My journey

I bow before his holiness Swami Sivanada who put this spark of pursuit and curiosity within me. It has lead me on a truly magical journey. As I practice and learn, the more I realize that I am opening up in ways beyond just flexibility and strength within my body.

I hope to share these experiences and benefits of my own living practice. My approach to learning and teaching is to help people find joy, and comfort that comes from letting go. Incorporating the power of breath and the attitude of witnessing, one can learn to unleash the reservoir of energy, from within. I have spent the last memorable years in my quest and exploration, as I learn to live yoga not just on the mat but in every moment.

Looking forward to sharing our energy. Namaste

Practices bringing about awareness

HOW DOES MEDITATION AND SPRITIUAL PRACTICES) BRING ABOUT SUCH AN AWARENESS ?

Ultimately all these discussions above is to bring about the realization that something becomes alive, simply by the act of being aware, of its presence. The very act of witnessing is potent. In Physics it is now called the “Observer Effect” The act of observing influences that which is observed.

How does one prepare the mind to absorb subtle truths?

Sometimes the human mind is not able to grasp the subtly of transcendental subjects. If you are unable to grasp these ideas, do not worry. Perhaps the fault is on the writer. There is plenty of material on the net from other sources, expressed differently. Just remember
“one once of practice is worth a tons of theory” Swami Sivanada.

Continue with the practical approach and things will reveal themselves.

Pope the Polack is on a pilgrimage in Calcutta where he makes an official visit to Mother Teresa's orphanage.
Mother Teresa is showing him around, and the Polack is bending and kissing everything in sight.
Suddenly, as he bends over to kiss Mother Teresa's new church organ, the pope recoils in terror. There, stretched out across the top of the organ, is a big black condom.
Purple with rage, Pope the Polack demands an explanation from Mother Teresa.
"Well," says Mother Teresa, "one of my orphans found it in a package on the street, and when I read the label it said: `Place on organ and feel secure.'"

Who are you - must read

We identify ourselves with names and functions that we taken on in each form as the Accountant, the mother , sister, girlfriend, etc.
But what is common in all these forms?  The person you.

The trap of names and form - must read

Imagine I am holding a bright red hibiscus in front of you. What do you see? The bright red colour of its petals and the gold powdery dust in its stamen. You would say it is a beautiful “flower”. Now imagine that I tear all the petals out and separate out the stamen. What do you see now?
Do you still see the flower? Do you still see the beauty?

The monkey mind

My teacher use to say the mind is like a drunken monkey bit by a scorpion. What is blocking our awareness is thoughts. We are constantly bombarded with millions of thoughts of the past and future, then we loose awareness of the present moment .. “now".

States of Ignorance part 4

Lack of Awareness                                                                                                                   
What is your state of mind now? Are you calm? Are you aware you are calm? When you get agitated ? are you still aware?
When one is conscious of events one is said to be aware. Now Imagine to be aware of  totality. All events that is happening.

Imagine yourself taking  a walk  on a street in Paris….   Are you aware of  your physical body, your  breath, your thoughts, your emotional state, the surrounding….the feel of the feet in the shoe , on the pavement.  The fragrance of the  passers by, , The smell of the coffee brewing in the café ; aware of all events as they occur , as you walk by.

States of Ignorance part 3

Harbouring feelings of guilt

This is usually a big problem among families . I have first hand experience of it. I hated some of the reasonings and logic of parents. Yet I continued to appease there wishes cause it was easier to bear that, than the wrath of guilt. Untill I started to examine my feelings.

States of Ignorance part 2

Denying the senses                                                                                                              
When you deny your self of your desire or cravings  you simply free the mind at a superficial level. For the desire roots itself deep in the reservoir of the mind.  There you continue to generate and multiply the defilement.  This sleeping volcano of suppressed negativity soon or later may erupt in a violent explosion.

States of Ignorance Part 1

States of Ignorance

Suffering.

It is said that suffering ( the root cause of it all) comes from feelings of seperatedness. This stems from the fact that we are ignorant of our true self; we have clouded our awareness with conditioning. We do not see things as they are.
The experience of seeing things as they truly are is a layered concept.
As you start the path of discovery, the deepness or profoundnesss of layering (that prevents us from experiencing truth) start to unravel .

Examples.. life serves us plenty examples of this …
If a punk rocker stood in front of you.. what do you see? What surfaces to your mind?
The thoughts and ideas from your experiences with and about this subject “punk rocker”would swell to surface , distorting your ability to really see the person .. You would judge him weather you wanted to or not

Taking up a Practice

TAKING UP A PRACTICE
 

What is your intention?

What do you want to achieve?

Measure of Progress

As you take on a practice, invite your intellect, mind and body. The spirit will flow. Perceive your progress by asking yourself

Practical approach

Practical approach                                                                                                            

The best techniques I have read to date are by Swami Sivanada                                           
His philopsohy is herald for its simplicity and easy application.
Do good, be good. This releases the mind of the tension. When the mind is calm the gross manifestation of the mind, “ the body” starts to relax .  Love Joy and compassion spring forth when the agitations of the mind  disappear.

