www.reachout.net.in/yoga&meditation

Naukasana for Cervical Spondylosis

2012-01-01T12:50:00.002+05:30

Exercises for lower back and Spinal Cord

2012-01-01T12:49:00.000+05:30

Pranayama for Cervical Spondylosis

2012-01-01T12:47:00.002+05:30

Neck Exercise for Cervical Spondylosis

2012-01-01T12:46:00.001+05:30

Pawanmuktasan

2012-01-01T12:45:00.002+05:30

Yoga & Cervical Spondylosis

2012-01-01T12:42:00.000+05:30

Rodney Yee Yoga for Beginners

2011-12-04T12:12:00.000+05:30

Rodney Yees Yoga Ball Beginners Kit

2011-12-04T12:02:00.000+05:30

Sarp Asana For Weight Loss

2011-12-04T11:58:00.000+05:30

Sarp Asana for Weight Loss

2011-12-04T11:55:00.000+05:30

Power Yoga - Strength for Beginners

2011-12-04T11:17:00.000+05:30

Are you meditative?

2010-12-25T20:39:00.000+05:30

Must one turn to a recluse to meditate? Must one give up worldly possessions and ties to unite with the Supreme Being? Must we turn away from all pleasures only because they `delude (?)' us from our avowed path of Godliness? The answer is NO! Meditation does not translate into conscious reclusion. Uniting with the Supreme Power is not about severing our worldly ties, neither is it about pursuing austerity merely for the sake of it. Meditation is not about getting into a trance and being `unconscious' about immediate surroundings.

Meditation means being aware of your surroundings and your self. You are aware of all that is happening within and without you. The breath you are taking, the air surrounding you, the sun that you are standing under, the water that is flowing by you, the flowers blooming around you, the swaying trees…they all impact a meditative person in more ways than one.

A truly meditative person will not shun her/his social responsibilities instead s/he will accommodate new ones in the existing list.

Meditation is conscious realization of the Supreme Being who lives within all of us.

SoulSpeak

"See God in every person, place, and thing, and all will be well in your world."

--Louise Hay

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Do you still breathe?

2010-12-25T20:38:00.001+05:30

The 4th Part of the Raja Yoga breathing techniques defines all, tell us how to capture the spirit and thus control of the body and senses. If we do not breath control, we will never be able to control and the spirit is body.

Breath lives and livelihoods depend on the breath. We assume, and rarely thought about our inhalation and exhalation of air, which we think will happen automatically, until the time we find it difficult to breathe, and we have to try. If we have the flu and our sinuses are blocked or are suddenly afraid some of our breath is short and unstable, then we recognize how fundamental the breath is our existence and how our control breathing has become.

Beyond this point, the more obvious that most people is the other more hidden problem that is-most people are not breathing properly in the enjoyment of their body and mind in any deeper level, which in turn is the cause of many diseases in our world. See for yourself the breath at a time and you will see how you go about your business all day, a lot of time that you are very fast and short breaths or a large part of the time you are just hold your breath, while, under certain kind of tension. From the way you clime out of bed, as you eat your food or the way you speak, breathing is not controlled and is put on hold or continuously shortened. Many customers of mine, if the treatments coming to me saying "Much of the time when they feel as if I no longer breathe for a long time." Since this kind of unconscious breathing becomes a habit because all the pressure and stress we feel the whole day, over time, if not better treated with habits and practice of yogic breathing Dirgwa Swasam * it becomes a disease or illness. Short, interrupted breathing or is in possession is the root of most modern diseases.

Modern doctors are usually not trained in herbal medicine or natural healing methods such as yoga or eastern Ayurvedic medicine, they are not after any signs of disease due to bad habits Breathing. In the practice of natural medicine one of the first things a therapist will be, how deep and often a person breathing, during the silence and speak when and how their pulse. Have you with our breath, when talking about? Do you know how to breathe, if the food? From the depths, as someone breathes comes much information about what kind of health problems they may have or are susceptible to in the future. If you have very short questions such as asthma or depression, when very quickly bones and nervousness.

We know, we can not live without breathing, but we expect that it will never stop until the day we are to leave of the planet. This is true, but how we use the breath can on the one hand, gives us maximum health and on the other side take our minds further and deeper into unknown areas. With good use of the breath we can go further in the spirit and bring many changes, but impossible. With all the various yoga exercises and breathing techniques practiced, you can gain command of what has passed, in the head to control and change it for healthier children and much more compassionate thoughts.

One of what happens when we not the breath is true that our nervous system suffers, and we are quickly tempered, impatient and less understanding of other people. This in turn allows us not exhausted and a lot of time thinking we are fighting the world, if we really just fighting ourselves.

The health of mind and body will increase as the breathing deepens and slows down the rhythm of the heart. When the heart too much excited by the habits and excesses of life then the breath is restless and difficult, but if the heart pleased with Peace and silence the breath then leads you into the deep times.

Remember lucky to breathe and to follow your breath as you go about your daily life-this will teach you more about are.

Yogi Cameron

* Dirgwa is a Swasam full yogic breathing, which we should be breathing at all times. On the inhalation of the belly, chest expanded and the shoulders take a breath. breathe on the shoulders relax, the chest and moves in the stomach is sucked in a little.

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5 Ways Yoga Helps You Lose Weight and Keep it Off

2010-12-25T20:36:00.000+05:30

Desire for the eastern approach to Wellness is consistently growing as they emerge from the 16 million people now practice yoga in the United States. With weight gain on the rise, yoga offers a great alternative as a weight loss tool for people over 40 Not all yoga exists on pretzel poses and yoga is a remarkable tool for motivation. Many of us have a difficult time with weight to lose, because we simply lose the motivation when we look at the 5th Carrot stick of the week. Motivation is such as showers, we must practice it daily.

