Yoga Poses

By Arokiasami P. Durai

If you have observed from a distance people doing yoga poses, you would think they are latter day contortionists. You could be wrong, they are wise people who have realized well in time how easily and relatively inexpensively they can keep their bodies healthy, literally fit as a fiddle.

Yoga poses are the best way to maintain the body flexible, supple and toned up without exerting any force on the body. There is a certain subtlety in this ancient eastern system of body maintenance which keeps one in tune with nature.

Modern lifestyle takes its toll in terms of physical and mental health. Hypertension and diabetes are common ailments and the beneficiaries are pharma firms. Resources that should be spent on other productive channels are wasted in shoring up a tiring body that becomes an open invitation to premature aging and a host of diseases.

Yoga has many dimensions
The word yoga means union. It meant a whole set of physical, mental and spiritual exercises developed by ancient Indian yogis as a means of realizing God and being united (‘yuj’ in Sanskrit, meaning ‘being yoked’) with Him. The yogis were performing rigorous routine of meditation in forests and mountains and being scantily clad, they devised indoor exercises now known as ‘yoga poses’ or ‘yogasanas’ to keep their body healthy and light and make it a willing instrument of their meditation.

Over the years, yoga poses (postures) got separated from the rest of the mental and spiritual practices and has become popular as fitness yoga. Nevertheless, people who practice yoga poses derive benefits of yoga like a focused mind, self-discipline, a composed temperament and a healthy view of life.

The great repose
There are a hundred yoga poses. They have interesting names like Red Indians who named themselves Sitting Bull or Galloping Horse. The poses bear names like The Boat, Crow, Peacock, Lotus and so on. The last mentioned is the pose in which the Buddha is shown seated. It is the pose developed by yogis for their meditation. Legs withdrawn and feet resting on the thighs, hands placed on the thighs turned upward with thumb and forefinger closed, the spine and neck held erect, eyes lightly closed and the normally outgoing mind gathered and centred within – this is the ultimate pose of repose without and within.

But yet, before we could attain that inner repose, we have to slowly master the body through various poses and by regulation of breath which is called pranayama. Regulation of breath is said to energise the body and gradual slowing down of breathing is said to reduce the frequency of thoughts which is the necessary prelude for meditation.

The yogi among bats
There is the familiar joke about bats in a cave. They were all hanging upside down as their wont. But one bat was seen standing on his feet. When the other bats asked him why, he answered, “I am practicing yoga!” That bat is the counterpart of the people who delight in doing the headstand, a difficult but a very effective pose for stimulating blood circulation in the entire body. Its modified and easier version, the “all limbs pose” is also recommended for all ages.

In a way, yoga poses are for people who want to be and dare to be different and pursue what their inner being and instinct of the body prompt them to do. It is by treating the body with respect and dignity, not by pumping iron and straining the muscular and nervous system. In the latter case, we see these people breaking down in health when they stop doing these heavy-handed exercises.

Tips for the beginner
Starting practice of yoga poses is easy. But some words of caution would be necessary.

· Please do not learn from the books. One should not be one’s own Guru (Teacher) in matters of Yoga asanas, pranayama or meditation and one might end up worse than before. Look for qualified, committed, professional teachers.
· If you suffer from any ailments or bodily disabilities, obtain medical advice from your physician and from your yoga instructor as to what poses would fit in with your physical condition.
· Age is no bar for practice of yoga poses. You do not have to be a stripling to do it.
· Your yoga instructor will tell you what kind of yoga accessories and props you need. Your dress should be comfortable enough to allow you to stretch and bend freely.
· Like all other physical exercises, yoga poses should be done on a very light stomach and never after a meal.
· Fix a particular time for your domestic practice to develop regularity and discipline
· Such a discipline does not go with habits like smoking and drinking which have a depleting effect on the physical system

The final test
The ultimate test of any exercise regimen is: Do you feel fresh and energetic or tired and exhausted afterwards? Yoga poses pass this test in flying colours.

