Thai Massage Testomonial - Edinburgh Exchange group UK

Thai massage - Energy Lines of the Leg

This a detailed description of  Thai Massage Training - Beginners Thai Massage - how to do Energy Lines also called Nadi or Meridians inside of the leg.


more information on Basic Thai Massage Training you can find on www.namasteholisticschool.com web page

Benefitial Yoga Poses To Help Cervical Spine & Neck Issues

One of the most common problems my yoga students complain about is chronic pain around the shoulder blades and in the upper back and neck. This kind of pain plagues those of us who work with our arms extended in front of us, whether we’re typing on the computer, cooking, carrying children, lifting heavy objects, or washing dishes. Let’s face it: that includes just about all of us. Because these activities are especially demanding on the arms, shoulders, and upper back, it’s not surprising that back pain is so widespread, even among the most dedicated yoga students.
Upper back pain commonly stems from the tendency to slump in the spine and round the shoulders. Slumping causes the shoulder blades to slide away from the spine, chronically overstretching and weakening the muscles around them. Eventually these muscles harden into tough bands to protect themselves from this constant strain. As they tire, these weakened fibrous muscles go into spasm, creating hot, persistent pains along the edges of the shoulder blades and the sides of the neck.
Common shoulder stretches reduce the upper back pain only marginally, and some can even make the problem worse. That’s because stretching often focuses on the pain without addressing its deeper causes. The cause of the slumping, paradoxically, lies in the front of the body, deep within the shoulder area of the upper chest. Tightness in the upper chest muscles pulls the shoulders forward and down, while rotating the upper arms inward. By releasing the tension in these muscles, we can undo the most persistent cause of chronic upper back pain.

Purvottanasana (upward-facing plank) is a posture that stretches the brachialis (inner arm muscles) as well as the chest. To begin, sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet a comfortable distance in front of you. Place your hands on the floor 12 to 16 inches behind you, wider than your hips and (ideally) with your fingers pointing forward. (If you feel wrist pain in this position, place a support such as a folded towel under the heels of your hands or turn your hands outward.) Bend your elbows slightly, and, as you exhale, soften your chest downward, bowing your head. As you inhale, draw your shoulders back, keeping your elbows bent and your upper arms parallel. Lift and open your upper chest, feeling the stretch just below the lines of your collarbones. Keep your hips on the floor.

Yoga Nidra Record

As I have started teaching again now this time in Thailand i have recorded my Yoga-Nidra meditation again.Evryone welcome to download it.and distribute it for free and only personal use.
Namaste

Embed Music - Download Audio - Yoga-Nidra_www.robertnamaste...

Normal Sex and tantric Sex

What's the difference between Normal sex & Tantric sex ?
Osho: Your sex act and the tantric sex act are basically different. Your sex act is to relieve; it is just like sneezing out a good sneeze. The energy is thrown out and you are unburdened. It is destructive, it is not creative. It is good -- therapeutic. It helps you to be relaxed, but nothing more. The tantric sex act is basically, diametrically opposite and different. It is not to relieve, it is not to throw energy out. It is to remain in the act without ejaculation, without throwing energy out; to remain in the act merged -- just at the beginning part of the act, not the end part.

This changes the quality; the complete quality is different then. Try to understand two things. There are two types of climaxes, two types of orgasm. One type of orgasm is known. You reach to a peak of excitement, then you cannot go further: the end has come. The excitement reaches to a point where it becomes non-voluntary. Theenergy jumps into you and goes out. You are relieved of it, unburdened. The load is thrown; you can relax and sleep. You are using it like a tranquilizer.

It is a natural tranquilizer: a good sleep will follow -- if your mind is not burdened by religion. Otherwise even the tranquilizer is destroyed. If your mind is not burdened by religion, only then can sex be a tranquilizing thing. If you feel guilt, even your sleep will be disturbed. You will feel depression, you will start condemning yourself and you will begin to take oaths that now you won't indulge anymore. Then your sleep will become a nightmare afterwards.

If you are a natural being not too much burdened by religion and morality, only then can sex be used as a tranquilizer. This is one type of orgasm -- coming to the peak of excitement. Tantra is centered on another type of orgasm. If we call the first kind a peak orgasm, you can call the tantric orgasm a valley orgasm. In it you are not coming to the peak of excitement, but to the very deepest valley of relaxation. Excitement has to be used for both in the beginning. That is why I say that in the beginning both are the same, but the ends are totally different.

Excitement has to be used for both: either you are going toward the peak of excitement or to the valley of relaxation

For the first, excitement has to be intense -- more and more intense. You have to grow in it; you have to help it to grow towards the peak. In the second, excitement is just a beginning. And once the man has entered, both lover and beloved can relax. No movement is needed. They can relax in a loving embrace.

When the man feels or the woman feels that the erection is going to be lost, only then is a little movement and excitement required. But then again relax. You can prolong this deep embrace for hours with no ejaculation, and then both can fall into deep sleep together. This -- THIS -- is a valley orgasm. Both are relaxed, and they meet as two relaxed beings. In the ordinary sexual orgasm you meet as two excited beings -- tense, full of excitement, trying to unburden yourselves. The ordinary sexual orgasm looks like madness; the tantric orgasm is a deep, relaxing meditation.

You may not be aware of it, but this is a fact of biology, of bio-energy, that man and woman are opposite forces. Negative-positive, yin-yang, or whatsoever you call them, they are challenging to each other. And when they both meet in a deep relaxation, they revitalize each other. They both revitalize each other, they both become generators, they both feel livelier, they both become radiant with new energy, and nothing is lost. Just by meeting with the opposite pole energy is renewed

The tantric love act can be done as much as you like. The ordinary sex act cannot be done as much as you like because you are losing energy in it, and your body will have to wait to regain it. And when you regain it, you will only lose it again. This looks absurd. The whole life is spent in gaining and losing, regaining and losing: it is just like an obsession. The second thing to be remembered: you may or may not have observed that when you look at animals you can never see them enjoying sex. In intercourse, they are not enjoying themselves.

