Sat Nam Beautiful Soul Lights and Lovers of Aquarian Sadhana!
Thank you all so much for doing sadhana together throughout the pandemic. It has meant so much to me to be with you.
We will continue on Zoom and Facebook 4-6am up until our Summer Solstice gathering on Friday June 18th 2021. On Tuesdays we begin at 3:40am and on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Harpreet Kaur leads us.
Now that much of our world is coming back to physical gatherings, I am feeling the pull to return to my favorite place on Earth for Aquarian Sadhana, the House of Guru Ram Das at the Hacienda in Espanola.
Beginning on the new moon in July, as of Friday, July 9, 2021, Create Inner Peace is open once again for pilgrims and travellers who wish to visit for a night or a weekend to attend our amazing Aqauarian Sadhana at Hacienda de Guru Ram Das. Your spiritual bed and breakfast are available, along with Sadhana, by donation. Please send me an email if you would like to make a reservation.
There is also a beautiful Virtual Aquarian Sadhana available to everyone each morning at the Raj Yoga Center. This sadhana is on Facebook only, (not Zoom). It starts at 4am Eastern time, but the replay is available at 4am Mountain time.
Let us all continue projecting for healing and prosperity for the whole world, especially our Mother India and all the countries still challenged by the pandemic!
Blessings to all with infinite love and gratitude always,
Links to Download Jaapji Sahib and the Sadhana Mantras
Why do we get up for morning sadhana? Because we have to face the whole day, and we cannot face the day without a constant level of energy. People love you for three things:
Wisdom, Commitment, Consistency
Wisdom is the intuitive nature that allows you to understand the answer by listening within the question that is asked. For every question there is an answer in it.
Commitment is the ability for your whole self to sustain its status in the projected reality of action. Then people can trust you. Otherwise, it is like building a cozy
bungalow on the top of a volcano. If you act like an earthquake or volcano, who will build upon you?
Consistency is steadiness through time. Sadhana gives us sensitivity to know, to
feel, and to touch. It gives us intuition to touch reality. The methods are three-fold: jappa, tappa, sanjam. Jappa is repetition. Tappa is the heat of central impulsation. Sanjam is merger through simran—meditation on a very slow, conscious breath.
In your consciousness, you must find a time to ask yourself three questions:
How much am I a part of the I which made me what I am?
During my working day, during my existence, during my awareness, how much of the time have I been aware that I am part of the greatness that I am?
What can I do to extend myself to the greater I AM of which I am a part?
In finding the answers to these questions, you will find your way from the realm of finite ego to the realm of higher consciousness, and you will have the experience of total relaxation into mental happiness and contentment.
Group Sadhana
All for One, and One for All. Your body is the temple of God, and your soul is the divine light within that carries the light that dwells within everyone. So, you get up in the morning, do the exercises, meditate, chant the mantras, call on your spirit, regulate the breath, and you get together in group consciousness. In that way you elevate each other. Group consciousness in morning sadhana is to elevate each other. If I am trying to sleep, another is not sleeping. If, in this whole group, one person opens up to God just once, we will all be blessed by that openness. That is what matters. If even one has walked into sadhana with heart and soul in a prayerful mind, we will all benefit. That is the power of the group sadhana.
But, we still have something of the past in us. We bring up worries about who should lead. “Oh, that leader has brought a very good sadhana! That one has freaked out the sadhana.” The truth is that nobody freaked out the sadhana, and nobody made it beautiful. It is the will of God which prevails through the soul. When you are a servant, and act as a channel, it prevails through you.
If, in morning sadhana, one cannot curtail the barriers of ego and get to Oneness, I don’t think there is any other time it can happen. All for one, and one for all. That is the principle.
Individual Sadhana
If you do sadhana by yourself, then while you are chanting, imagine a million others all around you. Hear them all chanting, with you in the middle, not moving at all. Feel that you do not chant physically, and yet are leading the chant and letting the chant lead you. As you imagine this, continue chanting.