The mind and body are married, and closely united, if one suffers, the other empathizes. The enormous advantages of the East-style spa is based on the improvement in the overall emotional and physical health by providing a work leaves out that a world famous person, not exhausted with a workout that your opinion. Yoga includes mindfulness, is a necessary condition for the conquest of the battle with weight.

1. The power of Practicing Mindfulness

Food is of crucial importance for the life to make energy. If your body was a temple, would you not putrified food, poisons, everything pollutants in terms of touch, smell or taste. You would think carefully and choose with great diligence, what you put into service. To know what you ingest has implications involved in the recent years and add or subtract years to your life. As you can see something, despite the temptation - pick and choose your body fuel as carefully as you would choose a mate to share your life with. Since your body is yours and you so that you are a careful selection, was found in it.

However, healthy diet does not mean that the choice of a life of poverty and hunger, or that you avoid fast-food restaurants. You can be debt free snacks and food practice, if you have the power of choice.

"We think decisions on the most important are: job, what should I take? Whom should I marry? Should I on a diet or just throw my old clothes? Every choice we make moves us to a road or another. The little decisions we make, collect and dictate the kind of life we live. Yoga helps how you think about the individual life Selection and fine tunes your knowledge to help you deserve.

While healthy life you to plan your weight loss, yoga can help you achieve increased vitality, a stronger, more flexible mind /body and a spirit inspired, motivated you to continue to enjoy the Fruits of a healthy weight.

2. Education system and the inspiring and offers a useful and varied alternative to traditional forms of exercise.

3. Yoga is designed for people wish to stress release, a total of fitness and increases mind /body /spirit energy, without considering the impact the high jump. Decreased stress often leads to decreased emotional eating.

4. By opening the door to a healthier you, yoga can lead the way to your untapped health and wellness potential that lies within you.

5. Meditation, yoga practice is a way to the brain of a real vacation from anxious thoughts and reach a greater attention by eliminating distractions that you determine your goals. Stress often leads to a craving for carbohydrates and this leads to Weight gain. Yoga gives you the time to rejuvenate, nor the overactive mind and focus on the important. Quieting thought to receive positive affirmations help you discover a place that can feel your mind clear and focused on the goal of achieving a healthy Weight. You are worth the time and energy it takes to believe in themselves. I believe in you. Now go and your goal and the change you want to see happen.

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Fundamentals Of The Yoga System Of Patanjali

2010-11-07T16:54:00.001+05:30

It is difficult to believe that the implications of the teachings of Patanjali can be easily grasped even by the highest academic intellect, because it is nothing but intricate practice that is being taught in this system.

It is not merely a theory, not a doctrine or a faith or a religion that is propounded in these famous aphorisms.

It is a technique of practice or conduct in personal life which is supposed to go into the very roots and vitals of the system and bring about a thorough transformation of the various patterns of manifestation of the individual organism.

The system of Patanjali is an utter realism in the sense that it does not go beyond the ken of immediate experience or perception at any stage of practice. It avoids any kind of extreme idealism or theory or dogma and concerns itself only with those aspects and features of experience in human life which are part and parcel of one's practical existence.

In this practice, not one step is missed. Not one step is ever taken into consideration if it had not become a practical content of one's day-to-day experience. Thus it is that we can very safely call this a scientific method of approach to life. It is scientific because it is the most systematic approach to life and it is the most inclusive of all the approaches. It includes all possible aspects of human nature. It starts from the lowest type of experience and aspires to reach the highest possible existence. It is a very graduated technique and it is a system of living that can be applied to every human being.

The Yoga system is an impersonal approach of a psychological character and it may be said to be nothing but psychology applied to practical life, or one may say, it is applied psychology going deeper into the roots of human nature, not exhausting its researches on the conscious level merely as the Western psychologists are prone to do.

The levels of human personality are the objects of research here and therefore Yoga is not only psychology and psycho-analysis but also the theory of perception of things.

It is also a philosophy, metaphysics, and it is at the same time an ethical and moral goal, — it is the highest spiritual philosophy. So you have in it everything that any system of thought can regard as the essential of a teaching on the Higher Life.

It is not possible to understand this system unless one has some acquaintance with psychology, because, it is a system of psychological analysis and synthesis.

It analyses threadbare every fibre of human nature and personality and also synthesises these analysed parts into an organic whole.

What it does exactly is the isolating of the parts of human nature for the purpose of arranging them once again into a new pattern altogether, — a necessity that arises on account of the fact that the existing pattern is a chaotic one. The parts or aspects of human nature as they operate in normal or ordinary life are disorganised patterns, a kind of confusion and a muddle, which is the reason why people are unable to think dispassionately, impersonally and thoroughly.

Patanjali's system adopts a diagnostic system of analysis. It pulls apart every aspect of human nature into its minutest components. For this purpose, it lets nature be reduced to the minimum essentials to be analysed, until you find it is not possible to analyse further, exactly as in medical science. And then the constructive aspect of the system begins.

What is the condition in which one is now at this given moment of time, and what is the reason for the prevalence of this condition?

The prevalence of any particular state is due to the character of a particular pattern of the arrangement of the parts of the personality as it appears on the surface.

Is it a satisfactory pattern, is the question.

Well, the answer is simple. It is not a satisfactory one; otherwise there would have been no sorrow, no aspiration to achieve something more than what we have already. That we are restless and hope to achieve something more than what we have at present is an indication that our present system of living is inadequate, incomplete and therefore not satisfactory.

This is the stand which the Yoga system, as a psychology, takes, and tries to reorganise this system into a proper form or shape which can reflect in its perfection the character of Reality.

The sufferings of human life, the sorrows through which we pass and the shortcomings that we see in our personal lives, are an indication that the present pattern of our psychological set-up is incapable of reflecting the character of Reality.

The Real is a perfect whole; it is an invisible completeness; and what we seek in life is perfection or completeness, because Reality is a well-ordered completeness. When this ordered system of completeness or perfection is reflected in the psychological condition of human nature at any given moment of time, then there is a feeling of satisfaction, joy, a sense of freedom and a feeling that we have achieved something worthwhile in life. But the absence of this feeling is an indication, again, that the nature of Reality has not been reflected in our system, which means that the medium of reflection is not properly constructed.