Look at baboons, monkeys, dogs or any kind of animals. In their sex act you cannot see that they are feeling blissful or enjoying it -- you cannot! It seems to be just a mechanical act, a natural force pushing them towards it. If you have seen monkeys in intercourse, after the intercourse they will separate. Look at their faces: there is no ecstasy in them, it is as if nothing has happened. When the energy forces itself, when the energy is too much, they throw it. The ordinary sex act is just like this, but moralists have been saying quite the contrary.

They say, "Do not indulge, do not `enjoy'." They say, "This is as animals do." This is wrong! Animals never enjoy; only man can enjoy. And the deeper you can enjoy, the higher is the kind of humanity that is born. And if your sex act can become meditative, ecstatic, the highest is touched. But remember tantra: it is a valley orgasm, it is not a peak experience. It is a valley experience!

In the West, Abraham Maslow has made this term "peak experience" very famous. You go into excitement towards the peak, and then you fall. That is why, after every sex act, you feel a fall. And it is natural: you are falling from a peak. You will never feel that after a tantric sex experience. Then you are not falling. You cannot fall any further because you have been in the valley. Rather, you are rising.

When you come back after a tantric sex act, you have risen, not fallen.You feel filled with energy, more vital, more alive, radiant. And that ecstasy will last for hours, even for days. It depends on how deeply you were in it. If you move into it, sooner or later you will realize that ejaculation is wastage of energy. No need of it -- unless you need children. And with a tantric sex experience, you will feel a deep relaxation the whole day.

One tantric sex experience, and even for days you will feel relaxed -- at ease, at home, non-violent, nonangry, non-depressed. And this type of person is never a danger to others. If he can, he will help others to be happy. If he cannot, at least he will not make anyone unhappy. Only tantra can create a new man, and this man who can know timelessness, egolessness and deep non-duality with existence will grow


Osho

Antahkarana - Ancient Symbol of Healing

The Antahkarana is an ancient healing and meditation symbol that has been used in Tibet and China for thousands of years.
Alice Bailey and several authors of Tibetan philosophy have some knowledge of the Antahkarana which you can find in a number of books. They describe the Antahkarana as a part of spiritual anatomy. It is the connection between the physical brain and the Higher Self. It is this connection that must heal and develop if we are to grow spiritually. The Antahkarana symbol depicted and described here represents this connection and activates it whenever you are in its presence.

The science of Radionics indicates that lines drawn on paper create a psychic effect on the space surrounding the drawing and will influence the human aura and chakras in various ways depending on the pattern created. This validates the age-old practice of yantra meditation which makes use of visual images to purify and evolve the consciousness.

Antakarana is a powerful symbol and simply by having it in your presence, it will create a positive affect on the chakras and aura. When doing healing work, it focuses and deepens the actions of the healing energies involved. When meditating with the symbol on your person or close by, it automatically creates what the Taoists call the great microcosmic orbit wherein spiritual energies travel up the spine, over the crown chakra, then down through the front of the body to the root chakra and back up again continuously moving around and around. This action balances the chakras and prevents too much energy building up in one or more chakras.

The Anthakarana symbol will also neutralize negative energy that has collected in objects such as jewelry or crystals simply by placing the object between two symbols. In addition, it will enhance all healing work including Reiki, Mahikari, Jin Shin, Polarity Therapy, Chiropractic, Hypnotherapy, and Past Life Regression. These positive effects have been confirmed over and over by the improved results noted by those using the symbol and by clairvoyent observation by those trained in sensing changes in the aura and chakras.

This symbol is multi-dimensional. From one perspective it appears to be two dimensional, being made-up of three sevens on a flat surface. The three sevens represent the seven chakras, the seven colors and the seven tones of the musical scale. These three sevens are mentioned in the book of Revelations as the seven candle sticks, the seven trumpets and the seven seals.

From another perspective this symbol appears as a three dimensional cube. Its energy moves up from two to three dimensions that can be seen and continues up through unseen dimensions all the way to the highest dimension - the dimension of the Higher-Self.

The Tibetan meditation practice that used the Antahkarana took place in a room lit with candles. In the middle of the room was a large earthenware vessel shaped in an oval which symbolized the cosmic egg of the universe. The vessel was filled with several inches of water and in the middle was a stool. On the seat of the stool, inlaid in silver was the Antahkarana Symbol. One wall was covered with copper that was polished to a mirror finish. Tapestries which displayed Reiki symbols were hung on the opposite wall. A Tibetan Lama meditator would sit on the stool and gaze steadily at the image of the Reiki symbol reflected in the polished copper mirror. This yantra meditation would create one-pointedness in the mind of the meditator, uniting the consciousness with the transcendental energies of the Reiki Symbol while the Antahkarana Symbol on the stool would focus the energies generated and cause them to evenly flow through all the chakras and to connect with Earth.

It is clear that the Tibetans did not originate the symbol and there is no written record as to its true origin.* However, through clairvoyent perception the symbol was first given to the people of Earth during Lemurian times over 100,000 years ago. This was the same time Reiki was first brought to Earth by the Holy Spirit. The Antahkarana was created by a counsel of Ascended Masters who are watching over the evolution of the Galaxy. They saw that the people of Earth were in trouble and needed help in re-establishing their connection with the Higher Self. They created the symbol and using a decree, imbued it with its own consciousness. Now anyone who uses it will have the connection between the physical brain and the Higher Self strengthened. It is the Higher Self that creates and guides the benefits of the symbol and that is why it can never be used for harm. 



The Ancient Healing Symbols of Antahkarana were used in Tibetan healing temples. They can strengthen Reiki energy and provide specific kinds of healing. They are believed to enhance meditation and all forms of prayer or spiritual practice.


 

Male Antahkarana creates a penetrating focus of healing energy.Aligns chakras and promotes centering.

 

Female Antahkarana creates greater receptivity to healing and generates gentle but potent healing energies.