Benefits of Sadhana
“When a person gets up in the morning and does the sadhana, you know what accompanies that person? All the angels, all saints and sages come to listen. Their souls fly to those places to listen where God is chanted.”
“The greatest reward of doing sadhana is that the person becomes incapable of being defeated. Sadhana is a self-victory, and it is a victory over time and space. Getting up is a victory over time, and doing it is a victory over space. That is what sadhana is.”
“Getting up in the morning to do your sadhana does not mean you will become God. No, getting up in the morning, you will become you!”
“Out of 24 hours, one tenth belongs to God. See that you give it honestly. A self discipline to sincerely give to yourSELF to be with your infinity gives you smooth sailing in life. That is how we can live above karma. If instead God takes the time to discipline you the karma may not be so nice. And after doing Sadhana, if you shall not be drowned in prosperity, then God is not real at all. You do what belongs to God and God will give you what belongs to God Itself. And that is a secret way of prosperity.”
“I tell you today, I’ll tell you tomorrow, and I’ll tell you everyday: You have only one friend – you and your discipline which will give you all that you need. The rest are all promises.”
“Sadhana is not a matter of advantages and disadvantages. It is simply a means through which you can defeat all your miseries, misfortunes, and handicaps. It is a very personal thing which does not relate to anybody except yourself.”
“A sadhu is a being who has disciplined himself or herself. Sadhana is the technique to discipline yourself. It is a scientific way to live.”
“We get up early in the morning, we rise, we do our sadhana so that we can match up with the day, with absolute reality. Face the reality with reality. Don’t face the reality with the laziness and slowness. You will never be successful.”
“Your electromagnetic radiance should be continuous and should be creatively high. That’s why there is discipline. That’s why we do sadhana. That is what dharma is. A dharmic woman will be radiant, very shining, very bright-faced, very attractive, very real. Don’t do sadhana for your husband, and don’t do sadhana for anything else. Do sadhana for yourself. If you cannot get up in the morning at 3 o’clock, if you don’t take your cold shower, if you don’t massage your body, if you don’t do all those things, you pay during the day. Everything is in balance. If you don’t sharpen the knife, what do you think you can cut with it? If you don’t sharpen your mind, if you do not shine your soul, what are you going to do during the day?”
“The problem at this moment is the majority of us do not want to do sadhana. These unfortunate people are really cursed. With all the teachings and all the knowledge, isn’t it a curse? It is. Sometimes you use the children as an excuse, sometimes the husband. One way or the other, there is an excuse. To be realistic with you, an excuse is an excuse, and sadhana is sadhana. I know on some days, I am dead tired. I feel I can’t do my sadhana. Then what do I do? I go to the bathroom, I take cold water, and I wash my face again and again, and again and again, until I understand that I am fully awake. When I am doing my sadhana, sleep sometimes wants to overtake me; I get tired. Sometimes I get home late and I have to get up very early. Then I do pranayam and I apply some yogic locks. I do a lot of things that I have learned and I go through it as gracefully as a humble human being should.”
“It seems that on a daily basis, when you do sadhana, nothing happens. But you don’t do it out of greed. You do it to conquer your laziness, your ego, your stupidity, with your essence of commitment. That’s all sadhana is. We don’t do it to get anything.”
“Sadhana is communicating with your soul. Sadhana is nothing but where a disciplined one, with love, talks to one’s own soul. It is nothing but where one cleans his own mind. Sadhana is nothing but where one prepares for the day to become kind and compassionate for everyone, including the enemies.”
“Sadhana, Aradhana, Prabhupati. These three are what happens to those who do Sadhana (discipline of a daily practice) and they put their whole self into it. Wholehearted Sadhana is called Aradhana (awakening to our divine nature and universal conscious). Prabhupati is you become the master of the Almighty God which created you.”
Clean the body, yes, we take a bath each day. Do you meditate to clean the mind? You take a bath to clean the body or it becomes filthy and stinks; don’t you think the mind become filthy? If we do not clean it the mind becomes unpredictable. You meditate to clean the mind. There is nothing more to it.
