. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some times I do little experiment with them. After we
practised for few sessions chant and repeat after me, I leave the mantra
chanting and we just have Om in the beginning
and Om at the end of every class. They seem to
be relieved that we don’t have to do this ‘’difficult’’ and exotic singing (as
some of them call it). But soon after few classes, or even may be few months
later I begin the class with a familiar chant(I say a verse and they repeat it
after me) and to their biggest amusement and surprise they remember it even
better than the firs attempts. Oh the joy on their faces!! Priceles! So this
shows how mantra really can go deeper through certain practice. The practice is
necessary to tame the mind, the mantra is always within us, it is just
necessary to allow it to come back. </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mantra given to you by enlighten being comes with the
blessing and the love of this being. It is also a mantra which has been tested
through the times and has been part of the linage or the teaching of the guru
who gives it to you. Such mantra has more power than the one you or I can
chose. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are different ways to connect and make your mantra
work. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply by saying it out loud when
no one can hear you, then gradually whispering, murmuring and finely repeating
it in your head. Every moment when your mind is not actively involved in some
demanding or dangerous operation, like driving or cutting with knife etc.. you
can use mantra while waiting for the bus , the elevator, while walking or
before you go to sleep, using mala (japa) etc. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On one occasion in the beginning of my mantra practising not
so long ago I set my self for a walk and just wanted to see if this mantra
business is that good as they say. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I kept walking by the river and repeating it, and repeating
it very concentrated and… nothing… everything was normal…until suddenly I felt
this overwhelming sadness in my chest, as if my heart was reaped apart, I just
wanted to explode with tears on the bank of the river, my throat felt like it
had a very heavy stone stuck in it<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>…. I
just felt this enormous longing ….just longing….longing and connection with the
nature around me! I felt so happy but at the same time I wanted to die …It was quite
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>powerful but I couldn’t hold it for long
as there were people walking their dogs around and it would have been ‘’well’’ embarrassing
to see me sobbing like mad on the bank of the river, so I had to find a way to
compose my self and go home never the same again, transformed by such
surprising encounter with my mantra. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So the moral is … I don’t know what the moral is. You never
know until you try it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone should
find it for themselves in their own practise in order to allow it to blossom in
their own time from within their own heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But always make sure you have a certain preparation before hand to know
the meaning of the practice you do and be honest with your self, with your
expectations and experiences….and most of all be open for anything and be
patient. And practise, practise, this will show you your way,it will help you
to find your own true experience whenever the time is right. Trust it! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Humanst521 BT","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
<br />
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
</div>
Jiva Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915704620019657628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2374915620630046604.post-7313423497259320192015-04-12T15:04:00.000-07:002015-04-12T15:04:58.177-07:00''A lover asked his beloved ''<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lXy08Lea7tAA-w4AndT-HvOjAA2KCdly3at1lIVGE96pMzOOaFU8W2yCvMhtLy23xKssmNPwmi98l1e9y4fhe1tQF7vLIK_ZSHMQD0FpMbPJLr4ny8FCXFm6DYKqlmobTZ-Scc42nEg/s1600/483974_3607917317729_104744317_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5lXy08Lea7tAA-w4AndT-HvOjAA2KCdly3at1lIVGE96pMzOOaFU8W2yCvMhtLy23xKssmNPwmi98l1e9y4fhe1tQF7vLIK_ZSHMQD0FpMbPJLr4ny8FCXFm6DYKqlmobTZ-Scc42nEg/s1600/483974_3607917317729_104744317_n.jpg" height="400" width="290" /></a></div>
<div class="mts _50f8">
A lover asked his beloved, </div>
Do you love yourself more<br />
than you love me?<br />
<br />
The beloved replied,<br />
I have died to myself<br />
and I live for you.<br />
<br />
I've disappeared from myself<br />
and my attributes.<br />
I am present only for you.<br />
<br />
I have forgotten all my learnings,<br />
but from knowing you<br />
I have become a scholar.<br />
I have lost all my strength,<br />
but from your power<br />
I am able.<br />
<br />
If I love myself<br />
I love you.<br />
<br />
If I love you<br />
I love myself.<br />
/Rumi/ Jiva Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915704620019657628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2374915620630046604.post-62291441818384499712015-04-12T14:07:00.002-07:002015-04-12T14:07:42.900-07:00The Rebirth of the New Divine Feminine Energy <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<strong><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNY5V5SXdGgRfEnGud6xL6RelSxzq3ZQmmm5dpiMYCdjPdOOxhTHFkNCuNivW56_cmnqOrWYGmGjTEgYHKt98wgGm2a3nTyQ0GxjCXoWE4uzFrSNpFNPMfj1XR10xZ3nYnUKFVfjpQ9qc/s1600/10686947_540010146133563_2396542634218957351_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNY5V5SXdGgRfEnGud6xL6RelSxzq3ZQmmm5dpiMYCdjPdOOxhTHFkNCuNivW56_cmnqOrWYGmGjTEgYHKt98wgGm2a3nTyQ0GxjCXoWE4uzFrSNpFNPMfj1XR10xZ3nYnUKFVfjpQ9qc/s1600/10686947_540010146133563_2396542634218957351_n.jpg" height="317" width="320" /></a></strong></strong></div>