 

Cosmic Cross Antahkarana - maintains sacred space. Helps higher Reiki guides to work more effectively.

Multiple Antahkarana breaks up blocks, good for headaches, backaches or any energy blockage. 

Yoga Phylosophy - 5 Yamas

1. Non-Harming (Ahimsa)

In Sanskrit the prefix A means “not,” while himsa means “harming, injuring, killing, or doing violence.”   Ahimsa, the first of the yamas and the highest ranking among them, is the practice of non-harming or non-violence. This is the key, the sages tell us, to maintaining both harmonious relationships in the world and a tranquil inner life.

At a deeper level, ahimsa is less a conscious process than a natural consequence of yoga practice. As our journey unfolds, it leads to awareness of the peaceful and enduring core that is our true nature; the desire to prevent harm is a spontaneous expression of that awareness. We begin to realize that the inner self in others is identical to our own inner self, and we wish no harm to come to any being.

Try to practise being more kind, accepting, and forgiving of yourself and others. According to the sages, when ahimsa is fully embraced, an inner confidence emerges that is deep seated and surprisingly powerful.

2. Truthfulness (Satya)

The word sat, in Sanskrit, means “that which exists, that which is.” Satya, in turn, means “truthfulness”—seeing and reporting things as they are rather than the way we would like them to be.

To practice Inwardly learn to recognize the cascade of fears and other negative emotions that prompt you to twist reality. Once you have understood and processed these fears, your thoughts, speech, and actions can be realigned with the truth, even as you look more deeply into your needs and desires. Outwardly, refrain from telling lies and speak with kindness, compassion, and clarity.


3. Non-Stealing (Asteya)

The word steya means “stealing.” When it is combined with the prefix a, it yields the third yama, asteya: non-stealing. We are most likely to associate stealing with tangible objects, but intangibles, such as information and emotional favors, are more likely to be the objects stolen in our world.

Try to practice to observe the urge to steal that arises from a sense of unhappiness, incompleteness, and envy, the solution is to practice giving any chance you get. Give food; give money; give time. Since wealth is ultimately a state of mind, you will feel increasingly wealthy; and through selfless giving, your sense of inner wealth may bring you outer wealth.The practice of non-possessiveness helps us to examine our assumptions and guides us back to healthy relationships with others.

4. Moderating the Senses (Brahmacharya)

The literal translation of brahmacharya is “walking in God-consciousness.” Practically speaking, this means that brahmacharya turns the mind inward, balancing and supervising the senses, and leads to freedom from dependencies and cravings. And the sages tell us that when the mind is freed from domination by the senses, sensual pleasures are replaced by inner joy.

Practice by making wise choices about the books and magazines you read, the movies you see, and the company you keep will help you conserve energy and keep your mind focused and dynamic. Being moderate in all sensual activities so that you don’t dwell on them, staying committed and faithful to one partner in a relationship that is mutually supportive—this is the middle path of brahmacharya.

5. Non-Possessiveness (Aparigraha)

Graha means “to grasp” and pari means “things”: aparigraha means “not grasping things,” or non-possessiveness. It helps us achieve a balanced relationship with the things that we each call “mine.”
A yogic way is to say, “All the things of the world are yours to use, but not to own.” That is the essence of aparigraha. Whenever we become possessive, we are in turn possessed, anxiously holding onto our things and grasping for more. But when we make good use of the possessions that come to us and enjoy them without becoming emotionally dependent on them, then they neither wield power over us nor lead to false identities and expectations.

To practice examine your own tendencies toward possessiveness. Do you take better care of an object in your possession than one belonging to someone else? Do you acquire more of something than you can use? Do you depend too much on others, give more in a relationship than is healthy for you, replace mutual give-and-take with the need for tight-fisted control, or attempt to increase your self-esteem by gaining someone else’s love?  The practice of non-possessiveness helps us to examine our assumptions and guides us back to healthy relationships with others.

Benefits of Yoga

Yoga was born in India over 5000 years ago. And it was much different than what we have today.It was adpted by the yogis to the time and place and thats why we have so man Yoga styles and techniques.
Ultimately in the big picture, there is only one YOGA.And there are many approaches to it, or many paths, that leading to the same mountain.To Translate word Yoga from Sanskrit, the old ancient Indian language it means to Unite to Yoke.The goal of Yoga is to harmonize and bring a sense of union to your spirit , mind , and body at the same time. This ancient practice combines postures with breathing techniques ,meditation, philosophy, diet, medicine , way of thinking and the way of living.Yoga is known to restore energy, health, balance, and life attitude. It is considered to be the most powerful  overall health and well-being system ever existed on the planet. 

Doing Yoga asanas on a routine basis enhances brain wave coherence that further helps to improve brain functions, such as memory, cognitive and intellect. It creates new neural pathways and reduces dysfunctional thinking and depressive attitude. Yoga has a great impact on several hormones within the body. It reduces stress by lowering the stress-related hormones (cortisol) in the body. It tunes your body and mind for greater efficiency and performance. It also increases the levels of serotonin in the body, which further helps in increasing happiness and emotional stability. 

Yoga teaches you to focus on breathing while you hold the poses. This helps you to quiet your mind, so that you can focus your energy wherever you want. It brings a state of mental calmness and joy where you feel satisfaction with your life. Those who practice yoga and meditation have decreased irritability, moodiness, crankiness and feelings of depression. With less stress and anxiety and more confidence, you feel more energetic and rejuvenated, which in turn enhances your efficiency.

Reiki Kanji

Reiki Kanji is the way "Reiki" is written in Japanese. A Kanji is a Chinese pictograph, a picture that describes a certain word. The written Japanese language was imported to Japan from China a long time ago. It evolved, but essentially still remains either the same or similar to the original Chinese. That means that Chinese and Japanese people can, to a certain extent, understand each others written language, even though the pronunciation is totally different.
In the 1940's the Japanese government decided to launch a grammar reform, to simplify many of the very complicated Chinese Kanji. The Kanji are so hard to remember, even for Japanese people, that they have to constantly write and read them in order not to forget their own language. Of cource in the process some of the deeper meaning of the original, ancient Kanji was lost. Some of the ancient Kanji, the one for "river" and "mountain" for instance, resemble the thing they describe.