“There are a lot of things we need: One of these needs is that for the mind to work for you for the whole day, it must be fresh and clear; it must be made livable. That is why it is a requirement to rise early in the morning when nobody can disturb you, when you can be yourself.”
Even sleeping during sadhana is far better than a person who is snoring at home in bed. Do you understand? Sadhana is a willful effort to prove you are not lazy about your own Infinity. When the sun rises early in the day, even idiots rise. But blessed are those who rise before the sun and prove that they are the children of the Almighty. Does it sound clear to you? Those who have guts will open the gates of the heart at 3:30 am.
Yoga: A practice to keep you balanced (and lose weight)
Each one of us has faced difficult times in life, often times of intense stress in which we can not understand what is happening to us. When this happens, we often feel overwhelmed, unable to react & burned out. We do not have control of our body, whether we try to relax or whether we are trying to lose weight and lead a healthier lifestyle.
We shouldn’t worry too much about that, it’s completely normal. And yet, the solution to all that pain is simpler and more comfortable than we think… We only need to discover the practice of yoga.
Some people think that yoga is different from a workout, others that it’s a chic pilates alternative, but yoga is really much more comprehensive than either. It is an ancient practice that has been provento help you keep your balance and effectively lose weight.
The main characteristic of the practice of yoga is the pursuit of balance: not only physical, but mental and emotional and above all; spiritual. yoga helps the body to attenuate stress areas, to release tension through the practice of breathing and the repetition of some physical positions (called asana), working on harmony between the right effort and the right relaxation.
And when it comes to losing weight we all know that stress can really affect the body’s response to our efforts and that, on the contrary, having a good and positive attitude and a responsive body is the key to success.
During a Weight Loss Yoga class, students learn core alignment technology to balance the body and mind through dynamic yoga sets, meditation and deep relaxation techniques, which reduce toxins and dissipate stress while toning the muscles.
Practitioners gain flexibility, increase metabolism, and bring vitality to the whole being. Weight Loss Yoga is experience based, emphasizing breath, postures, movement, and sound current meditation. The techniques help strengthen the respiratory system, enhance digestion, balance the glands, and align the electromagnetic centers or yogi anatomy. Physical yoga postures and movement, meditation and deep relaxation are a part of each class.
Yoga mindset: Important for your physical health
In yoga practice we must integrate firmness, tone and flexibility, stability and well-being, effort and relaxation. That’s why we need a clear mindset and a stress free zone that can improve our work out to lose weight and feel lighter and happier.
In fact, when we do yoga, what we put in is not only our body and our desire to ‘train’ it, but also the power of our mind. Our thoughts and our ability to connect are slowly silenced to make room for calmness and concentration on breathing. Anxiety and worries disappear and, especially when we repeat a mantra, we leave room for the love to enter. Love, in this case, means tranquility, acceptance of ourselves, patience and also the strength to face new challenges.This is why yoga’s mindset is essential if we want to lose weight: because it places us in the condition of loving ourselves and our body and focusing only on what we can do to improve it.
With a balanced mindset we no longer become slaves of food or laziness, but rather we are able to appeal to the best part of ourselves and improve them. Moreover, it is also important to consider how some yoga asanas can help our body build a balance of forms, which is essential to accept our image in the mirror.
How to practice yoga to lose weight
Yoga practice, then, helps to cleanse the body and improve eating habits. And even if seen from the outside it still seems essentially a rather light stretching form, yoga requires a considerable amount of physical and mental strength, endurance, concentration and flexibility.
To understand how weight loss and yoga can go hand in hand, we need to fully understand the three levels of our energy flow: mind, body and soul. Each level depends on each other and affects us. When a level, for example mind, is unbalanced, even the body and the soul become unbalanced. Fortunately, yoga has the power to unite and create harmony between the three levels that govern our existence. For example, on the physical plane, we have lots of reasons for doing Archer Pose (one of the postures described below). It helps develop strength in the intestines. Additionally the quadriceps, legs and knees are being strengthened.
