Explore the path of spiritual living (2 of 2)

We try to protect ourselves from fear through the influences of worldly life…by acquiring more money and more power. But spiritually we can insulate ourselves from fear, only if we have trust.

We were secure in our mother’s womb. At term when we were pushed out into the world, it was as though we were facing death. We experienced tremendous fear.

After being born, is it death or birth that marks our lives?

Trust that when one door closes, another door opens. Such trust insulates us from fear. The spiritual way of seeing is, if there is an impression or a negative impression of fear in the mind, one has to de-identify with it. This detachment or de-identification is the insulation that i am talking of. In yoga, it is called atma smaranam, self-remembrance.

What happens when we insulate ourselves from negative impressions?

Worldly influences do not touch us. Instead, we would be in touch with higher vibrations and open ourselves for higher influences. The higher centres in us are constantly communicating something profound to us, but we close ourselves to them. It is like a cup turned upside down. No amount of rainwater can fill the cup. The moment we are available for higher vibrations, we attract nobler aspects of life. Lower states attract lower aspects of life while the higher states attract higher aspects of life. This is the law of attraction.

Why is devotion necessary?

Devotion activates our higher centres. Devotion purifies our emotions. Devotion allows the finer vibrations to flow into our lives. With devotion, your third eye or intuitive eye opens, and you would see many meaningful coincidences occurring in your life. You will see the mysterious hand of God blessing you. – The Times of India

Two-hour interactive sessions and modules of meditation will be conducted by trained teachers every Sunday. Contact: Noida: 9312939812, 9810472906. Dabri-Palam road: 9868503034. For details visit: www.prasannatrust.org

Money creates a false sense of independence (2 of 2)

On the other hand, some people blame money for all the ills in society. There are others who even consider it an evil. Just as possessing money brings arrogance, rejecting it too makes one arrogant. Some people who renounce money take pride in their poverty to draw attention and sympathy.

However, ancient sages honored money or maya as a part of the divine and transcended the grip of its illusion. They knew that when we reject or hate something, we can never transcend it.

They honored wealth as Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Narayana. She is born out of yoga. It is yoga that transforms the bad karma and brings out latent skills and talents. It also brings up ashtasiddhis, the eight perfections and nav nidhis, the nine wealth.

Yoga helps one move from arrogance to self-confidence, meekness to humility, dependence to interdependence, from craving for freedom to the recognition of unboundedness and from a limited ownership to oneness with the whole.

\When people lack faith in the Divine or in their own abilities or in the goodness of society they suffer from a deep sense of insecurity. As a result all that appears to provide security is money. They rely on something that is not certain, and end up getting upset. Uncertainty causes craving for stability.

The world is of change; the Self is of non-change. We have to rely on the non-change and accept the change. This is like perceiving the real as unreal and unreal as real. In fact, all miseries are unreal. A wise man knows that happiness is real, as it is our very nature. Unhappiness is unreal because it is inflicted by memory. When we see everything as a dream, then we abide in our true nature — love, joy and peace. We then understand that money is not all-important. Values, sense of belonging, love and care are more important. – The Times of India

Website: www.artofliving.org.

Mind set: Yoga beyond religion (1)

Good morning friends.  I’d like to share you what I have just read about the yoga beyond religion.  It’s a good article.  I’m sure you will learn something to it.

I follow all the Islamic tenets in the right interpretation and spirit and so, I can say that there is no such thing as yoga being haram (disallowed) in Islam. Rather, I have found that Islamic yoga is a reality. It is possible to employ the skills of yoga to worship Allah better and to be a better Muslim.

Issuing fatwa declaring yoga anti-Islamic by some Malaysian and Indonesian ulema is nothing but misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the fact that yoga and namaz are almost identical. Having practiced yoga during my school days, I found that it can easily be integrated with the Islamic life; in fact the two assist one another. Not only is there no conflict, but Islam and yoga together make a mutually beneficial holistic synergy.

Both are agreed that, while the body is important as a vehicle on the way to spiritual realization and salvation, the human being’s primary identity is not with the body but with the eternal spirit. Maintaining a healthy and fit body is a requirement in Islam, which teaches a Muslim that his or her body is a gift from Allah.Yoga happens to be one of the most potential common grounds between Hindus and Muslims.

The purposes of yoga and Tariqat-e-Naqshbandi (Sufi lifestyle) are apparently similar since both aim at achieving mystical union with the ultimate reality namely Brahma or Allah. Islamic mysticism is undoubtedly impacted by the uncanny Vedic and Buddhist influences desiring to achieve mystical union with the Supreme Being or as one may also call nirvana or fana (a term used by the Sufis).

The Indian Muslims’ love affair with yoga is a complex thing, born of many factors. There’s the general disenchantment with strict, orthodox Islam of the myopic clerics and the accompanying pull to alternative forms of spirituality. -The Times of India

Art of breathing, way of life (2)

In the hands of an experienced teacher, the risk of injury is minimal to none. “You don’t breathe through the nostrils. These are not shallow, gasping breaths. You breathe from deep within you. It is meditative; it quiets the mind.”