Dr. Usui did of course use the ancient version to write the word "Reiki"(and everything else), but the contemporary version is correct as well. Due to their eighty year old Reiki tradition, Japanese Reiki practitioners use both versions.
Kanji were originally written with ink and brush, or else printed, and only in recent times- for convenience sake- have they been written with pen and computer keyboards. When a Kanji is written by brush, it sometimes looks very different from the way the same Kanji is written with a pen or on a computer. Most of the people involved with Reiki in the West are non-Japanese. And so many Kanji that are said to mean "Reiki" in books on Reiki, in manuals of Reiki teachers and in their advertisements, are in fact misspelled or badly written.
Unfortunately, this goes for the Reiki Master Symbol as well.

The top characters stand for "Rei" and the bottom characters for "Ki". The word "Rei" means spirit, ghost or soul. The word "Ki" means energy, feeling or mood. Put together, these two words are usually translated as "universal life energy" or "cosmic energy". 

Article by Frank Arjava Peter

Restorative Yoga

In restorative yoga, props are used for support the body so that you can hold poses for longer, allowing you to open your body through passive stretching. The postures are usually adapted from supine or seated yoga poses with the addition of blocks, bolsters, and blankets to eliminate unnecessary straining. For instance, a seated forward bend (paschimottanasana) can be done with a bolster or several folded blankets on top of the legs so that your forward bend is fully supported with the entire torso resting on your props. Legs up the wall (viparita karani) is a classic restorative, with the wall used as a prop to support the legs.

What to Expect
Restorative classes are usually very relaxing and are a good complement to more active practices. The teacher will arrange for the necessary props to be available to you. The lights may be dimmed and if it is chilly, you may be covered with a blanket since you will not be warming up the body the way you would be in a regular class. After you are set up in a pose with all your props, you will hold the pose for an extended period, often up to ten to twenty minutes. Although you are supported, you will definitely still feel the stretch. It's a relaxing style of practice that leaves you feeling open and refreshed.

By - Ann Pizer

Benefits

Restorative poses help relieve the effects of chronic stress in several ways. First, the use of props as described in this book provides a completely supportive environment for total relaxation.

Second, each restorative sequence is designed to move the spine in all directions. These movements illustrate the age-old wisdom of yoga that teaches well-being is enhanced by a healthy spine. Some of the restorative poses are backbends, while others are forward bends. Additional poses gently twist the column both left and right.

Third, a well-sequenced restorative practice also includes an inverted pose, which reverses the effects of gravity. This can be as simple as putting the legs on a bolster or pillow, but the effects are quite dramatic. Because we stand or sit most of the day, blood and lymph fluid accumulate in the lower extremities. By changing the relationship of the legs to gravity, fluids are returned to the upper body and heart function is enhanced.

Inverted poses  dramatically alter hormone levels, thus reducing brain arousal, blood pressure, and fluid retention. also benefits aere like slowing of the heart rate and dilation of the blood vessels in the upper body that comes from reversing the effects of gravity.

Fourth, restorative yoga alternately stimulates and soothes the organs. For example, by closing the abdomen with a forward bend and then opening it with a backbend, the abdominal organs are squeezed, forcing the blood out, and then opened, so that fresh blood returns to soak the organs. With this movement of blood comes the enhanced exchange of oxygen and waste products across the cell membrane.

Finally, yoga teaches that the body is permeated with energy. Prana, the masculine energy, resides above the diaphragm, moves upward, and controls respiration and heart rate. Apana, the feminine energy, resides below the diaphragm, moves downward, and controls the function of the abdominal organs. Restorative yoga balances these two aspects of energy so that the practitioner is neither overstimulated nor depleted.

by Judith Hanson

Agni, the Fire of Life

What happens within this movement of prāṇa and apāna? According to yoga we have a fire, agni, in the body, situated in the vicinity of the navel, between the prāṇa-vāyu and the apāna-vāyu. The flame itself is constantly changing direction: on inhalation the breath moves toward the belly, causing a draft that directs the flame downward, just like in a fireplace; during exhalation the draft moves the flame in the opposite direction, bringing with it the just-burned waste matter. It is not enough to burn the rubbish; we must also rid the body of it. A breathing pattern where the exhalation is twice as long as the inhalation is aimed at providing more time during exhalation for freeing the body of its blockages. Everything we do to reduce the rubbish in the body is a step in the direction of releasing our blockages. With the next inhalation we bring the flame back to the apāna. If all the previously burned waste has not left the body, the flame will lose some of its power.
Certain physical positions are beneficial for the meeting of fire and rubbish. In all inverted postures, the agni is directed toward the apāna. This is the reason yoga attributes so much significance to the cleansing effects of inverted postures. Cleansing is intensified when we combine inverted postures with prāṇāyāma techniques.


All aspects of prāṇāyāma work together to rid the body of apāna so that prāṇa can find more room within. In the moment when waste is released, prāṇa fills the space in the body where it really belongs. Prāṇa has its own movement; it cannot be controlled. What we can do is create the conditions in which prāṇa may enter the body and permeate it.
The Yoga Sūtra describes the flow of prāṇa with this lovely image: If a farmer wants to water his terraced fields, he does not have to carry the water in buckets to the various parts of his fields; he has only to open the retaining wall at the top. If he has laid out his terraces well and nothing blocks the flow of the water, it will be able to reach the last field and the furthest blade of grass without help from the farmer.3 In prāṇāyāma we work with the breath to remove blockages in the body. The prāṇa, following the breath, flows by itself into the cleared spaces. In this way we use the breath to make possible the flow of prāṇa.
Understanding prāṇa as an expression of puruṣa, we have as little possibility for working directly on prāṇa as we have of influencing our puruṣa directly. The way to influence prāṇa is via the breath and mind. By working with these through prāṇāyāma, we create optimal conditions for the prāṇa to flow freely within.