All types of yoga have an effect on purification – they allow to burn calories, increase flexibility and muscle tone, calm the mind and generate a sense of inner peace and serenity. Increased physical stamina and strength are gained, while, remarkably, at the same time, there is an inner posture of grace taking place that is equal in power to the pure physical connection of feet to the ground. Most importantly a regular practice will help vanquish nervous eating and develop positive, ongoing lifestyle changes
Physical benefits of yoga
As we have already pointed out, yoga provides hundreds of asanas that can be combined in various sequences. At each position correspondcertain physical benefits, plus the asanas promote detoxification at every level. Detoxification follows the purification of body and mind. This directly affects weight loss as it allows the elimination of food that stagnates in the body and weighs us down. Here are the most important benefits through the asana positions:
increasing flexibility
improving balance
increasing resistance
reducing back pain
reducing asthma
reducing hypertension
reducing anxiety and depression
Let’s seesome practical exercises that can help you lose weight in the process of staying balanced.
3 Practical top exercises
Archer or Warrior: open your legs over your shoulders, bringing one back and one forward; rotate the foot back 90 degrees to the outside and bend the knee of the front leg; then bring the arms up and open them sideways, keeping the abdominal contracts and opening the chest, even through breathing; keep the other leg extended and firm and stay in place for 30 seconds;
Lotus: sit on a mat with legs crossed and stretch the spine upwards, keeping the abdominals tight; breathe slowly; cross your hands over your head, palm to palm, for a few minutes.That position helps you to relax and tone, especially the abdomen and the musculature of the arms.
Siddhasana: just sit in a Lotus position, place one hand on the opposite knee and twist, keeping the spine straight. The lateral abdominals are activated, the abdomen and the sides rebalance, so that the excess pounds in this area slowly disappear.
So what do you say? Do you want to give yoga a shot in your challenge to lose weight?
Woman on lake at sunset representing gratitude CREDIT GUVENDEMIR
Gratitude Without Ceasing
We gather to give our gratitude on one day of the year designated for thanksgiving. For the highest success, keep remembering to say thanks. Gratitude invokes happiness and strength and the power to succeed. By complaining we disempower ourselves. Our salvation, our success, our victory are in gratitude each day and each moment of our lives. If we are complaining, we are victims. In gratitude, we empower ourselves and become the victors. Discover the magic of constant gratitude. Begin saying thank you, writing thank you, thinking thank you with every thought. As long as we remain in a complaining mode we perpetuate our victim state. Being grateful for our challenges and difficulties and calamities in life is the only way to navigate through them to our victory.
Tell yourself how grateful you are for the problems you have, for only then will you have the mental clarity and strength to find your solutions. Even if you do not feel grateful, still say it and think it and write it. Gratitude is such a powerful virtue, that by intoning our gratitude in any way, even though we may not feel it, we are guaranteed to impel our spontaneous feelings of gratitude, welling up from our beautiful soul that knows the truth. Only victims complain. Victors live in gratitude.. Victors know that our difficulties and challenges make us stronger. Start saying thank you for everything to empower yourself, and you will find that all difficulties build your strength and majesty when you keep saying thank you.
According the Greek philosopher Cicero, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all others”.
When we are grateful, it is impossible to also be hateful, angry, or fearful. Gratitude cannot be requested, demanded, or coerced, it can only be given from the infinite bounty of our own soul. It comes from our own truth.
In our news media, there is such a strong effort to divide us. Yet if we are living in gratitude we cannot be manipulated to believe we should be fearful “fearful of others who are different” or “fearful of others who are liberal” or “fearful of others who are conservative” or “fearful of others who have brown skin or light skin or purple skin.” We are all human beings who have the same needs to live and thrive. Some of these needs—beyond our basic physical needs for food and shelter—are that we need to love and be loved, we need to learn and grow and contribute, we need to be safe and be recognized and have order and beauty and art. These are very basic human needs of everyone and when we all serve together in gratitude for what we have and in service to help each other fulfill our needs, there is great bounty and indescribable prosperity, peace and justice and liberation from fear for everyone. It all begins with gratitude.