On the whole, regular practice of yoga poses tempers and tunes up the body, disciplines the mind and trains the will to apply itself to self-improving habits and style of life and lifts one’s perspectives to a higher and nobler level of existence.

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Yoga For Stress Management: Start The New Year With A Yoga Plan

By Paul Jerard

Any of us can make a lifestyle change, at any time, but most of us need mile stones such as a birthday, a new year, or a major event in our lives, for us to take the initiative and make a change. What can Yoga do to help you cope with the daily life cycle we know as stress?

If you plan to make Yoga a significant part of your life, you have to make it a regular routine - just like brushing your teeth. The main reason why some people see very little results from anything, is they say they have no time. Some of us make time to go to the liquor store, get lottery tickets, and then drink, but we have no time for our health.

At our wellness center, we have students and clients who practice Restorative Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Pilates, Personal Fitness Training, or a mixture of these methods. When we tell new Yoga students that they should practice Yoga three times per week, we often hear, “three times!”

A look of puzzlement comes over their face- as if Yoga should give instant results, when we attend classes once per week. I do understand that people are busy, but they do not take time for themselves. This cycle of stress, anxiety, insomnia, weight gain, and fatigue are interlinked, but can be broken by regular Yoga practice.

Some Yoga teachers adapt a “Spartan stance,” telling their students not to bother coming to class, if they are going to practice once per week. However, recent studies have indicated that Yoga practice, once per week, slowed down middle-age weight gain. The results are clear, but how did Yoga help with weight control?

My theory is Yoga, of any kind, will cause lifestyle changes within the student. Yoga opens an awareness of daily events that contribute to bad health. When you practice Yoga, you become much more aware of what you eat and drink, how you breathe, how you posture yourself, and much more.

This changing of lifestyle does not happen in Yoga class. A Yoga class is a lesson, but the student does the “homework.”

So, how do you incorporate a Yoga plan into your life and take control of your life? You have to make a list of what you want to change and write it down. Writing objectives down is much different from wishing for change. Writing and planning should be kept in perspective. We cannot spend our lives planning; but it helps to have some direction and purpose.

What you do at this moment does affect your future. When you take the time to plan your future, you will identify daily routines, which cause stress overload.

While you are planning your week, make sure to allow for some “open time.” You can use this for Yoga, visiting, having fun with your family, or just taking time for leisure. Make sure you plan each day with moderation and enjoy your life. Now, that is a good start to a Yoga lifestyle.

© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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Karma Yoga: Selfless Service and Giving - All Year Long

By Paul Jerard

It is that time of year, when many people contribute more to charities, than they do all year. Many charities and non-profit organizations have scheduled mailings to donors and prospective donors, making a mass appeal for financial assistance.

This is a world where poverty, hunger, distress, anxiety, and misery, exist on a daily basis for most of the world’s people. Many people do give generously to charities at this time of year. There is a reason for this: A financial “windfall,” bonus, or a little extra in your pocket, at the end of the year.

This is understandable, but some charities are in dire need of help, all year long. Hurricanes, tsunamis, droughts, wars, earth quakes, and tornadoes make the headlines, but the poor are starving in every corner of the earth throughout the year.

Karma Yoga is a daily practice and is not specific to a season or the next “news flash.” When we see someone in need of help, there is no question that giving assistance is the right action to take. Do we look to help others, or do we have to see a situation to react charitably?

Even among givers to charity, there is sometimes a feeling of hierarchy. For example: Which is more valuable, voluntary service or a financial contribution? This has been an ageless debate, and sometimes, a foolish one.

When you are on the receiving end of charity, you do not care who wants to take credit for it. If we want to wave our money around before making a contribution, what is our agenda? If we are volunteers, should we shout to the heavens how much better we are than the people who made financial donations?

Every charity depends on contributions and volunteers. One group does not outweigh the other. When we start to think that what we give is better than someone else, our purpose for giving is flawed and we have missed the point.