The core muscles are engaged as you move into and hold each pose; even the eyes have to be fixed at a distinct point as the pose is held. Muscles are lengthened and the joints are moved into full motion. As the poses progress into more movements, the breath must remain calm. Hold a pose a little longer to catch more air.

“Yoga has a balancing effect. You learn to be still and be more peaceful. Everyone, without exception, can learn how to be still.”

Mysore class

Mysore is similar to a freestyle dance. Each moving at his/her own pace so there’s no pressure to catch up with the person next to you. A teacher and an assistant help students execute the asanas properly if needed.

Everyone is doing the same thing but bringing in different experiences. Some  go further,  while others remain on their specific level. Everyone does different things but works together so best to achieve the  goal—to relax the mind and achieve peace.

“We call it self-practice. The benefit is being surrounded by all these energy. Being close to somebody who knows more rubs off on you. It’s a beautiful thing to be next to somebody who inspires.”

 “Yoga is a skill that you can bring wherever you are. Nobody can learn the eight limbs in his/her lifetime. You learn and practice it your entire life.”

Power Yoga for Every Body – 1

Good morning friends.  Some don’t believe that Yoga is a good power for our body.  They said that yoga is hard to perform.  Maybe at first you will you will have a hard time to follow, but as you continue practicing it, you will see the big difference in your life.  It helps a lot.  Like me I’m practicing yoga for a long time.  And it helps me a lot.  I will share you something about “power yoga” and I know you will like it.

 

The phrase “Power Yoga” generally signifies two schools of yoga.  Originally, it was coined as a synonym for Pattabhi Jois’s Ashtanga Yoga, to make it sound more appealing to an American audience.  But over the past few years, it’s also come to be applied to a fairly an amorphous, physically challenging style that consists of a flowing sequence of asanas (although unlike in Asthanga, the poses are done in no particular order).

 

This particular brand of Power Yoga, from Boston teacher Barbara Benagh, is closer to the latter school but actually doesn’t fit there very well.  The typical Power Yoga video isn’t terribly concerned with the finer points of the asanas: it’s primary goal is to keep things hopping sweatily along to build strength and endurance.

 

Ref: yogajournal

A Map of One’s Own

Good morning friends!  Have you tried YOGA?  Discover the map of of yourself.  Ancient Ayurveda reveals your life “blueprint” for personal transformation and optional health.

 

Some people crave peace and solitude, others dream of fame and fortune.  And then there are the iconoclast—those among us who alter the course of human history.  If you ever wondered why you are who you are, or why you act the way you do, there’s perfectly good explanation:  it’s in your life blueprint.

 

Thousands of years ago, Vedic scholars in India looked to the planets to decode the uniqueness of each individual.  Today, this sacred ancient Ayurvedic knowledge thrives through Gandharva Sauls and Sarah Tomlinson, co-directors and founders of the Ayurveda-Yoga Institute based in Manhattan.  By understanding your own blueprints, you can develop deeper insights about the most important areas in your life, including health, career, and relationships.

 

Saul acquired this cache of wisdom through Edward Tarabilda, the late modern sage who studied the Verdic science of the stars.  Though Sauls requires specific information about one’s birth for a consultation (the exact minute of birth for example), Ayurveda is not associated with astrology.  Rather, this 5,000-year old system of healing provides vital information that can transform and balance your physical and mental health.  An Ayurvedic and yoga practitioner since 1986, Sauls learned from renowned masters, such as Dr.Vasant Lad, David Frawley, and Maya Tiwari.  Several years later, he read Tarabilda’s enlightening book Ayurveda Revolutionized, and felt compelled to meet with him.  Ed had discovered some big, missing pieces of Ayurveda that really work in a much more accurate way, who began studying with Tarabilda and received the esoteric gift of “reading the life blueprint” in 2000.

Finding Peace – 1

Those of us who practice regularly eventually come to understand what a comfort yoga can be.  Whether it’s at the end of a stressful day or the beginning of a new one, coming to the mat has the ability to wipe away the anxiety of missed deadlines, or open the heart to accept whatever gifts might be coming our way.  For people living busy lives In a whirling world, yoga surely is the perfect elixir for body and soul.

I know one story that happened to my friend.  Let me share you that story.  One day she received an email from an unusual source—a naval aviator.  Along with his short note was a picture of two American soldiers practicing yoga on the deck of an aircraft carrier.  At first it seemed a little shocking—soldiers practicing such a peaceful art—but a closer look made her smile.  Appropriately enough, they are standing very enthusiastically in Warrior I—flight suits, heavy boots, and all.  And on their faces, their serene smiles relayed a sense of inner calm that only yogis can truly understand.  I began to think about their situation—that any minute they could be called into action and possibly face horrific consequences.  Certainly, that’s more stress and anxiety than most of us will ever have to deal with in our “busy” lives.  But thankfully yoga is there on board that ship, halfway around the world, for these your warrior.