So the Yoga system of Patanjali endeavours to prepare the individual for the reception of the nature of Reality into one's system, so that life becomes an ordered whole not only personally or individually but also in all its manifestations such as social life, political life, etc.

The Yoga system, therefore, is a universal science; it is not an individual practice that one adopts privately in one's room for one's own salvation.

There is always a misconception born of a short-sighted notion of the purpose of the practice of Yoga, due to which many people wrongly think that the practice of Yoga is a system of an individual salvation. It is not.

Though the preparatory techniques are individual in the sense that it is 'you' or 'I' that have to make the preparation for the ideal on hand, yet, the aim is not personal. The preparation may appear to be personal or individual, because everyone is to be prepared in a specific manner, according to one's endowments, but the purpose is something more than the individual organism or thought- pattern.

The aim of this practice is a growth, gradually, into universality, which is the mother even of the individual natures or personalities that are visible in practical life.

We are persons, individuals, not apparently related to one another. That is the reason for the prevalence of selfishness in human life. But, that we are really unrelated to one another is not a fact. There is an interconnectedness among individuals, which is hidden behind their visible disparity, and which is the reflection of the universal in their personal and social lives.

The universal need not necessarily be the absolute universal always. When we speak of the universal from the point of view of the system of Yoga according to Patanjali, the universal is any comprehensive state which immediately supersedes any given condition of psychological life.

When there is a vision of the presence of a more inclusive state psychologically, socially and spiritually, one is supposed to be aware of the presence of a universal transcending one's individual existence.

And when the next higher state of universality is envisaged, that becomes a part of one's practical experience.

These are actually the stages of practice known Samadhi,—acquirements or achievements. We have very strange terms used in the Sutras of Patanjali such as the words: Vitarka, Vichara, Ananda, Asmita, etc., all which refer to the various gradations of the manifestation of the universal in individual experience wherein and by which the individual becomes gradually universalised, stage by stage. So it is from this point of view that the Yoga system of Patanjali is a realistic system. It does not abrogate from its approach any ideal of life or any perceivable object of experience.

The psychological analysis, preparatory for this, is something very important and that is the most difficult part of the practice.

The parts of human nature, which is essentially psychological, are known as Klesas, or afflictions. The term Klesa is used by Patanjali to designate a particular psychological function merely because of the fact that every psychological function is an 'affliction' of the individual. It is an unnatural state of affairs; it is something not real. It is an apparent manifestation which is supposed to be overcome, transcended, as a sort of disease. The reason why every psychological function is regarded as a Klesa is because the function of the mind or the psychological organism as it is seen in normal life is motivated by factors which are incompatible with the nature of Reality.

The very act of perception of an object cannot be regarded as a contact with real objects, because these realities which are invested with the forms which one sees with one's eyes, due to which one regards them as realities, are only apparent formations or configurations which are presented before the eyes due to the operation of powers or forces invisible to the naked eyes.

The human system cannot, therefore, grasp the real cause behind the appearance of these objects.

You see many things in front of you and there is usually no reason to believe that there is something wrong with these perceptions, which are called normal perceptions. But, what you call 'normal' perception need not necessarily be a 'real' perception from the point of view of Yoga at least. It is not 'real' because it is 'subject to transcendence'.

The definition of Reality is that it is that which is not subject to transcendence by any kind of experience. If any experience is subject to contradiction by another type of experience at any time in the future, we cannot call that experience real.

Now, can we say that our experiences in the waking state are not subject to contradiction? No one can say that. We do not know what experiences we passed through in our previous lives. Where are our relatives and possessions that we held as dear in our past existences? What happened to them? No one thinks of these things, because to think of them would be a horror.

Reality would look like a horror to a person sunk in ignorance.

Ignorance (Avidya) is the breeding ground of all the sorrows of mankind, due to which there is attachment to immediate perception.

There is Raga and Dvesha, attraction and repulsion. There is like for those experiences which are regarded as desirable, and a natural dislike for those experiences which are the opposite of or different from the types of experience which we regard as desirable to the present state of the mind.

That which we call desirable, pleasant, beautiful, etc. is that arrangement of things which is compatible with the arrangement of the mind in the present set-up of current affairs.

The condition of the mind at any moment of time is the outcome or effect of those forces, invisible of course, which have become responsible for the manifestation of the personality in this physical existence, — one's bodily organism, way of thinking and social relationship, — Jati, Ayu and Bhoga.

All these experiences which we take as the only reality today are a fraction or a kind of link in the long chain of development through which the individual has to pass, which development or process is usually called the evolution of the individual.

We are completely oblivious of this long chain. We do not know the previous link and we do not know the future link also. We are stuck up in the present link only. This present link is the vast life which we are living today.

All what you see, — this world, the sun, moon, stars, the stellar system, etc. — is only one link in a long chain of development, which is the evolution of the universe towards a realisation that is totally outside the vision of the mind at the present moment.

So, the loves and hatreds, the likes and dislikes, the attachments and their opposites, which characterise the experiences in our present life are caused by ignorance, or Avidya.

What is Avidya? It is an ignorance of the true nature of things. The fact is that the present life, the so-called wonderful, vast life, is a small fraction of a vaster existence, which presses itself forward every moment for manifesting itself in higher degrees of intensity, the pressure being called the 'nisus' or the urge for evolution.

The reason why you are dissatisfied with anything and everything in life at all times, is the presence of this urge of the universe behind you.

Can you find one satisfied person in the world? No.

The satisfaction does not come because the things that are provided for by this physical existence, this vast universe, this world, to the individual nature at this time cannot satisfy that invisible something, which has reference to the present shape of the individual which is mistaken for the total reality. We are making the gross error of imagining that our present physical or social existence is the only reality conceivable, though it is only one form that is taken by the infinite possibilities which are hidden in the bosoms of Nature, and which are going to be manifested one day or the other, in the future, during the different levels of evolution yet to be passed through, and the inability to grasp the relevance of these future possibilities to the present state of affairs is what is called Avidya or ignorance.