TKV Desikachar

Developing Your Personal Yoga Practice

Almost any Yoga teachers will often refer to "your practice," which means your individual experience with yoga as it develops over time. Yoga, first and foremost, must be approached in accordance to your comfort zone. No pose, technique, or instructor behavior will instill any benefit if you are at all uncomfortable.

Because yoga is so diverse, there is plenty of room for interpretation from one person to the next, even within the same classroom. You need to work at your own pace; not mine, not the neighbor's, not even your own of a week ago.


Don't ever let anyone physically push your body into a position beyond that which you are able to assume by yourself; don't let anyone coax you to go further than you wish to go.
This is your practice; only you have the wisdom to dictate where your practice goes. Although the poses themselves do not change, your relationship to them will.
Anyone can start a yoga practice, even if you don't feel like you are very flexible or very strong. These things will develop over time.
Another great thing about thinking of yoga as "your practice" is that it encourages the noncompetitive spirit of yoga. One of the most difficult, but ultimately most liberating things about yoga is letting go of the ego and accepting that no one is better than anyone else.
Everyone is just doing their best on any given day. The amazing thing about yoga is that your practice is always evolving and changing so it never gets boring.

Yoga Nidra: Guided deep relaxation

 

Experience Extreme Relaxation of Conscious Deep Sleep

 

Yoga Nidra, which is derived from the tantras, is a powerful technique in which you learn to relax consciously. In yoga nidra, sleep is not regarded as relaxation. People feel that they are relaxing when they collapse in an easy chair with a cup of coffee, a drink or a cigarette, and read a newspaper or switch on the television. But this will never suffice as a scientific definition of relaxation. These are only sensory diversions. True relaxation is actually an experience far beyond all this.

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali - 8 Limbs Of Yoga

In Hindu philosophy, yoga is the name of one of the six orthodox (which accept the testimony of Vedas) philosophical schools. founded by Patanjali. Karel Werner, author of Yoga And Indian Philosophy, believes that the process of systematization of yoga which began in the middle and Yoga Upanishads culminated with the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.Scholars also note the influence of Samkhyan and Buddhist ideas on the Yoga Sutras.The yoga school accepts the samkhya psychology and metaphysics, but is more theistic than the samkhya, as evidenced by the addition of a divine entity to the samkhya's twenty-five elements of reality.The parallels between yoga and samkhya were so close that Max Müller says that "the two philosophies were in popular parlance distinguished from each other as Samkhya with and Samkhya without a Lord...."The intimate relationship between samkhya and yoga is explained by Heinrich Zimmer:
These two are regarded in India as twins, the two aspects of a single discipline. Sāṅkhya provides a basic theoretical exposition of human nature, enumerating and defining its elements, analyzing their manner of co-operation in a state of bondage ("bandha"), and describing their state of disentanglement or separation in release ("mokṣa"), while yoga treats specifically of the dynamics of the process for the disentanglement, and outlines practical techniques for the gaining of release, or "isolation-integration" ("kaivalya").
—[78]
Patanjali is widely regarded as the compiler of the formal yoga philosophy.The verses of Yoga Sutras are terse and are therefore read together with the Vyasa Bhashya (c. 350–450 CE), a commentary on the Yoga Sutras.Patanjali's yoga is known as Raja yoga, which is a system for control of the mind. Patanjali defines the word "yoga" in his second sutra, which is the definitional sutra for his entire work:
yogaś citta-vṛtti-nirodhaḥ
- Yoga Sutras 1.2

This terse definition hinges on the meaning of three Sanskrit terms. I. K. Taimni translates it as "Yoga is the inhibition (nirodhaḥ) of the modifications (vṛtti) of the mind (citta)".The use of the word nirodhaḥ in the opening definition of yoga is an example of the important role that Buddhist technical terminology and concepts play in the Yoga Sutras; this role suggests that Patanjali was aware of Buddhist ideas and wove them into his system. Swami Vivekananda translates the sutra as "Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Citta) from taking various forms (Vrittis).
Patanjali's writing also became the basis for a system referred to as "Ashtanga Yoga" ("Eight-Limbed Yoga"). This eight-limbed concept derived from the 29th Sutra of the 2nd book, and is a core characteristic of practically every Raja yoga variation taught today. The Eight Limbs are:

-Yama (The five "abstentions"): Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (Truth, non-lying), Asteya (non-covetousness), Brahmacharya (non-sensuality, celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-possessiveness).
-Niyama (The five "observances"): Shaucha(purity), Santosha(contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (study of the Vedic scriptures to know about God and the soul), and Ishvara-Pranidhana (surrender to God).
-Asana: Literally means "seat", and in Patanjali's Sutras refers to the seated position used for meditation.
-Pranayama ("Suspending Breath"): Prāna, breath, "āyāma", to restrain or stop. Also interpreted as control of the life force.
-Pratyahara ("Abstraction"): Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects.
-Dharana ("Concentration"): Fixing the attention on a single object.
-Dhyana ("Meditation"): Intense contemplation of the nature of the object of meditation.
-Samadhi ("Liberation"): merging consciousness with the object of meditation.

In the view of this school, the highest attainment does not reveal the experienced diversity of the world to be illusion. The everyday world is real. Furthermore, the highest attainment is the event of one of many individual selves discovering itself; there is no single universal self shared by all persons.