Attitude of Gratitude Meditation
Taught by Yogi Bhajan on June 26, 1998
“We have a very good mantra that creates prosperity. Mantra is ‘man’ ‘tra.’ It is a mentally projected vibration that entangles with Infinity and creates the effect. It is a sound system that you, I, me, we, they, thou can all create. It has nothing to do with what you feel or what you are. But when all the vibrations of you and your environments have gone negative, that is the moment to use this mantra. When you chant this mantra with the breath of life, you tap into all the angels of the Universe, including your own great ancestors who have a qualifying life as an angel. It’s quick. It’s fast. It’s purposeful. It brings in what you need.”
POSTURE
Sit in Easy Pose with a straight spine, chin in, chest out, belly in. Physically and mentally straighten your spine, so the channels can be clear.
MUDRA
Bend the elbows down by the sides and cross the forearms over the diaphragm area, parallel to the floor, right on top, left underneath. Grab the right elbow with the left hand and the left elbow with the right hand. Comfortably lock your hands so that you have the elbows in your hands.
EYES
The eyes are closed.
BREATH
Breathe long and deep for 1 to 2 minutes before beginning to chant.
MANTRA
Har Har Har Har Gobinday
Har Har Har Har Mukanday
Har Har Har Har Udaaray
Har Har Har Har Apaaray
Har Har Har Har Hareeang
Har Har Har Har Kareeang
Har Har Har Har Nirnaamay
Har Har Har Har Akaamay
Chant the mantra out loud from the navel. Continue for 1 minute.
Then whisper the mantra powerfully. Use the pranic power. Keep the navel engaged. Continue for 3 ½ minutes.
Then chant silently. Move the breath with the navel. Keep the navel moving as if you were chanting aloud, but you are silently chanting with the mantra. Continue for 8 minutes.
TO END:
Inhale deeply, stretch your spine as much as you can, while squeezing the ribcage, the area where your elbows are locked, as well as every part of your body. Hold for 15-20 seconds. Cannon Fire exhale through the mouth. Repeat for a total of 3 times. Relax.
COMMENTS
All this knowledge is ancient and it is forgotten. As one who practices Kundalini Yoga, we have no right to initiate anyone, we self initiate. If somebody cannot initiate himself or herself, we should not be so foolish as to initiate that person. Basically, the law is that you have to be you to start with. And then you grow. Because you have three parts: a demon part, a human part and an angelic part.
At the very least, to begin, accept yourself—you are human. Be grateful for you, don’t talk negative, think negative, let anybody down, or participate in any let down. Be aware that any negative word you say negates you a hundred times more than it negates anybody else.
In the alternative, what happens when you speak positively? When you speak positively, then there’s a negative gap. And that gap creates the super-positive. And that, in English, is what we call God. Therefore, cultivate the attitude of gratitude. The attitude of gratitude is when you are grateful for every breath of life.
People ask me, “What should we do when we feel something is wrong?” When there is something wrong, thank God. When you feel there is something good, thank God. In this way, you can process your life and progress your life.
What will happen? You will get high-spirited. You will rise. And, to fill the vacuum, nature will come with wealth and prosperity. Otherwise your poverty is proportionate to your emotionalism and commotionalism. These are forces. I am not saying get rid of them, I am saying they will get rid of you. There is nothing you can do if you give reign to these forces. Only gratitude wipes out the negativity.
Some people are act like idiots, they are so insecure about everything. They have not learned that God, who can rotate this Earth for you, creating day and night, can take care of your routine if you allow it to be. Be grateful for what you have and magnify your soul. All that is good will grow. But we do not want to know how good we are. We want to know how bad everybody else is, but we can never, ever find our goodness this way. An attitude of gratitude brings peace and goodness, prosperity and truth and light. If somebody is bad, let it be. Live in gratitude and you may heal yourself and others and your environments.