We are unable to connect ourselves with the true state of things. The inability to understand or grasp the relation between appearance and Reality is called ignorance. This is the cause of our present experience, Klesa, etc.

These difficulties which are wholly psychological have to be obviated root and branch; this is the purpose of Yoga.

The very root of the disease has to be dug out and brought to the surface of consciousness and one has to be made perfectly healthy so that the total reality can be reflected in the personality.

That condition in which Reality gets reflected in one's personality is called the Jivan mukti state; that is the liberated state.

Towards this end the Yoga technique endeavours to bring forward the various sides of human nature in its vital connections with the different aspects of Reality manifest as this cosmos.

The Klesas or the psychological functions which we are expected to arrange in a new order altogether for the purpose of harmonising them with the existing nature of things,—this endeavour is, in short, the preparation necessary for the practice of Yoga!

The various stages mentioned in the system of Patanjali — Yama, Niyama, Asana, etc. — are the gradational processes of establishing communion or harmony with the immediate atmosphere present around oneself.

The social atmosphere, the physical body, the Pranas within, the senses that operate inside, the mind that thinks, the intellect that understands and the Spirit that is all- pervading —with all these layers of being we have to set ourselves in tune.

Thus, the Yoga System of Patanjali is a graduated technique of setting oneself in tune with the various degrees of the manifestation of Reality. So it is a very satisfactory system, because it takes into consideration every degree of manifestation of Reality, even the worst, the lowest and the grossest of shapes; and from that it rises upward, taking that as its stand, towards the great Absolute.

Contributed by: harinag49 @ yahoo.co.in

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Ashtanga Yoga

2010-09-26T17:46:00.001+05:30

1. Yama (self-control, Restraints or Abstinence)

"Yama" has different meanings. It may mean "rein, curb, or bridle, discipline or restraints" In the present context, it is used to mean "self-control, forbearance, or any great rule or duty". It can also be interpreted as "attitude" or "behavior". Certainly a particular attitude can be expressed as discipline, which then influences our behavior.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra mentions five different yama, that is, behavior patterns or relationships between the individual and the outside world.

The prescribed rules are:

1. Ahimsa (Harmlessness).

· The word ahimsa literally means not to injure or show cruelty to any creature or any person in any way whatsoever.

· Ahimsa is, however, more than just lack of violence as adapted in yoga. It means kindness, friendliness, and thoughtful consideration of other people and things.

· It also has to do with our duties and responsibilities too.

· It could even mean that we must fight if our life is in danger.

· Ahimsa implies that in every situation we should adopt a considered attitude.

2. Satya (Truthfulness).

· Satya means "to speak the truth," yet it is not always desirable to speak the truth on all occasions, for it could harm someone unnecessarily. We have to consider what we say, how we say it, and in what way it could affect others. If speaking the truth has negative consequences for another, then it is better to say nothing.

· Satya should never come into conflict with our efforts to behave with ahimsa. The Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, says: "Speak the truth which is pleasant. Do not speak unpleasant truths. Do not lie, even if the lies are pleasing to the ear. That is the eternal law, the dharma." Please note that this does not mean speak lie. Keeping quiet and saying lies are two different things.

3. Asteya (Non-stealing).

· Asteya means - to take nothing that does not belong to us.

· This also means that if we are in a situation where someone entrusts something to us or confides in us, we do not take advantage of him or her.

· We are to refrain from taking that which is not ours by right of consciousness and karma.

4. Brahmacharya (Sense-control).

· Brahmacharya is a movement toward the essential truth. It is used mostly in the sense of abstinence, particularly in relationship to sexual activity.

· Brahmacharya suggests that we should form relationships that foster our understanding of the highest truths.

· If sensual pleasures are part of those relationships, we must take care that we keep our direction and do not get lost.

· Avoid relationships that make us deviate from finding the eternal truth. On the path of serious, constant searching for truth, there are certain ways of controlling the perceptual senses and sexual desires.

· Brahmacharya does not necessarily imply celibacy. Rather, it means responsible behavior with respect to our goal of moving toward the truth.

5. Aparigraha (Neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth)

· Parigraha means "to take" or "to seize." Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary, and not to take advantage of a situation or act greedy.

· We should only take what we have earned; if we take more, we are exploiting someone else.

· In addition, unearned rewards can bring with them obligations that might later cause problems.

The Yoga Sutra describes what happens when these five behaviors outlined above become part of a person's daily life:

· As we develop ahimsa (kindness and consideration); our presence will create pleasant and friendly feelings in those around us.

· And if we remain true to the idea of satya, everything we say will be truthful. We will become trustworthy. In India, one's word is considered one's biggest asset.

· The Yoga Sutra also states that a person who is firmly anchored in asteya will receive all the jewels of this world. Such a person may not be interested in material wealth, but he or she will have access to the finest things in life. The more we recognize and search for the meaning of the essential truth, the less will we be distracted by other things? Certainly it requires great strength to take this path.

· The Yoga Sutra teaches that the more faith we have, the more energy we have. At the same time we also have more strength to pursue our goals. So the more we seek the truth in the sense of brahmacharya, the more vitality we will have to do so.

· Parigraha is the increasing orientation toward material things. If we reduce parigraha and develop aparigraha, we are orienting ourselves more inwardly. The less time we spend on our material possessions, the more we have to spend on investigating all that we call yoga. We will learn to enjoy what we have rather than constantly seeking things we don't have and never getting satisfied in life. It is a scientific fact that the more money and material possessions we have, the more stressful we become.

Thus, the yamas are the moral virtues which, if attended to, purify human nature and contribute to health and happiness of society.