The Forms of Prāṇa

There are five forms of prāṇa, all having different names according to the bodily functions with which they correspond. These forms of prāṇa are:
*udāna-vāyu, corresponding to the throat region and the function of speech
*prāṇa-vāyu, corresponding to the chest region
*samāna-vāyu, corresponding to the central region of the body and the function of digestion
*apāna-vāyu, corresponding to the region of the lower abdomen and the function of elimination
*vyāna-vāyu, corresponding to the distribution of energy into all areas of the body

We will concern ourselves with two forms: prāṇa-vāyu and apāna-vāyu.
That which enters the body is called prāṇa and that which leaves it is called apāna. The term apāna also refers to the region of the lower abdomen and all the activities that take place there. Apāna describes that part of prāṇa that has the function of elimination and provides the energy for it, and it also refers to the lower belly and the rubbish that collects there when the power of prāṇa is not in a state of equilibrium. When a person is slow and heavy we sometimes say that he has too much apāna. Apāna as prāṇic energy is something we need, but apāna as refuse left from activating this energy actually prevents prāṇa from developing within. All forms of prāṇa are necessary, but to be effective they must be in a state of balance with each other. If someone has a lot of rubbish in the region of the lower abdomen then he or she consumes too much energy there, and this imbalance should be addressed. The goal is to reduce apāna to an efficient minimum.
Apāna as waste matter accumulates because of many factors, some of which lie within our control. The practice of yoga aims to reduce these impurities. People who are short of breath, cannot hold their breath, or cannot exhale slowly are seen as having more apāna, whereas those who have good breath control are considered to have less apāna. An overabundance of apāna leads to problems in all areas of the body. We have to reduce the apāna so that we can bring more prāṇa into the body.
When we inhale, prāṇa from outside the body is brought within. During inhalation, prāṇa meets apāna. During exhalation, the apāna within the body moves toward the prāṇa. Prāṇāyāma is the movement of the prāṇa toward the apāna and the movement of the apāna toward the prāṇa. Similarly, holding the breath after inhalation moves the prāṇa toward the apāna and holds it there. Holding the breath after exhalation moves the apāna toward the prāṇa.

TKV Desikachar - The Heart of Yoga

Pranayama

The word prāṇāyāma consists of two parts: prāṇa and āyāma. Āyāma means “stretch” or “extend,” and describes the action of prāṇāyāma. Prāṇa refers to “that which is infinitely everywhere.” With reference to us humans prāṇa can be described as something that flows continuously from somewhere inside us, filling us and keeping us alive: it is vitality. In this image, the prāṇa streams out from the center through the whole body.
Ancient texts such as the Yoga Yājñavalkya (see appendix 1) tell us that someone who is troubled, restless, or confused has more prāṇa outside the body than within. The amount of prāṇa outside the body is greater when we feel unwell; at those times the quality of prāṇa and its density within the body is reduced. Too little prāṇa in the body can be expressed as a feeling of being stuck or restricted. It can also show as a lack of drive or motivation to do anything; we are listless or even depressed. We may suffer from physical ailments when prāṇa is lacking in the body. And finally the Yoga Sūtra mentions disturbances in the breath, which can take very different forms.1 On the other hand, the more peaceful and well-balanced we are, the less our prāṇa is dispersed outside the body. And if all the prāṇa is within the body, we are free of these symptoms.

If prāṇa does not find sufficient room in the body there can be only one reason: it is being forced out by something that really does not belong there— let’s call it rubbish. What we are trying to do when we practice prāṇāyāma is nothing more than reduce this rubbish and so concentrate more and more prāṇa within the body.
Our state of mind is closely linked to the quality of prāṇa within. Because we can influence the flow of prāṇa through the flow of our breath, the quality of our breath influences our state of mind and vice versa. In yoga we are trying to make use of these connections so that prāṇa concentrates and can freely flow within us

TKV Dasikachar - The Heart Of Yoga

BUTT OUT - KICKING YOUR SMOKING HABIT

BUTT OUT - KICKING YOUR SMOKING HABIT - by Shannon Sexton

Did you know that smoking is No. 1 preventable cause of death in U.S.? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 1 in 5 deaths in this country is tobacco related.Statistics show that tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, drigs, homicides, fire and auto accidents combined and it causes more health problems and early deaths than all illegal drugs.
About 46 Million Wmericans - nearly 25 percent of the population - smoke and even though 70 % would like to quit, only about 5% actually succeed each year.

DOSE REDUCTION.Although a short-term smoker can probably quit cold turkey, cronic smokers should wean themselves gradually.Otherwise, a 'stressful withdrawal syndrome' can occur.
Ayurveda DR.LAD'S ADVISE: In the first 3-6 months, reduce to the number of cigarettes you smoke per day to a 50%.In the next 6 months, slowly reduce the number of sigarettes you smoke to non.


HERBAL CIGARETTES.This smoke mix, DHUMAN, will satisfy your desire to smoke, says DR.LAD, 'while slowly neutralizing the addictive aspects of nicotine so that the body starts detoxifying gradually.'
Ayurveda DR.LAD'S ADVISE: Remove one-half of the tobacco from your cigarette(at the end of the light), and fill the paper with an equa; propotion of the following ingredients: whole rose petals, whole chamomile flowers, calamus root (or ajwain seeds, if calamus is not available),brahmi powder, and jatamamsi powder.Smoke the cigarette until the moment the tobacco starts burning, then snuff it out.

NASYA.Thats the nasal administration of the herbal oils, ghee, or fine powders for medicinal purposes.Ancient ayurvedic texts say that doing nasya with brahmi ghee helps to eliminate depression-one of the main reasons that people smoke.

Ayurveda DR.LAD'S ADVISE:try this at home version of nasya:after washing and drying your hands, dip your little finger into a container of brahmi ghee.Lightly massage the liquid into the inside of each nostril, then sniff to gently inhale the ghee upwards. (you can alsi do nasya with plain ghee).

DE-STRESS WITH YOGA AND EXERCISE

"people who smoke are under stress," sais DR.Lad."and what is stress? Stress is unsolved emotion. Smokers have some deep-seated greaf, sadness, frustration, enxiety, or lonliness, but they dont want to look at it.Instead, they start smoking."

DR.LAD'S ADVISE:Whenever you feel the desire to smoke, take a walk in the fresh air, go swimming, or do another form of aerobic exercise.Incorporate sun salutations, alternate nostril breathing and so bring meditation into yoyr health regiment. " Exercise and yoga practise - especially pranayama - minimise stress," he says.