<strong><strong> </strong></strong><em>There is something exciting
afoot these days that has been percolating for decades. This
“something” is a new way of being for women and all people everywhere.</em><br />
<em>For
thousands of years the divine feminine energy has struggled to stay
alive in a male dominated world. This energy has re-surged throughout
history for periods of time. When it has thrived we have called it a
Golden Age, for music, medicine, science, art, love and life have
flourished. The old ideas of competition, might over right, private
ownership, greed, domination and war virtually did not exist. Peace and
prosperity reigned during these times and feminine based values of
collaboration, co-creation, connection to the natural world and to
each other.</em><br />
<em>It has been several thousand years since the
world has experienced a true Golden Age and a world and to our divinity,
where all life was revered were honored and celebrated. Not since the
Renaissance in Europe, have we known such a rebirth of art, science,
and medicine where many of the patriarchal values shifted allowing the
feminine to come forth once again. It has been foretold for thousands
of years by both the Mayan Calendar and Vedas that 2012 was the
beginning of another Golden Age, one that would last for 10,000 years.
This Golden Age would be like no other for it would be during this time
that a new world would be born. This world would once again bring
into balance the masculine and feminine principles of life allowing the
feminine energy to lead the way, but not the feminine as we have known
it but in its new form, the Solar Feminine.</em><br />
<br />
<em>The
Solar Feminine began to stream onto the planet with the Venus
Transit. We saw Venus in front of the Sun which was blazing its light
behind and through her. Venus, the symbol of the love and the Divine
Feminine, is now in front of the Sun which has been traditionally viewed
as masculine. The divine feminine is now in the forefront of
masculine energy but the masculine is supporting the feminine this
time. There is no need for the feminine to go underground to survive
in a male dominated world but rather to thrive, be fully seen and
supported by all.</em><br />
<em>The world is now ready to open its
arms in a more loving embrace toward the feminine and has begun to
truly see that embracing feminine values is not only a more conscious
and loving way to live but a necessity if we are to survive. The New
Divine Feminine is allowing a renaissance, rebirth of feminine based
values to lead us into our promised Golden Age or The Age of Light.</em><br />
<em>The
New Divine Feminine is also bringing forth a new paradigm for women to
live by. What I mean by this, is that what we have defined as
feminine has been based upon masculine values and how men have
interpreted what the feminine is and how they would like women to be. We
have been brought up with these misinterpretations as have generations
of our mothers and grandmothers. A new paradigm for women has needed
to come forth so that women can learn how to live in a new way with
each other. This new way of being encourages women to collaborate
rather than compete, trust each other rather than mistrust, to value
each other as much as they value being with a man and to honor and
value themselves. When women embrace each other as the Divine Feminine
incarnate then the world will follow.</em><br />
<em>The New Divine
Feminine is the next octave of the vibration of the feminine for the
21st Century. It brings us the opportunity to create new archetypes of
the feminine and masculine, to weave a new story of creation as we are
living it and to align more and more with our destiny as spiritual
beings having a human experience. We are all beginning to live our
divine purpose as this new world takes shape based on the complimentary
energies of both the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine, and as
we <strong> </strong></em><br />
<em><strong>learn how to integrate these energies within ourselves.</strong></em><br />
<em><strong> </strong></em><br />
<em>The
New Divine Feminine is a new way for us to allow the feminine to lead
us into this Age of Light. Women may take the lead in this but men too
will follow. The story of Durga tells us that once when the world was
threatened by demons who created much suffering and havoc on Earth,
the kings and high standing men called upon the Goddess Durga to save
the world. Durga is a Tibetan warrior goddess who is more fierce than
even Kali. She responded to their call and answered that she would come
and save the world. She did, and when all was restored and peace
reigned again, she told the all the rulers on Earth that if they should
ever need her again they should just call for Durga as it would be
through the feminine that the world could be saved again.</em><br />
<em>To
me this story reflects that it is through the fierce divine feminine
energy and the restoration and implementation of feminine values that
we as a culture, country and world will thrive. This is our choice, of
course, but I choose to say ‘Yes!’ to this invitation and I invite you
to do too. </em><br />
<br />
<em>source </em>: <strong>Luminessa Enjara </strong><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<strong><br /></strong>Jiva Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915704620019657628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2374915620630046604.post-46884462044555759952015-03-08T17:21:00.004-07:002015-03-08T17:23:20.896-07:00<div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">