2. Pranayama (Breath Control)

Pranayama is the fourth limb of Ashtanga Yoga. Pranayama is the measuring, control, and directing of the breath. Pranayama controls the energy within the organism, in order to restore and maintain health and to promote evolution.

Pranayama gives control of breathing processes and control of vital force. When the inflowing breath is neutralized or joined with the out flowing breath, then perfect relaxation and balance of body activities are realized.

In yoga, we are concerned with balancing the flows of vital forces, then directing them inward to the chakra system and upward to the crown chakra or thousand petaled lotus (sahasara).

Pranayama or breathing technique is very important in yoga. It goes hand in hand with the asana or pose.

In the Yoga Sutras, the practices of pranayama and asana are considered to be the highest form of purification and self discipline for the mind and the body, respectively. The practices produce the actual physical sensation of heat, called tapas, or the inner fire of purification. It is taught that this heat is part of the process of purifying the nadis, or subtle nerve channels of the body. This allows a more healthful state to be experienced and allows the mind to become calmer.

Pranayama is training in proper breathing. Pranayam can lead us into Meditation to heal our mind, body and spirit.

"Prana" means vital force of energy. And "Ayama" is the storing and distribution - regulation of energy. There is an intimate connection between body and mind. Breathing is a vital tool to control the mind and thinking pattern.

As the cells of organs such as the heart, lungs, brain, blood, muscles and bowel get deprived of oxygen, they start degenerating & disease slowly starts developing. Therefore, it is important to learn correct breathing, and maintenance of correct posture.

Benefits Of Pranayama:

1. Increase in Lung capacity utilization up to 95%.

2. Increase in the life span.

3. Improved mind and body coordination.

4. Increase in energy for day to day activities.

5. Mental peace and emotional balance.

6. Lowering blood pressure, managing respiratory, digestive etc. disorders with regular practice.

7. Complete rejuvenation of body and mind.

8. Reduction in aging process.

3. Pratyahara (Retraction of the Senses)

Pratyahara is the fifth limb of Ashtanga Yoga. Pratyahara means drawing back or retreat. The word ahara means "nourishment"; pratyahara translates as "to withdraw oneself from that which nourishes the senses." In yoga, the term pratyahara implies withdrawal of the senses from attachment to external objects.

What does this mean? It means our senses stop living off the things that stimulate; the senses no longer depend on these stimulants and are not fed by them any more.

Let us look at this concept a little closely. When we see a sunset, first our eyes are drawn to it; the eyes sent a message to the brain; the brain computer will assimilate the information sent by the eyes and form the picture of the sunset. This is the way our senses function normally. But there is also the possibility that the most beautiful sunset on earth will not attract our attention, will not engage our senses, because we are deeply immersed in something else.

We may be concentrating on something without any awareness of what is going around us. Normally the senses say to the mind: "Look at this! Smell this! Touch that!" The senses register an object and the mind is drawn to it at once.

In pratyahara we sever this link between mind and senses, and the senses withdraw. Each sense perception has a particular quality to which it relates: the eyes relate to the form of something; the ears to the sound, the vibration it makes; the nose to its smell.

In pratyahara it is as if things are spread out with all their attractions before our senses, but they are ignored; the senses remain unmoved and uninfluenced.

In effect the brain will disregard all that is received by the various sensory organs and will only accept and process the signals sent by sensory organs at the command of the brain.

Now we have control over our senses rather than being controlled by them.

For example, when we are totally absorbed in the breath during pranayama, pratyahara occurs quite automatically. The mind is so intensely occupied with the breath that all links between mind, senses, and external objects that have nothing to do with the breath are cut off.

So pratyahara is not a state of sleep. The senses are quite capable of responding, but they do not because they have withdrawn or detached.

When the senses are no longer tied to external sources, the result is restraint, interiorization or pratyahara.

Now that the vital forces are flowing back to the Source within, one can concentrate without being distracted by externals or the temptation to cognize externals.

A person experiences this state, to a degree, just before going to sleep or upon awakening. We are aware of what is going on; but, are not overly influenced by what is going outside.

We can achieve a similar condition at any time of the day by practicing pratyahara. It is easy for us to "be in the world but not of it" when we learn to practice interiorization of the sense currents.

We can be aware of the world (at times other than during meditation) but not be attached to it. Practicing this restraint, one soon finds that tendencies and habits are neutralized, because "needs" are abandoned. This discipline allows us to practice meditation any time any place.

Pratyahara occurs almost automatically when we meditate because we are so absorbed in the object of meditation. Precisely because the mind is so focused, the senses follow it; it is not happening the other way around. No longer functioning in their usual manner, the senses become extraordinarily sharp.

Under normal circumstances the senses become our masters rather than being our servants. The senses entice us to develop cravings for all sorts of things. In pratyahara the opposite occurs: when we have to eat we eat, but not because we have a craving for food. In pratyahara we try to put the senses in their proper place, but not cut them out of our actions entirely.

Much of our emotional imbalance is our own creation. A person who is influenced by outside events and sensations can never achieve the inner peace and tranquility. This is because he or she will waste much mental and physical energy in trying to suppress unwanted sensations and to heighten other sensations. This will eventually result in a physical or mental imbalance, and will, in most instances, results in illness.

Patanjali says that the above process is at the root of human unhappiness and uneasiness. When people seek out yoga, hoping to find that inner peace which is so evasive, they find that it was theirs all along.

In a sense, yoga is nothing more than a process which enables us to stop and look at the processes of our own minds; only in this way can we understand the nature of happiness and unhappiness, and thus transcend them both.

Contributed by: harinag49 @ yahoo.co.in

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Yoga For Stress Management

2010-09-26T17:43:00.001+05:30

Introduction

Stress is a monster, which is the root cause of a host of diseases like, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, depression, obesity, skin ailments, cancer, immune disorders and even sudden death.

It is now an accepted fact in the medical community, that 80-90 percent of the illnesses are psychosomatic i.e. stress related.