SMOKING MEDITATION

DR.LAD'S encourages his patients to practise a "smoking meditation" where they " delay their desire to smoke by bringing awarness to their actions."
DR.LAD'S ADVISE:Look at the cigarette box. Bring it to your nose and smell it. Look at the row of cigarettes. Pull a cigarette out and tap it against the pack, listening to the sound it makes.Than smell your cigarette.Place it between your lips and toy with your lighter,Flicking it on and off several times before lighting the cigarette. Ask yourself, "What makes me smoke?" (Dr.Lad predicts that no answer will come.) Finally, he says, light the cigarette and "take a long, lovely puff. Suddenly you will realize how stupid it is to smoke!"

Ten benefits of forgiveness

Ten biggest benefits of forgiveness and letting go:

1 Forgiveness terminates our harmful behaviour.

"Forgiveness is a side effect of willingness to accept ourselves and others" ~ Kimberly Virdure-King

2  Forgiveness releases us from the past

*not to forgive meanst to be loced in the past and to grieve.that stops us from living new, full life. - Robin Casarijian
3 Forgiveness frees us and allows you to move forward.

* To Forgive means to release a prisoner to freedom and understand that you were the prisoner. L.B. Smedes

* When you continue a resentment to another person, you are bound by emotional ties, which are stronger than steel.Forgiveness is the only way to stop them and break free. C. Ponder

4 Forgiveness makes us better.

5  Forgiveness strengthens our character.

* "The soul of man is strongest when it refuses to revenge and dares to forgive the wrongs." EA Chapin

6 Forgiveness teaches us to love

* We can not love fully  until we learn to forgive. as the stronger is our love,the greater is our ability to forgive . "

7 Forgiveness enhances our mental and physical health.

* People who have anger, hostility and hatred replaces that with forgivness will enjoy better cardiovascular condition and have fewer long-term health problems. C. Thoresen

8 Forgiveness guarantees you a peace of mind.

* "Forgiveness - is an internal attitude, revitalizing heart. First, it provides peace of mind for ourselves. And being spiritually calm, we can share that and to others.It is the most valuable gift you can give. "G. Jampolskis

9 Forgiveness increases our wisdom.

* A wise man will hurry to forgive, because he understands the true value of time, and will not allow himself to bother with misery. " S. Johnson

10 Forgiveness honours God.

With Metta, Yours Namaste

How Meditation Techniques Compare

There are so many differend meditations.Are you looking for the right meditation for you? Many are seeking tools to turn within and thats already a first step.

Some people tries to fix their problems with everything from psychotherapy and Prozac to positive thinking and politics. And some people are ready to close their eyes and take a dive - not to escape, but to more fully BE.

I find that most of the people no longer need to be convinced of meditation's practical benefits. But people do often ask, "Aren't all meditation techniques basically the same?"

Experts in the venerated traditions of meditation have always marveled at the mind's subtlety, appreciating its keen responsiveness and sensitivity to different mental procedures. Great master teachers of meditation have recognized that the various techniques engage the mind in different ways and naturally produce different results. With advancements in neurophysiology, scientists are now identifying distinctions among varieties of meditation practices.

The Myth of the Relaxation Response

The old "scientific" myth that meditation practices all induce the same, general state of physiological rest - so called the "relaxation response" - has been overturned. Though many practices provide relaxation, decades of research show that not all techniques produce the same physiological, psychological or behavioral effects.

Three major categories of meditation

Nowaday we have meditation labs have sprung up in United States at universities across the country - places such as Yale, UCLA, University of Oregon, UW Madison and Maharishi University of Management. Their contributions have helped researchers identify three major categories of techniques, classified according to EEG measurements and the type of cognitive processing or mental activity involved:

    * Controlled focus: Classic examples of concentration or controlled focus are found in the revered traditions of Zen, Tibetan Buddhism, Qiqong, Yoga and Vedanta, though many methods involve attempts to control or direct the mind. Attention is focused on an object of meditation - such as one's breath, an idea or image, deity, an emotion or sound vibration, like mantra repetition. Brain waves recorded during these practices are typically in the gamma frequency (20-50 Hz), seen whenever you concentrate or during "active" cognitive processing.

    * Open monitoring: These mindfulness type practices, common in Vipassana and Zazen, involve watching or actively paying attention to experiences - without judging, reacting or holding on. Open monitoring gives rise to frontal theta (4-8 Hz), an EEG pattern commonly seen during memory tasks or reflection on mental concepts.(EEG Patern - Electroencephalogram is 7.81 to 7.83 Hz frequency of an individual. This is the same frequency range as in the earth's magnetic field , known as "Schumann Resonance").

    * Automatic self-transcending: This category describes practices designed to go beyond their own mental activity - enabling the mind to spontaneously transcend the process of meditation itself. Whereas concentration and open monitoring require degrees of effort or directed focus to sustain the activity of meditation, this approach is effortless because there is no attempt to direct attention - no controlled cognitive processing. An example is the Transcendental Meditation technique. The EEG pattern of this category is frontal alpha coherence, associated with a distinct state of relaxed inner wakefulness.

Some other techniques may fall under more than one category.For example, guided meditation is controlled focus if the instruction is to "Hold attention on your breath." But if the instructor says, "Now just watch your thoughts, letting them come and go," then you're probably doing open monitoring.

As you doing different practices, you get different results.

Without the scientific research, meditative states and their effects remain subjective. Brain research, along with findings on psychological and behavioral effects, gives a more objective framework for health professionals or anyone to determine which meditation technique might be most beneficial for a given purpose.

For example, research suggests that concentration techniques may improve focusing ability. A study on advanced Buddhist monks - some of whom have done more than 10,000 hours of meditation -- found that concentrating on "loving kindness and compassion" increased those feelings and produced synchronous gamma activity in the left pre-frontal cortex - indicating more powerful focus.The effect of open monitoring or non-judgemental observation is said to increase even-mindedness in daily life.Studies on mindfulness-type practices indicate better pain management and reduction of negative though patterns.