What is the greatest gift you can give? The knowledge to be self-sustaining, to live in tranquility, and to help someone discover internal bliss, is the greatest gift you can give to another person. When a person is starving, we must feed him, or her, first, but the value of knowledge cannot be under estimated in comparison to material gifts.

Yoga teachers, from various styles, give the gift of knowledge on a daily basis. Sometimes, Yoga teachers are called upon to share their knowledge with local charities and non-profit groups. When, or if, we make the time to help and share our knowledge, we are contributing to the welfare of all.

© Copyright 2006 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free e-Book: "Yoga in Practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

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The Basis of Concentration / Meditation with Reference to Kundalini Yoga

By Shriram Sharma

Mother earth is known to be fertile and a womb of jewels. We all know that skies give us life-giving water in the form of rains. There is no limit to the vault of valuable objects in the ocean. Yet human beings have infinitely more wealth than all this put together. If the veils of our inner character are uncovered, we will visualize demigods and incarnations of God in this small body made of flesh and blood. Only on the basis of enterprise and hard work can one earn wealth.

Every unit of our body is amazing. We will be amazed to see great mysteries if we dive deeper within it. Amongst all bodily organs the brain predominates. When one sees its conscious, unconscious and higher conscious activities one will realize how great is a living being that directs its movements. Everyone is aware of how one earns money, fame, comforts via education, art skills and other profession. As a result every individual tries to augment his own intellectual skills and that of his family members. The bodies of all individuals are strikingly similar. The mind is very special. He who evolves his mind attains lot of success in life. Those who fail to do so tend to live a life of poverty and hardships. Man’s downfall or upliftment is mainly dependent on his intellectual state.

This so far has been related to the conscious mind. The inner movement of bodily organs is dependent on the subconscious mind. Good or bad habits are gathered in this area. Depending on our hopes and aspirations, the motor of our life moves in either a good or bad direction. It is the subconscious mind that decides the nature of our body, its attraction, its strength and skill. It is unknown powers that decide our destiny. The creator of this mysterious unknown personality is the subconscious mind, which directs all movements of a living being with the help of the intellect. Brain research scientists say that a very small area of the mysteries of the mind has been discovered. In comparison to the conscious mind (known), the subconscious mind (unknown) is more pervasive. Only a very small area of the brain is made use of by us. If only its latent state is awakened and made apt use of, one can see gigantic energy manifest in a tiny human body. If only we master our subconscious mind, we can become authors of our destiny.

Beyond the conscious and sub-conscious mind lies the superconscious state. It is inseparably bound to cosmic consciousness and a lot of give and take takes place between them. In comparison to the gross material world, the objects and energy flow of the subtle world are extremely more high statured. If a give and take relationship is set up with it, man can understand those divine mysteries, which are otherwise unknown. One can attain divine help, which is otherwise unavailable. With the help of gross powers we attain merely a few gross comforts that are transitory in nature. But with the help of subtle powers we attain those divine glories, which stay with us eternally. We have seen and heard of miraculous personalities who possess Extra Sensory Powers (ESP). Over here the special qualities of the superconscious mind manifest amazing skills and personalities.

It is very difficult to control the brain. No doubt our soul is powerful yet it lives a life of lack, poverty and hardships. The reason for this is that there is no self-control. Our activities akin to an unruly horse create agitation. If we fail to control our mind, how can we control external circumstances? We all want to change our circumstances but we never first control our psyche. Thus peace and joy run miles away from us. Great Seers/Saints of the world proclaim “Control your mind and you will gain victory over the world”. This is a fact because the moment you master your mind, it is easy to master external circumstances. Self-control means mastering thought waves and hence our very thinking. We must direct our thinking in an apt direction. This is achieved via Dhyan Yoga or meditation. A particular form or thought is introduced in the slate of our mind. It is pressurized into moving along a very small focused periphery. It is forced to stop its jumping nature like that of a monkey. No doubt this task is very difficult, yet a powerful resolve (Sankalpa) and unswerving perseverance helps us make this task easy and successful. We have never controlled our mind in a regular manner. Our character is nothing but a symbol of our mind. Our mind is used to following the path of lowliness and thus we imbibe bad thoughts. If only we had tried controlling the mind, we would have made it cultured and sacred. Only then can we be revered as a great personality. One could then avail of cooperation and respect from all directions. It is the demeaning mind that makes us execute lowly activities. Thus we live a sorry life of poverty and pain. On the other hand if one wishes to raise one’s lowly state, one will have to purify the mind by overcoming all taints within it. We will have to learn the art of self/mind control in order to purify our psyche. Dhyan Yoga or meditation is a powerful method that helps us attain mind control.