The highly demanding requirements of modern lifestyle have put the mankind in a very stressful environment. Day by day our life is getting more and more distressed, restless and devoid of pleasure, peace and happiness.

Leo Tolstoy's statement, "Our whole life is taken up with anxiety for personal security, with preparations for living, so that we never really live at all," is so relevant in the modern times.

Though stress does not spare any body - men, women, young, old, and others, its worst sufferers are the corporate executives, software professionals, control room operators, call center professionals, air traffic controllers, and all those who use computers or sit on the desks for extended hours.

The 21-century fast-paced life, work pressures, tight deadlines, cutthroat competition and prolonged sitting in wrong postures, have made the work environment very stressful, forcing people to lead an erratic lifestyle where health is the least priority.

Stress affects people in many ways, including their health, relationships and performance at the workplace.

The mind is the only cause of all problems of tension or stress or strain of any individual.

Unfortunately, the conventional medical system has no permanent remedy for it. However, yoga provides very simple and effective tools to manage stress.

Before we discuss how yoga can be helpful in coping up with stress, we must understand the physiology of stress and its underlying causes.

What is Stress?

In the engineering language, stress is a force, which deforms bodies.

In simple medical terms, stress is defined as wear and tear of the body, brought about by any activity - physical, mental or emotional.

Stress is the reaction of our bodies and minds to something that upsets their normal balance.

According to yoga, stress is an internal disharmony, which manifests into chronic physical and mental disorders.

Any stressful situation produces intense feelings of being threatened, frightened, anger, fear or frustration.

All creatures have a defensive mechanism in-built by nature, to protect them from stress.

Changes Due to Stressful Situation

Whenever we are in a stressful situation, our adrenal glands release adrenaline - a hormone that activates a number of other hormones, enzymes and mechanisms, which bring in many changes in the body to manage the stressful situation.

Some of the important changes are:

· The muscles become tense to prepare the body for sudden action. This can lead to body aches and the areas most affected are the lower back and neck muscles.

· The breathing rate increases to supply the increased demand of oxygen. Over time, this causes problems like breathlessness and asthma.

· The heart rate increases to absorb the increased intake of oxygen. If you consider heart as a mechanical pump (which it is), then its life shortens if such episodes happen more frequently.

· The blood pressure rises to deliver more oxygen and nutrients to all the organs. This is often the cause of hypertension, which on the long run may lead to paralytic stroke.

· Digestion of food stops, as it is not a priority, and blood is needed elsewhere in the body to cope up with the emergency situation. This leads to acidity, ulcers, indigestion and diarrhea.

· Skin and mouth become cold, pale and dry due to diversion of blood to more important areas- muscles. Because the skin is deprived of nutrition, people who are stressed for long periods develop wrinkles earlier, the area around the eyes becomes dark and their hair may gray prematurely. These are the signs of premature aging.

· The blood sugar increases to meet the increased nutritional demand for all the above actions. This leads to upset in sugar levels in diabetic patients. High sugar levels for long periods can in turn damage nerves, eyes, kidneys and heart etc.

· Blood becomes capable of clotting faster to stop excessive bleeding, in case of an injury. This can cause clogging of arteries and veins.

· Hormonal changes take place, which can cause disturbances in the menstrual cycles and problems in conception in women.

With each episode of stress, the above actions prepare all the body systems on the apparent danger, and help to take the next step, which is either to resist or to retreat, the fight-flight response.

After the stressful situation is over, the body reverts back to its original state.

If such episodes are frequent, some of the changes mentioned above do not get an opportunity to revert to the original resting state. This causes serious malfunction of the concerned organs and systems.

No doubt, the mind and body do need some amount of stress to perform at their best. But if it is activated too often, stress turns chronic, and breaks down the systems of the body.

Causes of Stress

Stress occurs when there is an imbalance between the demands of life, and our ability to cope with them.

Unhealthy work conditions, extended hours of work, jobs requiring repetitive tasks, jobs with tight targets, insecurity, stiff competition, discrimination and financial problems are some factors that produce stress at the workplace.

Other causes of stress are illness, bereavement, divorce, loneliness, and emotional conflicts etc.

Yoga goes much deeper into the causes of stress.

In the words of Paramhansa Yogananda, the great Indian yogi: The disturbance of mental equilibrium, which results in nervous disorders, is caused by continuous states of excitement or - excessive stimulation of the senses.

Indulgence in constant thoughts of fear, anger, melancholy, remorse, envy, sorrow, hatred, discontent, or worry; and lack of the necessities for normal and happy living, such as right food, proper exercise, fresh air, sunshine, agreeable work and purpose in life, all are the causes of nervous disease.

Stress Warning Signs

Under stress, a person exhibits one or more of the following abnormal behavior and or physical symptoms.

These are the warning signs of stress, which require attention.

· A decreased quality and/or output of work

· Carelessness leading to sudden increase of errors and/or accidents

· Difficulty in taking decisions

· Difficulty in communicating

· Isolation and aloofness from colleagues and friends

· Working late or more obsessively than usual

· Missing appointments and deadlines

· Taking the path of least resistance, taking no risks

· Loss in sense of humor

· Anger, frequent outbursts of temper

· Constant harping on failures

· Mistrusting colleagues, family and friends

· Physical symptoms may include headache, fatigue, insomnia, backache, neck pain, loss of appetite, or overeating.

Managing Stress by Yoga

There are many activities conducive to relaxation and de-stressing.

These include yoga, a walk along the beach or in a beautiful garden, a hike in the mountains, drawing, painting, music, gardening, a sport you enjoy, even cooking for some.

Out of all these activities, yoga is by far the best, easiest and cost effective method to relax.

There are many yogic techniques of relaxation. Yoga offers many simple, yet very effective methods of dealing with stress. These include asana, pranayama, relaxation and meditation. Let us discuss these briefly.

1. Asana

Asana can relax tense muscles, make you more aware of your breathing, lower your blood pressure, decrease your heart rate, and divert your mind from stress.