I find that most meditators are no longer concerned that a technique might come from the East or have roots in a spiritual tradition - their main concern is that the practice works, and now the science can help to remove the guesswork. Alot of people are choosing meditation to counterbalance a fast pace, outer directed and over stimulated life, and yet turning to something as simple as our own inner silence.

based on Jeanne Ball article 'How Meditation Techniques Compare' 

Ten Spiritually Transmitted Diseases

It is a jungle out there, and it is no less true about spiritual life than any other aspect of life. Do we really think that just because someone has been meditating for five years, or doing 10 years of yoga practice, that they will be any less neurotic than the next person? At best, perhaps they will be a little bit more aware of it. A little bit. It is for this reason that I spent the last 15 years of my life researching and writing books on cultivating discernment on the spiritual path in all the gritty areas—power, sex, enlightenment, gurus, scandals, psychology, neurosis—as well as earnest, but just plain confused and unconscious, motivations on the path. Along with my partner, author and teacher Marc Gafni, we are developing a new series of books, courses and practices to bring further clarification to these issues.

Several years ago, I spent a summer living and working in South Africa. Upon my arrival I was instantly confronted by the visceral reality that I was in the country with the highest murder rate in the world, where rape was common and more than half the population was HIV-positive—men and women, gays and straights alike. As I have come to know hundreds of spiritual teachers and thousands of spiritual practitioners through my work and travels, I have been struck by the way in which our spiritual views, perspectives, and experiences become similarly “infected” by “conceptual contaminants”—comprising a confused and immature relationship to complex spiritual principles—that are as invisible, yet as insidious, as sexually transmitted disease.

The following 10 categorizations are not intended to be definitive but are offered as a tool for becoming aware of some of the most common spiritually transmitted diseases.

1. Fast-Food Spirituality: Mix spirituality with a culture that celebrates speed, multitasking, and instant gratification and the result is likely to be fast-food spirituality. Fast-food spirituality is a product of the common and understandable fantasy that relief from the suffering of our human condition can be quick and easy. One thing is clear, however: spiritual transformation cannot be a quick fix.

2. Faux Spirituality: Faux spirituality is the tendency to talk, dress, and act as we imagine a spiritual person would. It is a kind of imitation spirituality that mimics spiritual realization in the way that leopard-skin fabric imitates the genuine skin of a leopard.

3. Confused Motivations: Although our desire to grow is genuine and pure, it often gets mixed with lesser motivations, including the wish to be loved, the desire to belong, the need to fill our internal emptiness, the belief that the spiritual path will remove our suffering, and spiritual ambition—the wish to be special, to be better than, to be “the one.”

4. Identifying with Spiritual Experiences: In this disease, the ego identifies with our spiritual experience and takes it as its own, and we begin to believe that we are embodying insights that have arisen within us at certain times. In most cases, it does not last indefinitely, although it tends to endure for longer periods of time in those who believe themselves to be enlightened and/or who function as spiritual teachers.

5. The Spiritualized Ego: This disease occurs when the very structure of the egoic personality becomes deeply embedded with spiritual concepts and ideas. The result is an egoic structure that is “bullet-proof.” When the ego becomes spiritualized, we are invulnerable to help, new input, or constructive feedback. We become impenetrable human beings and are stunted in our spiritual growth, all in the name of spirituality.

6. Mass Production of Spiritual Teachers: There are a number of current trendy spiritual traditions that produce people who believe themselves to be at a level of spiritual enlightenment, or mastery, that is far beyond their actual level. This disease functions like a spiritual conveyor belt: put on this glow, get that insight, and–bam! –you’re enlightened and ready to enlighten others in similar fashion. The problem is not that such teachers instruct but that they represent themselves as having achieved spiritual mastery.

7. Spiritual Pride: Spiritual pride arises when the practitioner, through years of labored effort, has actually attained a certain level of wisdom and uses that attainment to justify shutting down to further experience. A feeling of “spiritual superiority” is another symptom of this spiritually transmitted disease. It manifests as a subtle feeling that “I am better, more wise, and above others because I am spiritual.”

8. Group Mind: Also described as group-think, cultic-mentality, or ashram disease, group mind is an insidious virus that contains many elements of traditional codependence. A spiritual group makes subtle and unconscious agreements regarding the correct ways to think, talk, dress, and act. Individuals and groups infected with “group mind” reject individuals, attitudes, and circumstances that do not conform to the often unwritten rules of the group.

9. The Chosen-People Complex: Unfortunately, the chosen people complex is not limited to Jews. It is the belief that “Our group is more spiritually evolved, powerful, enlightened and, simply put, better than any other group.” There is an important distinction between the recognition that one has found the right path, teacher, or community for themselves, and having found The One.

10. The Deadly Virus: “I Have Arrived” This disease is so potent that it has the capacity to be terminal and deadly to our spiritual evolution. This is the belief that “I have arrived” at the final goal of the spiritual path. Our spiritual progress ends at the point where this belief becomes crystallized in our psyche, for the moment we begin to believe that we have reached the end of the path, further growth ceases.

“The essence of love is perception,” according to the teachings of Marc Gafni, “therefore the essence of self love is self perception. You can only fall in love with someone you can see clearly—including yourself. To love is to have eyes to see. It is only when you see yourself clearly that you can begin to love yourself.”

It is in the spirit of Marc’s teaching that I believe that a critical part of learning discernment on the spiritual path is discovering the pervasive illnesses of ego and self-deception that are in all of us. That is when we need a sense of humor and the support of real spiritual friends. As we face our obstacles to spiritual growth, there are times when it is easy to fall into a sense of despair and self-diminishment and lose our confidence on the path. We must keep the faith, in ourselves and in others, in order to really make a difference in this world.

From Eyes Wide Open: Cultivating Discernment on the Spiritual Path©, Sounds True, 2009 by Mariana Caplan