The American Psychological Association’s annual survey on stress has been running for over a decade now, revealing that stress levels are steadily on the rise, reaching an all time high in 2017. Calculated from 5 avenues of questioning around work, money, violent crime, politics and the future of the nation, an average of 59 percent of Americans are feeling the effects of excess stress, believing America to have hit its lowest point in history. Health Care was flagged as the top concern by 43 percent of Americans when asked what specific issues were their main stressors. That’s a lot of worry to have cluttering your thoughts! So, it makes sense to make time for ourselves and to do what we can, when we can to unwind and nourish our mind, physical body and spirit.
Societal pressures derail us from our true path, disconnecting us from our divine selves, so how can we release ourselves from this pressure to realise our infinite power? Meditation is a tried and tested method to bridge the gap to one’s subconscious mind, providing sweet relief from the information overload our brains are flooded with each day and is a top technique to ease inner tensions and conflicts.
We’re here to let you know that there are straightforward and highly effective meditations to de-stress from your fast paced, sometimes complicated lifestyle and you can practice them at home for just 3 minutes a day. As a matter of fact it is quicker to clean your mind than it is to clean your home! Sounds good right?
The following meditations are targeted specifically to relieve your stress and we are tremendously grateful for this opportunity to share them with you so you may clear your mind and drop all that unnecessary, excess baggage, ultimately overcoming inner turmoil and unlocking the gateway to your higher self.
All of these meditations can be performed in sukhasana (easy pose) by sitting with a straight spine. proud chest and your legs crossed. Begin each meditation by tuning in, placing the palms together at the heart centre, repeating the Adi Mantra “Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo” 3 times. At the end of the meditation to finish, chant Sat Nam 3 times, lengthening the pronunciation of the vowels so that it sounds like Saat Naaaam. Ready? Let’s relax right on down into this!
The 8 Stroke Breath –
This pranayam meditation, taught by the late, great Yogi Bhajan, is an everyday practice which is ideal for the evening and is characterised by repeating the cycle of 8 shorter equal inhalations of breath followed by one long exhalation.
Concentrating on counting your breath brings focus to and anchors you during this practice. It’s simplicity and effectiveness are due to its energy boosting and stress relief qualities working on both prana – life force energy and apana – eliminating force,to achieve a beautifully balanced mental state. When you first begin learning this practice you can start at 3 minutes a day building to 11 minutes as your confidence builds.
Sit comfortably in sukhasana as above and chant the Adi Mantra, putting the backs of your hands onto your knees and placing your thumb and index finger together.
Close your eyes, focus on your breath.
Inhale 8 consecutive times in equal breaths then exhale deeply and powerfully.
Repeat this breath cycle for 3 minutes.
To close the pranayama you must inhale deeply and hold onto your breath for 5 to 10 seconds then exhale.
Again, inhale deeply but this time hold the breath for 15 to 20 seconds whilst rolling your shoulders.
Exhale with gusto then inhale with strength, holding the breath for 15 to 20 seconds whilst rolling your shoulders as quickly as you can.
Finally close with with Saat Naaaam, then take time for yourself, be still and feel the calm relaxation wash over you.
Pranayam Cleansing Meditation –
For detoxification of the mind and boosting of the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the rest and digest system, this meditation will gently slow your heart rate and lower your blood pressure with the added benefit of boosting your digestive function. What a way to de-stress! Begin with 3 minutes of practice building to 11 minutes when you feel ready.
Begin in sukhasana or easy pose, palms together at the heart centre and repeat the Adi Mantra
For the positioning of your hands, known as Mudra, keep your palms together and interweave all your fingers except for the ring fingers. The ring fingers should now be pointing upwards, bend them down so that they curl inwards then cross them so that the pads on the end of the fingers are pressed against one another.
Squeeze your palms together, gently pressing your elbows into the sides of your body.