Asanas especially beneficial for stress include: Suryanamaskara, sun salutation; Pawanmuktasana, wind release posture; Yogamudrasana, yogic gesture posture; Shashankasana, rabbit posture; Bhujangasana, cobra posture; Shavasana, corpse posture; Sarvangasana, shoulder stand posture.

2. PRANAYAMA

Most pranayama practices are helpful in reducing stress. Of special importance are: Anulom-vilom, alternate nostril breathing; Bhramari, humming breath; Kapalbhati, shinning skull breath.

3. Deep Breathing

Lie down on the floor in Shavasana (corpse posture). Keep your attention on the navel and practice deep abdominal breathing. Imagine that you are breathing from your navel. During each inhale, feel the abdomen rising up like a mountain. Feel the abdomen falling down to the floor during each exhale. Prolong the exhalation as much as you can. Feel how the body becomes loose and relaxed during each exhale.

With full attention on the navel, continue breathing from the abdomen for as much time as you want. Practice for about five minutes in the beginning, gradually increasing to 10-15 minutes or more as desired. Do not let your attention shift away from the navel. If the mind wanders away, bring it back to the navel. At the end of the practice, gently massage the eyes a few times with the roots of your palms. Then opening the eyes gently, turning on your left side, and taking support of the right hand, come up in the sitting position.

4. Reverse Breath Counting

Lie down on the floor in Shavasana (corpse posture). Become aware of your breathing.

Inhale from your abdomen, and feel the breath rising up to your head. Exhale slowly, and feel the breath flowing down from your head to the face, chest, abdomen, thighs, legs, and finally going out through the toes.

As you breathe, begin to count the breath in the reverse order starting from ten, twenty, fifty, hundred or any number depending on the time at your disposal. Let us say, you start with fifty. Mentally repeat fifty, forty-nine, forty-eight and so on decreasing one number with each breath till you reach zero. If the mind wanders, and you forget the counting, start again from the beginning, fifty in this case, and again go down to zero. Every time, you forget the counting, this is not uncommon if you are tense, start from the beginning. New comers may start with a lower number and gradually increase their practice.

If the mind can be kept on the breath for a few minutes, the body gets complete relaxation.

Practice the reverse counting of breath for as long as you want. At the end of the practice, gently massage the eyes a few times with the roots of your palms. Open the eyes, turn on the left side, and taking support of your right hand, get up.

5. Yoganidra

Lie down on the floor in Shavasana (corpse posture). Yoganidra or progressive relaxation is an internal tour or inspection of the body in which we pay attention to the various parts of the body one by one. When we pay attention to any part of the body, an increased supply of blood gets diverted from other parts of the body to irrigate that part abundantly, thereby relaxing and rejuvenating it.

We generally start from the feet. Bring your attention to the toes of both the feet. Breathing slowly and easily - feel your toes as fully as you can. Imagine the toes going loose and relaxed. As the breath goes in and out, consciously let go of any tension in the toes. Then gradually shift your attention to ankles, calf muscles, knees, thighs, ribs, shoulders arms and hands. Then start from the genitals, and gradually move the attention to the abdomen, chest, neck, face, and head and to the back along the spine till the tailbone. At each of these parts, hold the attention for a few seconds, let go of any tension and feel that part getting loose and relaxed.

Hold the attention on each part of the body for as much time as you have with you. Longer the time, the deeper and profound you relax. You can even divide the body into still smaller parts and take each side of the body separately. For example, start with the right side- toes one by one, sole, heel, ankle, calf, knee, thigh, right half of abdomen, right rib cage, shoulder, upper arm, elbow, lower arm, wrist, palm, all the fingers one by one and then returning back to the right toes. Then repeat on the left side in the same way - After that take the tour of the middle of the body staring from your genitals and going upward to the head and then to the back till the tailbone.

In this way, the whole body gets loose, relaxed and rejuvenated. If you are slow, systematic and careful of your breath, you will be amazed, how deeply relaxed you can get. At the end of the practice, gently massage your eyes a few times with the roots of the palms. Open the eyes slowly and turning on the left side, get up in the sitting position.

6. `31' & `61' Point Relaxation

These practices are similar to yoganidra, in which the awareness is moved along a defined path covering 31 or 61 sensitive points on the body. These paths are explained below. You may practice 31 or 61-point relaxation depending upon the time available. Both are similar except the path for 61-points is longer, which takes more time.

To start with lie down on the floor in Shavasana (corpse pose) and normalize your breath. Mentally count one and start from the eyebrow center, the first point. Hold your attention on this point for a few seconds and try to mentally look deeper under the skin. Then count two and take the awareness to the second point, which is the throat. Hold your attention there and look deep under the skin as before. In this way, travel along the entire path mentally counting each point and holding attention at that point for some time. If the mind wanders and you forget the count, which happens when you are new to the practice, start again from the beginning.

The path for 31-point relaxation is:

1. Eyebrow Center 2. Throat Center 3.Right Shoulder 4. Right Elbow

5. Right Wrist 6.Right Thumb 7. Right Index Finger 8. Right Middle Finger

9. Right Ring Finger 10. Right Little Finger 11. Right Wrist 12.Right Elbow

13. Right Shoulder 14. Left Shoulder 15. Left Elbow 16. Left Wrist

17. Left Thumb 18. Left Index Finger 19. Left Middle Finger 20. Left Ring Finger

21. Left Little Finger 22. Left Wrist 23. Left Elbow 24. Left Shoulder

25. Throat Center 26. Heart Center 27.Right Nipple 28. Left Nipple

29. Heart Center 30.Throat Center 31. Eyebrow Center

The path for 61-point relaxation is:

1. Eyebrow Center 2. Throat Center 3.Right Shoulder 4. Right Elbow

5. Right Wrist 6.Right Thumb 7. Right Index Finger 8. Right Middle Finger

9.Right Ring Finger 10. Right Little Finger 11.Right Wrist 12.Right Elbow

13. Right Shoulder. 14. Throat Center 15. Left Shoulder 16. Left Elbow

17. Left Wrist 18. Left Thumb 19. Left Index Finger 20. Left Middle Finger

21. Left Ring Finger 22. Left Little Finger 23. Left Wrist 24. Left Elbow

25. Left Shoulder 26. Throat center 27. Heart Center 28. Right Nipple

29. Heart Center 30. Left Nipple 31. Heart Center 32. Navel

33. Pelvic Center 34. Right Hip Joint 35. Right Knee 36. Right Ankle

37. Right Big Toe 38. Right Second Toe 39. Right Third Toe 40. Right Fourth Toe

41. Right Small Toe 42.Right Ankle 43. Right Knee 44. Right Hip Joint

45. Pelvic Center 46. Left Hip Joint 47. Left Knee 48. Left Ankle

49. Left Big Toe 50. Left Second Toe 51. Left Third Toe 52. Left Fourth Toe

53. Left Small Toe 54. Left Ankle 55. Left Knee 56. Left Hip Joint

57. Pelvic Center 58. Navel 59. Heart Center 60.Throat Center

61. Eyebrow Center

6. Meditation

Meditation brings relaxation and increased awareness. It takes you to that inner silence which is very relaxing and takes your attention away from the turbulence of the outside world. When you are stressed, sit in any of the methods of meditation (explained in chapter-6) that you enjoy the most. Think affirmations such as `I can face this stressful situation, I control my own life' etc.

Right Posture for Relaxation

The deep relaxation practices explained above are done best while lying in the Shavasana (corpse posture). However, short spells of these relaxation exercises can be done while sitting on the floor or in a chair. There are many occasions like traveling; waiting for your flight, train or bus, waiting for some one or a meeting to start, when you have nothing else to do except grumbling, feeling bored, anxious and tense. Relax.

Make best use of such stressful occasions by practicing any one of the above relaxation techniques for brief periods. You will enjoy your waiting, and probably won't mind the flight getting delayed further or the people coming late in the meeting you are chairing.

Do you know that Indira Gandhi, the former Indian Prime Minister, used to relax for short periods between her very tight schedules of meetings during electioneering. Napoleon Bonaparte, the French General used to relax on the horseback.

Other Preventive Techniques

Besides the above yogic techniques, following are some common-sense steps that increase our ability to cope with stress:

· Make a list of things that trouble you most, and try to analyze the underlying cause(s). Take sincere efforts to eliminate or reduce these causes as far as possible.

· Set right priorities at work and home.

· Avoid the habit of hurry and worry. Slowdown and take time to relax and de-stress.

· Whenever you are facing a stressful situation, take a minute and breathe deeply. A deep breath is a wonderful tranquilizer.

· Avoid self-pity and have confidence in yourself.

· Cultivate a healthy lifestyle.

· Cultivate outside interests and plan occasional diversions to break routine habits.

· Stress is a state of imbalance arising out of two human emotions — discontentment and collection. Discontentment nurtures the desire for more, and the more you acquire, the more you fear losing. While the discontentment never subsides, the insecurities continue to rise with progressive accumulation. The result is more stress. The key to managing stress thus lies in following Santosh (contentment), tapas (austerity), aparigraha (non-collection) and Ishwara Pranidhana (dedication to GOD).

Contributed by: harinag49 @ yahoo.co.in

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The Mind-Matter Connection

2010-09-26T17:33:00.001+05:30

(Discourse: Sadhguru)

Your love, poetry, lunacy and rage are just different manifestations of the mind.

Is the psychological completely divorced from the existential?

Look at your own psychological activity: Where is it coming from? The information you have gathered may be partly existential, but most of it is psychological.

There is scientific proof that information you acquire through the five senses, what you see, hear, smell, taste and touch, is not the way it seems. And just experientially, you can see how anytime you can create a new process in your mind, if you are willing. However, the existential is just the way it is. Nothing changes about it.

Your mind, the psychological dimension of who you are, is constantly looking for variety and so is creating something new. It has nothing to do with the existential, because the existential has always been the same. The only thing valuable in your life right now is your psychological process.

The psychological has meaning; it is like wearing clothes. Clothes cover our bodies; they also decorate us. They can be a statement of who we are. You can do a million things with clothes. But if you don't wish to, you can simply discard them.

The psychological has nothing to do with reality. So, do the psychological have any value?

This is like asking if your clothes have any value. As long as you are alive, as long as you live in a society, they have value and meaning, depending on the context.

In public, the kind of clothes I wear would have a meaning. If I am in the middle of nowhere, in a desert, whether I wear clothes or not has no meaning.

The psychological is like that; it has contextual meaning. If you want to be in a certain place, you need to maintain your psychology in a certain way. So in that context, the kind of psychological process you carry within you right now is important.

The psychological process is your creation. The existential is the Creator's creation.

You cannot exist here without the psychological, so enjoy it. But if you get lost in the psychological, then you will completely miss the existential.

If you get enamoured by your own creation, you will totally miss the Creator's creation.

The existential is not your doing; it is simply there. But the psychological is your creation, so you can make it happen the way you want it. It can be a 100 per cent conscious process.

If what happens in the mind sphere is your conscious choice, then, it is a beautiful garden.

It has nothing to do with the existential. But you can use the psychological as a stepping stone to either lunacy or freedom. You can use it to become compulsive, or to become conscious. It is a device of your making, so you must make it the way you want it.

And the process being a conscious one, you would not create anything other than blissfulness for yourself. Only when you are blissful by your own nature – that is, you are no more an issue of any kind – you can deal with the issue of existence.

Only when your mind is free of fluctuation will it be capable of reflecting reality the way it is.

Contributed by: harinag49 @ yahoo.co.in

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Fundamentals Of The Yoga System Of Patanjali

2010-09-19T17:55:00.001+05:30