As per the teaching of Swami SIvanada, “ human perfection”  doesn’t come from  just  a few stretches of your thighs or sitting quietly in contemplation. . True foundation of  spiritual practices  come from  proper conduct.
AN OUNCE OF PRACTICE IS WORTH A TON OF THEORY!

Meditative approach part 6

5) Relaxation techniques

Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep is the practice of bringing the awareness to the various parts of the body consciously relaxing them. The practice works deeply on the nervous and endocrine system, calming the mind and body. When the body is at rest , healing begins. Very powerful technique, benefits are immediately recognizable and I highly recommend it everyone.
An audio technique to experience relaxation, will be posted if there is a demand

6) YOGA

Working on the human being on all levels, yoga is said to culminate the mind body and spirit to experience all that there is. Incorporting the power of breath and the attitude of witnessing, one learns to unleash the reservoir of infinite wisdom.

Meditative approach part 5

4) Visualization techniques                                                                

Mind’s natural tendency to visualize is used to create “forms”. Visualize  light, energy, energy points  or even  visualize a relaxing scenario . Relaxing the nervous system, calming the mind, the body natural intelligence springs to surface  and healing begins . Highly recommend practice  for beginners  as it produces instant observable results. 

Meditative approaches Part 4

3) Practice of witnessing your breath

Inhale deeply and exhale slowly. Wait for the breath to come to its natural flow. What happens as you watch your breath.Allow the breath to be effortless as you silently watch its natural rhythm. Observe each moment of inflow and out flow. Don't inhale and exhale deliberately. Simply watch the breath. Don't watch your body breathing. Observe the breath itself.

Meditative Approach part 3

2) Practice of observing your thoughts by Krishna Murti

Thoughts prevent us from seeing things as they are. To understand what is being said. One should know what thoughts are. Do not look up a defition of thought. Observe the thoughts. Come to understand the processes of thoughts. Not the content of thoughts but the nature of thoughts themselves. (meditation practices aim at developing skills so that you are able to observe thoughts).

Meditative Approach Part 2

1) Practice of observing your sensations by Goenka – Vipassana

Vipassana is a way of self-transformation through self-observation. It focuses on the deep interconnection between mind and body, which can be experienced directly by disciplined attention to the physical sensations that form the life of the body, and that continuously interconnect and condition the life of the mind. It is this observation-based, self-exploratory journey to the common root of mind and body that dissolves mental impurity, resulting in a balanced mind full of love and compassion.

Meditative Approach Part 1

Meditative Approaches                                                                                                                   

Two men meet on the street. One asks the other: "Hi, how are you?"
The other one replies: "I'm fine, thanks." "And how's your son? Is he still unemployed?"
"Yes, he is. But he is meditating now." "Meditating? What's that?"
"I don't know. But it's better than sitting around and doing nothing!"

Technique                                                                                                            
Sit comfortably or you may choose a  meditative siting positions. Allow the spine to be straight but relaxed.  Arms , shoulders, jaw, throat all totally relaxed. Allow the natural breath to flow in and out as you observe each inhalation moving into exhalation. Feel the body relax into the comfort of its posture.

Intellectual Approach

Intellectual approach

1) Self –Inquiry by Ramana Maharishi

Practice of self-inquiry into “ who am I” in which the seeker focuses continuous attention on the I-thought in order to find its source. In the beginning this requires effort, but eventually something deeper than the ego takes over and the mind dissolves in the heart center. R.M

What if I never get to this state?

Even if you remove a dot of ignorance, life unfolds for the better.

These were my initial fears. What if all this is not true. I could be just wasting my life staring and something that is tuned to be automatic anyways. Like my breath.
But as you take on the practice, perhaps initially with effort (like chasing the donkey with a stick) , when you least expect you realize there is a helper, a strength within, that guides and wants the best for you.

Slowly… Thoughts become less, the mind becomes still. Feelings of respect and gratitude towards your self, others develop. Compassion and loving kindness sets in. You health improves and experience a deep sense of joy and peace. Mental dramas generating suffering comes to an end.

The Truth

Human beings are cable of achieving a “state” of higher intelligence; an ability to “tap” into a reservoir of intuition, or abundant energy. Without a single trace of doubt. There are many provisional explanations for this, but none would do real justice as the actual experience.
Imagine you are looking at the world through a peep hole and then suddenly you slip through the hole; as you awaken to a greater reality.

Approaching 2012

There is a lot of excitement as we approach 2012 December 21. Over what?
For the dawn of the “Age of Consciousness”
 Many spiritual circles are predicting that on December of 2012, human race collectively will experience a raise of our consciousness.  To truly experience a radical shift within you, you have to be aware, intuitively.

The human experience -Your full potential

The following articles discuses ( in its deepest sense) the science of human perfection. Techniques on how a person can attain their fullest potential of development: The separation of man from his true essence is caused by the conditioning of the human mind. Ignorance. True freedom is the experience, resulting from the removal of these shackles.