Inhale 4 times in equal parts and as you do so mentally chant So So So So using one So for each inhalation.
Exhale 4 times in equal parts and as you do so mentally chant Hang Hang Hang Hang (pronounced as Hung) using one Hung for each exhalation.
Again, close by chanting a long voweled Saat Naaaam 3 times and relax until you feel ready to rise again. It really is as simple as that!
Meditation to Tranquilize the Mind –
Focused on taking back the control of your mind which you may have subconsciously and unwillingly relinquished, the beauty of this meditation lies in its incomplex approach to stress relief. The mudra for this practice is known as “The mudra which pleases the mind” so let’s take 3 minutes out of our days to go get ourselves some of those wholesome, self-loving vibrations.
Settle yourself once again into sukhasana, remembering to keep a straight spine and for this particular meditation gently lock your neck.
Bring your hands to heart centre, holding your elbows bent almost to the height of your hands.
Form the mudra which pleases the mind by slowly bringing the palms together then curling all of the fingers over to rest against each other on the second joint so that the palms no more lie flat against one another and are open. The middle fingers and thumb are the exception and are extended straight with the opposing fingertips pressed together.
Point the thumbs towards the heart centre.
Close the eyes, focusing them towards the tip of your nose.
Inhale long and deep the hold onto the breath and as you hold that breath, mentally chant a simple mantra between 11 and 21 times. Sat Nam is a great choice for beginners.
Exhale and repeat the mental chanting of your chosen mantra for the same amount of repetitions as you chose for the inhalation
Finish up by chanting Saat Naaaam 3 times and again, rest, recalibrate and relax.
Regular practice of these techniques will positively impact your stress response making it more easily manageable. Pranayam breathing reduces the production of cortisol (aka the stress hormone) and cleanses the body of toxins, balancing brain chemistry by causing and aiding the production of serotonin (which regulates anxiety, happiness and mood) and melatonin (known as the sleep hormone) as well as stabilising other brain chemicals and hormones.
With that in mind we hope that through the practice of these meditations you begin to feel more emotionally even, experience some inner peace and get a great night’s sleep! Sat Nam.
Kundalini Yoga is an all-encompassing variety of yoga, it’s roots and growth spanning across the ages. The Kundalini Yoga form is distinguished from other types of yoga through its incorporation of breathwork (pranayama) and the chanting of mantras (sound current meditation) in unison with physical yogic postures (asanas.) The earliest recording of it’s sacred teachings can be found millennia ago in the writings of Patanjali of India. Although passed through the ages by revered spiritual teachers, yoga does not belong to any religion. Called the mother of all yogas, Kundalini Yoga is known as Raj Yoga in India, and it holds a powerful legacy that stretches its healing, harmonizing reach across many cultures still today.
The advantageous implications of yoga for human health as a whole are now widely accepted all over the globe. If you haven’t tried it yet yourself, it’s likely you will have touched upon it as a subject with someone who has or who actively practices it for a wide range of reasons. Renowned scientist, inventor, biomechanical engineer and writer Itzhak Bentovauthored the book Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness, in which he explores the physiological effects of Kundalini and it’s spiritual awakening process. For a quicker read, this paper written by Bruce Greyson includes Bentov’s findings and reveals further scientific evidence in support of Kundalini (Read More). On a more gently accessible level, personal endorsement from actively practicing, high profile individuals such as Russell Brand (who can be found entertaining and informally enlightening us on YouTube) are helping to spread essential awareness of how the Kundalini form in particular is the ultimate umbrella approach to wellness.