<b>The Age of Bhakti </b><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCFW0XEq4KCoQR87sITIDKAum5qRZy_umXCkb9ugaRdcM8TzUHLGYnqmPLWEfOd9JOVzNsIgAJtOlBOfotR9FPBtsxjc1Hrbk3tdU0quGvgIBgFzvzuqmtSKU_Nbo5ioWpWXFuJoMFmY/s1600/167539_1540393750932_7855272_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCFW0XEq4KCoQR87sITIDKAum5qRZy_umXCkb9ugaRdcM8TzUHLGYnqmPLWEfOd9JOVzNsIgAJtOlBOfotR9FPBtsxjc1Hrbk3tdU0quGvgIBgFzvzuqmtSKU_Nbo5ioWpWXFuJoMFmY/s1600/167539_1540393750932_7855272_n.jpg" height="640" width="470" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">'' my hands are my heart'' G. Orozco</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>(you'll be sooooo inspired reading this !Trust me!! A talk with </b><b>Swami Satyananda Saraswati ) </b><br />
<br />
<br />
I have had a glimpse of the new millennium. Yoga will go backstage and
bhakti will take its place. Bhakti means devotion or love; it is an
expression of bhavana, a deep feeling from the heart towards God. Love
will become prominent, not as a belief but as a science. After all, you
may not know what antibiotics are, but they have been researched and
defined. In psychology, research has been done into brainwaves.
Similarly, scientists will investigate people like Mirabai. Mirabai was
given poison but it did not affect her. How did that happen? What
changes took place in her body? What waves were predominant in her
brain? Were they beta, alpha, theta, delta or something else? Christ was
crucified for three days yet he did not die. How did he remain alive?<br />
BlissI had years and years of believing that God was without name or
form. However, those views changed because I have been convinced by my
personal experience, aparokshanubhuti. When I was at Bihar School of
Yoga, I always spoke about yoga and carefully avoided God. Most of you
must remember this. But now I can no longer talk about yoga, I can only
talk about bhakti. Now it is necessary to speak about God and it does
not matter whether it is done in a Jewish, Christian, Muslim or Hindu
way. Something transcendental has to come as a focus for the mind. God
has to be brought forth very systematically and scientifically, not as
someone mysterious. I never spoke about God before in my life, but
suddenly I am not able to speak of anything else.<br />
The next
generation will get scientific proof of bhakti, not religious evidence.
What is said in the Ramayana is legendary evidence; it is not
scientific. No religious book is scientific evidence. When you say that
the moon is so many miles from the earth, there is scientific evidence,
objective data, today to prove it. Either my view is right or it is
wrong. It can't be both. If I am wrong, then I am crazy, but if I am
right, then what am I? You must find out. I am speaking about this very
frankly, although you may not understand it.<br />
The new millennium
will see the renaissance of dharma and bhakti. If I am still alive, your
children and grandchildren will love me! They will say, “Papa, do you
know what bhakti is? In school we learned that a great scientist from
America says that bhakti has a very important influence on biological
matter and that he has measured it with different instruments. So you
must love God like you love your family.” You will say, “This boy has
gone crazy!” Then he will say, “I am not crazy; I am talking science!”
The time is going to come very soon for redefining bhakti as a part of
our personal lives and as a means of redemption from pain.<br />
Lumbago is not the only pain that man suffers from, nor is arthritis. It
is true that there is pain, but there are many other problems in the
human mind, consciousness and psyche. If you were to search for an
individual cure for all of these problems, it would take a lifetime.
However, there is a common cure for them all in bhakti. Therefore, you
must practise kirtan, have satsang and read the lives of great saints,
whoever they may be – Mirabai, Ramakrishna, St Francis, Aurobindo, St
Teresa of Avila or St John of the Cross. Read the teachings of St Thomas
Aquinas, for example, and just try to live like that, but do not make
bhakti a religion or a sect. This will take time to develop because the
intellectual mind is a very hard nut to crack. Therefore, a devotee
should not take recourse in vain discussions. Aurobindo has said,
“Reason was the helper and reason is the barrier. Transcend reason.”<br />
<br />
<b>The culture of bhakti yoga</b><br />
<br />
<b>The twentieth century was the century of political culture. Politicians
were at the forefront of everything. Now people have understood that
the political culture will never save humanity, it will never solve
social problems, it will never bring an end to war. In the twenty-first
century scientists will change their focus. They have been working on
the dimension of matter and have developed the technology to prove their
hypotheses. In the new millennium, they will investigate feelings,
emotions, devotion and bhakti. The research will be streamlined and has
already started to happen in many countries.</b><br />
It was the
scientists who proved the superiority of matter. Now they will prove the
superiority of mind and emotions over matter. The twenty-first century
will see this happen. There are many things which the last century
missed that the new century will pick up. If it misses them, then
disaster will follow because man has so much technological knowledge
that he has the power to destroy himself.<br />
There is only one path;
all other paths are stepping stones. Karma yoga, raja yoga and jnana
yoga are stepping stones. Bhakti is the path, God is the destiny and you
and I are the travellers. This is the only truth. If there is any
philosophy other than this, it is illogical. We are born with only one
destiny. Man is an experiment, and the outcome of that experiment is the
experience of God. Many people in the past have had that experience,
but many more will have it in the future.<br />
I can see clearly the
great changes taking place in different parts of the world, particularly
in the western hemisphere. <b>Wherever there is an excess of worldly
pleasure and materialistic aspirations, people have developed a feeling
of distaste, dispassion. The twentieth century has only shown us a
culture of indulgence and enjoyment, a utilitarian, consumer culture.
This culture now plays a dominant role in literature, music, art and
drama as well. The twentieth century has given us no path advocating
spirituality.</b> Spirituality has only survived the onslaught of stark
materialism because great people like Swami Vivekananda, Swami
Ramatirtha and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa have kept it alive by injecting
some inspiration into it.<br />
The age of bhakti is dawning. Bhakti is
a force which will influence the civilization, culture and
relationships of man. If you study history, you will find that there
have been revolutions brought about to promote awareness of bhakti.
These were the times when society was going through a transition period
and a feeling of instability prevailed everywhere, like today. It
happened in India as well as in Europe. Whenever a society passes
through a transition period, it experiences a social vacuum and people
begin to reject it.<br />
Do you accept what is happening in your
society today? Do you accept the way people think, act and behave? Don't
you criticize these things? What does all this mean? It means you are
not satisfied with the existing state of society. <b>When a society becomes
dissatisfied with its own state of affairs, that situation is known as a
social vacuum. This has already happened in the developed western
societies, but they fail to understand it. Therefore, they are turning
towards spirituality. They are adopting bhakti marga, the path that
leads to God. This is the only way.</b><br />
<b> Bhakti comes from the heart</b><br />
The twenty-first century will be the century of bhakti yoga for
everyone. Scientists will start to investigate human emotions because
emotions are more powerful than matter. By human emotions I mean
feelings. Bhakti is not religious doctrine, it is not a product of
intellect. Bhakti is concerned with your inner personal feelings, which
come from the heart. It is constant awareness. Just as you have a deep
feeling of terror, passion or enmity, in the same way, there is a deep
feeling of true love for God. Instead of directing your emotions towards
fear, anger and hatred, you have to direct them towards God. You must
direct your emotions totally in the right direction.<br />
Bhakti is
present in everyone; it is an all pervading essence in all living
beings, not only human beings. The feeling for God is bhakti, the
feeling for one's enemy is revenge, the feeling for one's beloved is
passion, the feeling for money is greed. When your feeling goes towards
God, it is called bhakti. The same feeling from a mother for her child
is affection, sneha. When it is directed towards a friend it is
friendship. So, you do not have to be told how to develop your feelings
because they already exist. You only have to be taught how to channel
them. Bhakti is natural for everyone.<br />
Only in bhakti yoga can the
human mind stabilize itself easily. Give some time to serving God and
the mind automatically becomes one-pointed. There has to be balance in
life. You have to have as much devotion to God as you have cravings for
enjoyment. Enjoy this world as much as you can, but side by side give as
much devotion to God as possible.<br />
The most important thing that
you have to understand is that God is the centre of the universe. You
can only see God through the eyes of your heart. The heart is free from
selfishness, it is the source of sacrifice and selflessness. If you want
to have any connection or relationship with God, then intellect is the
barrier. You can discuss God through the intellect, but you cannot feel
Him. You express your feelings through the heart. Love, hatred, passion,
sacrifice and anger are feelings. You feel them; you do not see them.
Similarly you cannot see God, God has to be felt.<br />
How can bhakti
be developed? This is a very important question and a very difficult
one. Everyone wants to love and be loved. You don't have to learn how to
love, but how to streamline this love from matter to spirit. How can
the love that you have for the material world be channelled towards God?
You have to discover and forge a relationship with Him. Is God your
father, mother, husband, wife, child, boyfriend, girlfriend, friend or
master? You have to be very clear about Him. There are two truths: one
is that love is natural to everyone, and the other is that everyone is
connected with God. So, you do not have to connect yourself with God,
you have to discover your relationship with Him.<br />
<br />
<b>Important aspects of bhakti</b><br />
<br />
The foremost attributes on the path of bhakti are trust and faith.
Bhakti is an emotional quality. Faith and trust belong to your
psychological personality. Their effects can be measured in terms of
electromagnetic radiations. What is the effect of faith and trust on the
blood pressure and metabolism? Faith and trust are personal things. How
can I know how much faith and trust you have? Can they be measured if I
cannot see them?<br />
We cannot see faith or belief, but I can feel
mine and you can feel yours. However, that is not enough. Objective data
needs to be produced. Trust and faith are the basis of bhakti and
cannot be seen with the eyes. What is that faith? Is it a blood flow or a
current of electromagnetic radiation? What is the form of bhavana? Is
it a vibration or a flow? It is a feeling and it definitely exists,
because when you are angry, you hate. The feeling of anger disturbs the
heart and blood pressure. You lose your appetite and the liver function
is impaired. In many people worries and anxieties cause the eyesight to
become weak.<br />
This means that the effect of bhavana or feeling on
the human body is tangible. Although you cannot see faith or trust, the
effects can be felt on the body. Therefore, you can know the cause
through the effect. Bhakti yoga will be the next topic of scientific
research. Until now scientists have only carried out research into
matter. They won't investigate the soul, the spirit, atma, because they
say it does not exist, but they can certainly research feelings, faith
and trust.<br />
<br />
<b>Forms of God</b><br />
<br />
God has two forms, the
transcendental and the immanent. God is beyond everything, beyond time,
space and matter, and God is present in all beings. We have to accept
both concepts of God. God exists in many forms, from the microbe to the
towering tree, from the limited mind to the universal mind. God is the
person who needs your help, God is in the animal that needs your
protection. A complete idea of bhakti has to emerge in such a way that
society will be regenerated, then people will enjoy life.<br />
One can
worship God in any form one likes. In this Kali yuga, samkirtan, the
singing of God's name, is a divine path. The other path is helping
others. If every single person were to light one candle for another, how
many candles would be lit? With this chain reaction every house would
be lit with a candle. The last century did not support bhakti, it
supported politics, materialism and the fulfilment of petty desires.
International peace can only be achieved if every human being is
peaceful.<br />
The times are changing. The winter of materialism is
going and the spring of bhakti is coming. People are really frustrated
and disappointed with this culture. Wouldn't you prefer a simple life
with peace of mind? For achieving mental peace two things are necessary:
one is acceptance of one's situation in life and the other is bhakti,
love for God. Where there is bhakti there is peace of mind, no worries,
likes, dislikes, love, hatred, anger or lust. Peace means acceptance.<br />
<br />
<b>Inspiring others to lead a divine life</b><br />
<br />
The preliminary groundwork will have to be done by a number of people
who have realized this divinity in their own lives. That will be the
first step. The twentieth century did not have such people with the
capacity to inspire others to lead a divine life. There were many
preachers who spoke about God, but unless God is in you and works
through you, that is not enough.<br />
The second point is that in the
new century people will be as scientifically-minded as they were in the
last century. Scientists will work, not only in education, but on many
other fronts. God-realized saints on one side and scientists on the
other will have to work together. Bhakti is not only a philosophy or a
religion. Bhakti is a science which can transform the individual and
change his thinking pattern. The generation of the 21st century will
belong to the bhakti yoga culture because mankind has developed its
feelings and emotions during the present era and these expressed
feelings have to be redirected or streamlined.<br />
It is necessary to
lead the future generation onto the path of bhakti. Try to inspire your
children to take a new direction. You do not have to tell them to eat
or to get married because these are natural drives. You have to teach
them how to devote more time to God, how to be spiritual, how to make
some time in the morning and evening for remembering God, for singing
kirtan. The yoga of the next generation will be samkirtan because people
everywhere are crazy about music. People all over the world,
irrespective of nationality, culture, colour and creed, will enjoy
singing God's name on a family or community basis.<br />
<br />
<b>The future of science</b><br />
<br />
<br />
In the twenty-first century scientists will turn their attention
towards bhakti and they will conduct research into the human psyche in
the same way that they did research on matter, electronics, nuclear
physics, computers and satellites in the twenttieth century. Technology
was the outcome of science in the last century. Bhakti will be the
outcome of science in the new millennium.<br />
Scientists will
discover the impact of bhakti on the human mind, behaviour and
constitution, and its effect on society and civilization. How does
bhakti effect the electromagnetic waves of the human brain? How does it
influence the enzymes? How does bhakti improve the cardiovascular
system? What is the effect of bhakti on universal consciousness? It is
clear that the scientists of the twenty-first century will have to work
very hard. Spiritual discipline then will not be known as religion or
faith, but as a science of life. Just as we have been able to deal with
space communication through electronic mediums, similarly we will have
to deal with the idiosyncrasies of humanity, with its complicated mind
and its strange behaviour, which I do not think science is able to
control.<br />
Nobody has control over the human mind and behaviour
today. This should develop when scientists realize that things are going
wrong. Once they start to think about it, there will be a revival of
religion. But which religion should be revived? The religion which is
based on logic and reasoning and which has a pragmatic approach. So,
scientists will give up experiments on matter and they will work on the
influence of devotion to God and its effects on the chemistry, behaviour
and experience of the human body and mind. It will be a wonderful thing
and it will happen. This is the inevitable destiny of mankind in the
new millennium.<br />
<br />
<b>Swami Satyananda Saraswati </b></div>
Jiva Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915704620019657628noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2374915620630046604.post-82160597227336639632013-06-22T07:36:00.000-07:002013-06-22T16:35:39.628-07:00What is the purpose of asana ?<table border="1" cellpadding="7" cellspacing="0" style="width: 569px;">
<colgroup><col width="553"></col>
</colgroup><tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="TOP" width="553"><ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What is the purpose of asana ?</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlVV8zb5NR2CBa0lAVRjaHpuujM8WmkHX4uTMDPYZXJDFPecDONYVTcUu88QSG6OKo-b774il-eS1OVDf2vqXo_NsmEvHJJG4wflFB1t8nSjbUpIjylyJTfO4NJ5YZlBMHCZkF2xHiNM/s1600/262075_365178316908833_208031045_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlVV8zb5NR2CBa0lAVRjaHpuujM8WmkHX4uTMDPYZXJDFPecDONYVTcUu88QSG6OKo-b774il-eS1OVDf2vqXo_NsmEvHJJG4wflFB1t8nSjbUpIjylyJTfO4NJ5YZlBMHCZkF2xHiNM/s320/262075_365178316908833_208031045_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>What is asana – this is the
physical side and the most common association with yoga and its
art.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
According to the explanation in
HYP(Hatha yoga pradipika) ,asana is a steady , comfortable
meditative pose (referred to Patanjali ), also a specific position
of the body which channelizes prana, opens the charkas and
removes energy blocks.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Asana is the physical posture, the
beginning of our practice. According to Hatha yoga Pradipika and
Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras, we begin with asana in order to
purify the body and to prepare it for meditation.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In our modern society we connect
asana with the physical exercise. And sure asanas have profound
physical effect on our bodies but this is not their ultimate
significance. We are not only physical beings; we are emotional
and conscious beings too. So all this body, mind, consciousness is
merging together, it is interlaced.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Asana’s aim is to influence all
these aspect and to bind them into one harmonious one. So when we
perform asana we should become aware of our whole being taking
part in it. The awareness is not only on the muscles or the
strength and flexibility of the body, it is also on the breath in
relation to the movement, the relaxation of the muscles and also
on the more subtle awareness on eventual appearing of any
emotional or mental fluctuations and so on.... The practice of
asana requires one’s full involvement and attention, one’s
entire being as fully as possible.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
As Swami Nishchalananda
puts it ‘’The prime aim of asana is to help us tread the path
to higher consciousness so we can begin to understand and know our
relationship with the existence.<sup>''<a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2374915620630046604#sdfootnote1sym" name="sdfootnote1anc"></a></sup>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In general when we don’t feel
well, we are sick or have some disease, mental or emotional
depression, aches and pains we are not able to achieve or even
consider any higher awareness …. It is like wearing very
uncomfortable dress or shoes and wanting to sit or walk
comfortably, impossible/ me thinks ;-) / .
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
So the practical aim of asana is :</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
to ease the stiffness in
different parts of the body ,to loosen up the joints and to
stretch and to tone the muscles.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
to remove any toxins.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
to harmonize the nervous
system.</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
to massage the organs.</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The whole immune system will be
improved and the body will be ready to go deeper into the practice
,not disturbed from aches and pains we will be able to sit
comfortably in meditation and thus we will be able to connect on a
higher
level with the environment in and out of us.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Also by performing asana we get
connected with our body. We are able to ‘’hear ‘’ its
needs and so we begin to know more and even care more for our
selves , accepting who we are and looking after ourselves and our
environment with care and love .
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
I find this particular aspect of practicing asana with our full attention very important, esp. in
the times we live in .</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Everywhere around us is a
propaganda and manipulation who we must be, how to look and how to
live. So I think that getting to know your gross needs helps to
learn about yourselves more and achieve acceptance and freedom of
who you are. In this aspect asana helps us ground in order to
expand. Without good foundation a tree is unable to grow strong
and healthy in order to blossom, give fruits and thrive.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-left: 0.64cm;">
<br /></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="TOP" width="553"><ol start="2">
<li>
General benefits of asana </li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
-physical benefits :</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Asana is very beneficial especially
today in our very sedentary way of life. Most of us use just
certain muscle groups because of the type of job we do. For
example sitting all day in front of a computer or working heavy
manual work as builder etc. Some muscles are overworked and others
are not used at all. This brings a lot of problems in the body and
the posture. Asana practise is able to restore the physical
balance.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Very often people complain of back
pain, stiff joints or muscles. When we sit all day on a chair our
feet are not in use to support the body and sometimes wearing high
heels or very impractical and most of the time uncomfortable shoes
(mainly women and their fashion obsessions)disturb our proper
posture. Through asana practise we become aware of every little
muscle and how we use it if at all.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Tadasana(Mountain pose) is a good
example to learn about our posture. It starts with the feet up
through the crown of the head. For example the four layers of the
musculature of the foot all combine to create lift, balance and
movement. As Kaminoff explains in his book the deeper muscles (to
move the toes, the foot arch,the outer edge of the foot),
inevitably weaken and the arch of the foot is not supported
properly which eventually may lead to plantar fasciitis and heel
spurs.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Asana practice develops strength
and flexibility in our body .Some people are naturally very bendy
(flexible) but not able to sustain a posture as their muscles are
not strong enough, and others are just strong and find it
difficult to go deeper into the posture. .<br />
Asana is perfect to
balance muscle strength and flexibility.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Muscle strength is the amount of
force a single muscle can produce with a single maximum effort
.Size of muscle cells and the ability of nerves to activate them
also define the strength of the muscle.<sup><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2374915620630046604#sdfootnote2sym" name="sdfootnote2anc"></a></sup>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Muscle flexibility is the ability of
the body to move through range of possible motion.<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Or simply said, muscle strength is
how much weight a muscle can lift and for how long. Flexibility is
how far the body can go into a posture. Without those two aspects
of the body ability the person will not be able to enjoy their
practice and it will not benefit from it , but luckily just
through practicing the strength and flexibility can be developed
simultaneously. The more a flexible person practice, their muscle
will be able to hold and sustain the body for longer.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
The muscles develop their ability to
contract and hold. A strong muscle will be able to relax, stretch
and thus allow the blood to flush through its tissues bringing
fresh oxygen into them. Allowing the muscle to work slowly and
contract and hold a position will help the development of the
strength and allowing its ability to stretch, relax and thus
maintaining good fitness levels.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
When we have good fitness and well
being in our body we are less stressed and tensed. Our body and
mind are relaxed and our immune system works better. We are
healthy and generally happy and positive. When we don’t look
after ourselves we tend to make ourselves ill or we become out of
balance and so we become stressed.<br />
According to the definition
given by Trotora and Grabovski ‘’stress is any stimulus that
tends to cause imbalance in the internal environment’’. Stress
is natural, we live everyday in some level of stress, from what we
put in our body to traffic jams, argument or learning something
new. When we are not able to deal with the inner or outer stimuli,
like heat, noise, high/low blood pressure, pain, fear etc. we
cause extreme stress to the body, leading to illness and disease.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Signs of stress can be cognitive
(poor concentration), emotional (depressed ), physical (aches and
pains) or behavioral(getting into fights and arguments). When we
experience these signs our body suffers. The breath is irregular,
the blood circulation is not smooth and the adrenalin glands are
in constant use which brings further health problems affecting the
organs.<br />
But through simple asana practice we become ware of our
breathing patterns and allow the lungs and the ribcage to open,
the shoulders to soften and the muscle to relax. And just by doing
this we already have sent impulses to the brain and the central
nervous system to relax and break down the negative patterns in
our systems. By simply introducing breath awareness in our asana
practice we can achieve balance in our system and body which will
help us to develop our spiritual and emotional balance.<br />
Good
example is practicing Shavasana(corpse pose). It teaches us to be
still physically but aware mentally and thus achieving deep state
of relaxation. Ultimately Shavasana brings different levels of
spiritual peace for as long as one can identify with their body.
The spiritual relaxation is to be able to disatatch yourself and
become the witness. The body uses less oxygen and less carbon
dioxide is eliminated, the muscle tension is reduced, breathing is
slower and deeper, there is decrease of the sympathetic nervous
system activity and an increase in parasympathetic activity. This
occur due to reducing the body’s energy loss, lowering the pulse
rate and resting the whole system.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="TOP" width="553"><ol start="3">
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
What is counterpose and how it
works?
</div>
</li>
</ol>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Every class is supposed to be
balanced in postures and degree of difficulties . That is why it
should follow so called intensity curve. This is the sequence of
the postures /asanas/ preparing the body and the mind for the peak
posture of the particular flow. The intensity curve is necessary
as it is gradually building the strength of the body and the mind
, helping them to open for more advanced practices.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
During this process the practitioner
would need so called counterpose.This is a pose which allows the
body to restore and absorb more energy after each asana in order
for the practitioner to be able to continue recharged and not
tired up the intensity curve in their practice. Other wise it is
possible to hurt or injure themselves.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Counterpose (to set in contrast ,
opposition or balance)<sup><a class="sdfootnoteanc" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2374915620630046604#sdfootnote3sym" name="sdfootnote3anc"></a></sup>
is the pose which is normally done as an opposition in order to
restore the balance in the body after each posture is performed .
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
It is necessary as the muscles used
in one way can restore their previous position and rest and thus
absorb and perform the maximum range of their movement and
stretch.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Muscles develop better when
counterpose is performed. Also for people who don’t have strong
and flexible bodies it is a way to restore and work the body in a
safe way especially if they are beginners or if asana is used as a
therapy.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
In order for the muscles to work
they use agonist and antagonist movement.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Agonist is the muscle that performs
a movement and the antagonist is the muscle opposite to the one
performing the movement i.e it is the muscle which contracts.
Biceps contracts and triceps is stretched and this creates the
movement.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Muscles works in pairs ,because the
muscles in agonistic/antagonistic movement are involved into the
each other ‘s movement ,the best way to work the muscle is in
opposing muscle groups. That is why using a counterpose is
essential. Otherwise when we strengthen one side of the body
(chest for example) without working the opposite side(the back) we
cause imbalance in our posture and causing the back to round
forward.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
By performing agonist and antagonist
action the muscles create flexion and extension at the same time.</div>
<br />
Namaste x <br />
<br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="TOP" width="553"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Jiva Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915704620019657628noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2374915620630046604.post-50059250693164808002013-02-04T10:25:00.000-08:002013-06-22T16:59:53.137-07:00Reducing Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure Naturally <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqYcAveglNJXFvkU7zBrh4tbSubL6w666gNaIyj6MIZ4X5yACCpYxFeN8-ZZ4fox8ZxAHB2uar825AnMrFHSQ1AcN0pkt0ZuGlJiJm4BTHYKi-PtwihvuXHE8cKgCpP9bmZ9UwaQN9qA/s1600/lemon.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqYcAveglNJXFvkU7zBrh4tbSubL6w666gNaIyj6MIZ4X5yACCpYxFeN8-ZZ4fox8ZxAHB2uar825AnMrFHSQ1AcN0pkt0ZuGlJiJm4BTHYKi-PtwihvuXHE8cKgCpP9bmZ9UwaQN9qA/s1600/lemon.png" width="200" /></a><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The use of the following home remedy has been researched and tested at the German University of Erlangen and was found to be highly effective in reducing blood levels of cholesterol (LDL)and also hypertension (high blood pressure).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A man, I know of , heard of this and decided to try it out. </span>He <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">had been having high cholesterol levels of around 320mg/dL for many years.Having taken just one course of the garlic lemon paste described below , his cholesterol levels dropped to the normal 200mg/dL.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>INGREDIENTS : </b>30-40 (depending on size) cloves of garlic</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b>5 organic lemons </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> </b>1 liter of water.<b> </b> </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cut the garlic cloves and the whole lemons (with skin and pips) into small pieces and cook them for 2 minutes in a liter of boiling water. Using a blender, puree the lemon and garlic pieces in the water and pass the resulting liquid through a sieve. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then pour it into glass container (not plastic) and store it in the fridge. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Take 25ml. of the paste once a day after food, until it's finished. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This course can be repeated 2-3 times a year until cholesterol levels stay consistently in the normal range. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And the really good news is - there is no 'garlic breath' afterwards! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">P.S.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have got this intriguing information via the Ayurvedic course I did in London. Our teacher decided to share it kindly with us ! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So now i share it with you in case you 'd like to try it ;-) </span></span><br />
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My blogs will be mainly about yoga , or... at least I will try to stick to that theme.<br />
I just thought it would be nice to share my experience with this ancient THING , so may be some of you can be inspired and try it , or may be see it from a different perspective , or just ,may be, my blogging may amuse you and make you laugh or annoy you.<br />
I also will tell you how I never liked yoga or anybody doing it or even talking about it.. It( I mean by ''it'' yoga ) has been following me all my life ,with patience and loving persistence ,which in the days I didn't realized at all. I say loving persistence because it wonderfully Ha(!)PPENED to me in one of the most difficult periods in my life(so far) and actually saved my life !'' It '' gave me total support ,new (out)look ,yes even physically i look better than before, new understanding and loads of courage !!!... It taught me to transform and with that to live fully , or otherwise said , yoga taught me how to be happy while I am dying ,don't get me wrong , I mean this in a good way . Because we are dying with the very same breath we are actually inhaling so we can live , right? ....So it is all a point of view and it's better to see it from the positive side ....But any way , I will also tell you how I love yoga and how annoying I can be talking about it ! <br />
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So let me stop here .<br />
I need to sleep now ...sleep is important ;-) <br />
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Good night x<br />
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Sleep well beautiful yogis !<br />
Namaste ! Jiva Yogahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09915704620019657628noreply@blogger.com0