Meditation has many aims

1. Controlling one’s monkey like mind that runs hither and tither.

2. Utilizing the power of self-control for apt tasks.

3. Augmenting our intellectual potential via concentration of the mind.

4. Focussing our mind at a single point via a powerful resolve (or Sankalpa) so as to create miraculous movements.

5. Discovering the mysterious layers of consciousness with our own will power.

6. Discarding all mental taints.

7. Augmenting sacred activities.

8. Maintaining a serene mind even amidst chaotic conditions.

9. Experiencing bliss and peace under any circumstance.

10. Influencing those areas of contact with our thought electricity and augmenting elements that bring joy and peace in the world.

All these are worldly/intellectual applications of concentration/meditation. Even a so-called atheist can get benefits with a little bit of alertness and zeal. This method of meditation is of a general and medium stature. Ever so today’s highly intellectual human beings too will have to accept its great utility. Even a man of ordinary faith and sensitivity can benefit from meditation.

Ahead of this are high leveled benefits of meditation. For that a psyche full of intense faith in God and sacred sentiments is required. As a result one can merge one’s individual consciousness with cosmic consciousness or God. Attracting and imbibing one’s Guru (preceptor) and icon’s Divine Powers is possible only with the help of these high statured meditation methods. Only then can the individual soul (microcosm) merge into the cosmic soul (macrocosm i.e. God). No doubt man is an infinite storehouse of Divine Powers and that he can activate them with his own efforts. Hence one carries out primary and medium leveled meditation techniques. But it is only with the help of high leveled spiritual practices that one can contact great divine souls and thus merge our individual soul with cosmic consciousness or God. The goal of high leveled concentration/meditation is attainment of God, attainment of the goal of life and union of a living being with God.

Just as due to augmentation of bodily, intellectual and financial wealth the association of our contact area and means of public welfare augment, in the same way purification of individual psyche benefits both the individual and the entire world. Via the gross world we attain a lot of benefits due to hard work. The glories of the subtle world are that much more infinite. Meditation is a very powerful tool which helps one build that will-power which can imbibe/attract these innumerable Divine Powers. Wild beasts of the forest are very dangerous, but when they are trained, we can make apt use of them. In the same way once we master the art of controlling and making apt use of our mental potential, our character and personality will became brilliant. The greatest achievement of human life is to attain inner/soul progress without any external help. As a result one can attain innumerable Divine Powers. Thus it is most required that we master the art of meditation i.e. Dhyan Yoga.

With the help of meditation we can attain God and get the superconscious experience of God realization. Further one becomes healthy, strong and one can attain secret Divine Powers. All sacred scriptures maintain that only man can attain Divine Powers and glories. This is a fact. Our consciousness is omnipotent. Yet the reason why we fail to attain them is that we lack the art of mental control. He who masters this art of self-control gains victory over the entire cosmos.

Via concentration/meditation of the 5 sheaths the 5 Vital Forces of our consciousness and the 5 elements of our body became so radiant that one becomes a leading personality of the world. The 5 faced images of Mother Gayatri symbolize the energies of the 5 demigods of the inner world. If concentration/meditation is executed methodically, one masters the subtle cosmos and thus one establishes an important relationship of give and take with it.

In the meditation practice of Kundalini Shakti or Divine Serpent Power awakening the doors of manifestation and utilization of infinite Divine Powers albeit in seed form are opened up. Kundalini is our bodily energy. With its help one attracts infinite energies of the material world and this one becomes powerful both materially and spiritually. During the uncovering of the 5 sheaths (Panchakoshas) the mysterious layers of conscious energy are unfolded. Soul power is made more radiant via the 5 sheaths and the body via Kundalini Shakti. In order to achieve this 2 fold aim, concentration/meditation predominates over all other spiritual practices.

Ordinarily people think that meditation means placing an image in front of our mind and trying to continuously imagine that form. This is only partially true. No doubt one makes use of this method, yet only those with a powerful mental resolve see this image blurred at first and later very clearly on the slate of their minds. Not everyone has this power of resolve (Sankalpa) and it is possible only for people with special mental capabilities. Only those people who combine their sacred emotions, imagination power, faith in God and focused mind so as to mentally visualize God’s image very clearly, are capable enough of executing such a method of meditation.

As soon as an aspirant sits for meditation with eyes closed, he immediately thinks of things/people very dear to him. As though seated in a movie theatre they revel in this mental video of theirs. True meditation means trying to paint an image on our mental slate with the help of sacred sentiments. First one sees the image with eyes open and then one tries to visualize it mentally. This is called Trataka. Only then very slowly and steadily the mental image becomes clearer and thus our meditation keeps progressing.

Not every human brain is aptly designed to augment sacred sentiments or visualizing sacred images during meditation. Hence in order to focus our meditation, Drishya Yoga or Bindu Yoga is not recommended. The fundamental aim is to stop scattering of thought waves and instead focus them at a point. This can be achieved variedly with the help of 5 sense organs of knowledge. These are methods like Naad Yoga, via one’s ears, Gandha Yoga via our nose, Rasna Yoga via our tongue, Sparsha Yoga via our skin. Over here one sees forms with the help of subtle eyes.

For seekers of a preliminary stage, it is best that their minds follow one thought flow which is sacred. The concentration/meditation of scientists, artists, musicians etc. is of this variety wherein their minds revolve around one particular type of thought flow. Thus they perform extraordinary feats. The same tenet is used in concentration/meditation techniques with reference to 5 sheaths and Kundalini activation. Over here the thought flow is predominant. It is akin to seeing a movie on one particular topic. It is not necessary that one will get the holy vision (Darshan) of the particular God’s image that one meditates on. In certain special types of mental reflection, infinite images appear every moment and then they disappear. Yet this is not true meditation. The following nature of concentration/meditation too is of this type. If importance is given to the directions laid down and one thinks deeply about them, know for sure that the true goal of concentration/meditation is about to be achieved. It is beyond doubt that one will benefit immensely from their sacred results.

AUTHOR: Shriram Sharma Acharya, founder of the International Gayatri Family, was a great Yogi, seer and incarnation of God who wrote volumes of scientific literature mainly on spiritual subjects for world welfare and peace. For more scientific e-books visit: http://www.shriramsharma.com/ (GOOGLE PR 4) KEYWORDS: Kundalini Yoga Gayatri e-books biography Guru world peace mind psyche god nerve subtle consciousness soul divine trance endocrine glands ESP Chakras plexus meditation concentration intellect prophecy thought thinking Cheiro Nostradamus Aurobindo bliss brain Vedas solar sun energy sacred pure sense organs Prana Avatar Upanishad light cell hypothalamus pituitary transformation futurist prediction serpent power life human ethics integrity character vagus Tantra Mooladhar atom neutron proton DESCRIPTION: Free e-books on Future Scientific Religion, Gayatri Science & Kundalini Yoga correlated to Neurosciences-ESP, Endocrinology, Anatomy, Psychology & Sociology for 1) material & spiritual prosperity & 2) uniting the world peacefully as a family. AIM: A beautiful borderless world.

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