Every human holds a divine energy coiled dormant at the base of the spine. Kundalini Yoga works on preparing our physical and mental bodies, especially the nervous and glandular systems, to handle the flood of kundalini energy when it rises. If we are not prepared, then our nervous system is overwhelmed. Through the active practice of Kundalini Yoga, we prepare our body and mind to direct the energy to flow freely through the chakras, unifying mind, body and spirit. Then we are enabled to use this energy to serve and heal ourselves and others. The purpose of Kundalini Yoga Kriyas is to create a state of mind allowing us to focus the circulating energy to specific organs or parts of the body, For instance you could practice a Kriya to revitalize your digestive system and promote weight loss, for liver detoxification or simply for stress relief. The good news is there are thousands of Kriyas designed to promote different aspects of your physical and mental well-being and nurture the whole self. To gain a wider perspective of Kriyas, their limitless physical and spiritual benefits and what they can do for you, head over to the hub of all things Kundalini https://www.3ho.org/kundalini-yoga/kriya
Often we await for health issues to arise until we finally sit up and take notice of our bodies. In our high stress, busy lives with our even busier minds, we habitually forget to prioritize our own mental well-being in favor of pursuing less meaningful goals. Time is short and through Kundalini yoga’s commitment to presence of mind, it can not only make you feel as though time has slowed down, it doesn’t take much real time out of your day to feel its benefits and experience holistic relief. It really is true that prevention is better than cure!
Practicing Kundalini Yoga is a deeply spiritual, dynamic and rejuvenating experience, committed to promoting clarity of thought and awakening our awareness within. However, this is only a small fraction of the picture and a brief insight into the reasons that make Kundalini Yoga perfectly placed for personal development.
We warmly welcome the opportunity to connect with you, greeting you with open arms and humble hospitality. Here’s to you, your path and your health! Sat Nam.
How has Kundalini Yoga helped you? Post your comments below
Try these simple postures and breathing techniques to give yourself a lift. Generate self-empowerment from within and enjoy the gift of knowing your own divine nature.
Meditation to Live Stress Free
How to do this meditation
One-minute breath (20 seconds inhale, 20 seconds hold, 20 seconds exhale) In the beginning, start with 4 or 8 beats and your breath will automatically become longer, as you practice. Keep the inhale, the held breath, and the exhale equal.
Effects:
If you want a stress free life and things to be done for you, then you must breathe from one to five or six breaths per minute. If you can practice that, then you can attract the universe to you. It is no secret. It’s a simple thing. The longer and deeper your breath is, the more your psyche attracts everything to you – it’s a way to prosperity. You can brings the mind under control, develop inner strength and ability to deal with pressure.
Meditation to Handle Grave Situations
How to do this meditation:
Place the palms on the chest with the fingertips of each hand pointing toward each other. Eyes are 9/10th closed. Allow the body be free of tension.
Inhale five seconds, exhale five seconds, and suspend the breath out for fifteen seconds.
Effects:
This is a simple and ancient meditation to resolve grief and innner conflict. It is self supervised psychotherapy. The moment the body knows the breath is out, it starts adjusting at the highest rate of efficiency. When the breath is out and the prana is not there, the pranic body starts penetrating through the other bodies to adjust. Your own computer must figure out how to allow you and your cells to survive. If you have a most grave situation to handle, five minutes of this will take care of you. It rewires the circuitry of the brain, balances the imbalances that occurred during childhood, and rewrites mental programming.
Sitali Pranayam
How to do this meditation:
Sit in any comfortable position. Curl your tongue so that the sides fold up, forming a tube, with your tongue protruding slightly from you lips while you inhale. Raise your chin as you inhale through your tongue (like a straw), feeling the cool air over the tongue. On exhalation, slightly lower your chin, place the tip of your tongue behind your front teeth, close your lips, and exhale through your nose. Continue for one to three minutes. Then inhale and hold the breath for 15 seconds. Exhale and relax.
Effects:
Sitali Pranayam means cooling breath.This meditative breath lowers the fire energy principle associated with catabolic processes in the body. When dysfuncitonal inflalmation or ulcers may result. Sitali Pranayam is very useful to calm down the body temperature. It can also be helpful with a fever or in hot weather conditions.
And when it comes to losing weight we all know that stress can really affect the body’s response to our efforts and that, on the contrary, having a good and positive attitude and a responsive body is the key to success.
How to do this meditation
How to do this meditation:
How to do this meditation: