Meditation: Going Inside of Ourselves

What is Meditation

Is meditation worship? Is it a prayer? Is meditation related with any religion? No. All of these questions should be answered in one word: No. In the simplest words, the meditation is a process that settles down the clouds of thoughts roaming in our head. Thereafter we can perceive the clear sky; the sky we can name it as our consciousness or soul or whatever name we prefer to give.

Human mind is like a flowing river, full of water, full of thoughts; and full of disturbing dust, too. The progression of meditation would make the flowing water at standstill; and allow the dust to settle down at the bottom of the river. In such a state of mind, we are at the best of our abilities experiencing ourselves. We skip near to experiencing our consciousness. In simple words, by doing meditation we come nearer to our inner-self.

Why to Meditate : It is our experience that whenever we do not feel to have a smile, we do so in front of others. When we feel some anger, we show false compassion. We are not behaving; we are just acting out of our falsehood. This prevents us from having the real experiences in our life. We are just becoming victims of the suppressed emotions. If we sit silently and meditate, we would start knowing about the suppressed emotions. Everything would start coming out and out mind and consciousness would be cleaned.

Our mind is the most wealthy mine. We hardly dig out the inner wealth our mind can deliver to us. There are eight ways for getting salvation of the soul, as per Ashtanga Yoga system; and the ‘dhyan (meditation)’ is one of the eight paths. Until the worries dance within our cerebral dome and the discomfort rests embedded in our psyche, we would not be at ease. To feel at ease is our natural state, but our speedy life distorts everything that is peaceful. As the doctors also advised to practice it, the meditation is now the most modern health management tool.

Every human mind is so unsteady. Our desires make us so wandering. If we can understand the science of the desiring mind, we can build up a nice road to real happiness. And meditation is the process to build up such a way; it is like cultivation of calm.

Benefits of Doing Meditation : Once the flow of energy is focussed on one activity, naturally the power to concentrate our mind tends to be going on higher side. While doing meditation we feel quite relaxed. A practitioner of meditation would experience the consumption of oxygen, resulting in lesser flow of blood. It would result in reduction of the rate of heartbeats. In long run this would help in strengthening of our heart and decreasing the possibility of any sudden damage to it.

Those who suffer from the problems regarding heart, their heart remain less tolerance to the exercises they require to do. A spell of meditation for 20 minutes a day would show positive results for such heart patients, as meditation is supposed to give rest to the heart.

The most useful benefit of doing meditation is that the regular habit of meditation would increase general strength of human body resulting in the considerable improvement in the immune system.

How to Meditate : Meditation is an act while doing it we remain in a mode that would lead us to experience the presence of our consciousness. ‘How to do it’ is not a major question. One can sit in any posture he or she feels comfortable. Generally a devotee would prefer a sitting posture. Some might prefer the sleeping pose, too, but it may result in sleep. In that case, too, it is better to have such a meditative sleep. Meditation is the best option to let the mind act naturally.

Postures in Meditation : Generally the devotee would sit on yoga mat while doing meditation. The are certain sitting postures devised by various schools of yoga. Some gestures of hand and fingers are also recommended for getting maximum advantage from dong meditation.

We generally fail to restraint the flow of thoughts. But if we do not pay attention to the flow, it would be slowing down and eventually disappear. Meditation is the device that makes our mind clear like the cloudless sky. [Images courtesy: Vivekanada By неизвестен.Amritachaitanya at ru.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons, Lotus Pose By Marcocarvalho (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons]

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Sex and Tantra Yoga : Exercise in Increasing Vital Energy

For yoga the sex and sexual desire have never been a taboo. Instead there are techniques devised by yoga masters, which help us to get our body keeping healthy and making stronger. The overall health is certainly would raise the body power and resultantly the strength to enjoy the act satisfying sexual desire also increases.

It has been believed by the yoga masters that sexual health also can be improved by practicing the yoga. The Tantra Yoga is the branch of Yoga that deals with interrelationship between Yoga and sex. In our life what we lack is the experiencing the powerful sexual orgasm. Instead every loving couple should have the deep experience; and it is their right also to feel multiple orgasms. Happening of such intense orgasm would stimulate certain glands and increase the vital power of the body. Tantra Yoga Helps in doing so.

Tantra and Sex

Abstinence is also a part of teachings of yoga masters of the past. But these masters also acknowledge the importance of healthy sex in the human life. Tantra believes that the human body is divine and no act of it should be branded as disrespectful. Moreover the act of sex is a natural expression of the love for one’s beloved partner.

Tantra techniques are comprised of three co-related aspects: These are based on yoga postures, rhythm of breathing, and meditation. In combination, these devices create a balanced body in respect of the power and a capacity to deploy the energy when it is necessary. All types of loss of energy are avoided. The conserved and created energy would work positively.

How Tantra Affects Human Body

The religions of the world have made the se a taboo. Most of the religious heads preach against it. It has led to the unnatural suppression of the desire. But the Tantra Yoga does not believe in suppressing the natural flow. Instead the tantric methods educate us about how to prolong the corporeal act, the sexual activities done by desiring couple, and experience the blissful state our being. The prolonging of sexual act would naturally result in increase of joy and the final orgasm.

It is experienced by many yoga disciples that the Tantra practices helps feeling orgasm, and in turn the orgasm helps decreasing the level of depression. The presence of continuous depression could result in early signs of aging like the showing of the age on the face through the creases. Thus the knowledge of Tantra could help reducing the pace of aging, too.

Kundalini and Tantra Yoga

The masters of Tantra yoga advocate that sexual energy is resides in human body in the form of biochemical concentration. This energy is in human body in the form of a coil that is known as Kundalini. But it remains mostly in a dormant state. It can be awakened or raised to a considerable level by practicing Tantra yoga or Kundalini yoga. The increased energy could be used not only for the physical growth but for the spiritual growth, too.

If any person, a man or a woman, has lower energy and feels let down while indulging in the very act, he or she would feel loss of self-esteem. They might develop other psychological problems related with the man and woman relationship, too. The solution rests in increase the sexual drive and the augmentation of the passion for it. The Tantra practices would help in this aspect. [Image courtesy By Marcocarvalho (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons]

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Yoga Articles : Types of Yoga

If you search web for the yoga and how to do yoga postures you would find numerous links. We are not to add here one of the links. Here it is tried to give a short index of the articles which would let the yoga seekers to know the fundamentals of yoga and how the different types of yoga poses are done. These articles are written in the most possible simple manner so it can help those who wants to know about yoga in nutshell.

YOGA SYSTEMS

ASHTANGA YOGA: Various Schools Teaching yoga

This system of yoga is one of the most ancient. The postures to be done under Ashtanga Yoga are devised by Patanjali, who was yoga master in ancient India. It is believed to be as old as 5000 years. This yoga system comprises eight fold path for those who want to practice yoga and get the maximum benefit out of the same.

HATHA YOGA: Postures With Meditation and Pranayama

The system known as Hatha yoga combines physical postures, along with upholding the necessity of moral attitudes that a human being should have. It is a holistic approach helping to reduce our mental stress. The practice of these yoga postures increase the overall well-being of our body and mind.

TANTRA: Joining Us With The Cosmic Energy

We have the unfathomable potential of the the psychic power. Tantra teaches us certain techniques using and practicing which we can experience our maximum potentials.

KUNDALINI: Awakening of Chakras and Cosmic Energy

The vital energy running through a coil that starts from our genital area and ends at head is known as Kundalini. The great thinkers and yoga teachers say that it is psycho energy. The yoga master tell us that is spiritual one. In short Kundalini is psycho-spiritual power.

YOGA FOOD : Diet with Curative Characteristics

Our food is very much important in shaping the quality of our thoughts. Yoga system strongly believes and advocates that our mental development and spiritual uplift is linked with the food we consume.

YOGA RETREATS IN INDIA

India is the birth place of many system of yoga and yoga postures. Here you would find a yoga training school and a pool of trained yoga teachers. [Image courtesy By Marcocarvalho (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons]

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Fish Pose - Matsyasana

This pose is one of the easy poses of the back-bed type asanas. You are to lie down on your yoga mat, flat on your back. There after try t lift the entire spinal cord. Ensure that the hips and the back side of the head remain touching the ground. This would result in a body posture known as Fish Pose of Matyasana.

This pose helps in opening the abdomen muscles. As you can see from the image, the hip part of our body is touching the ground, but the entire portion of the spinal cord is fully lifted upward. It helps in reducing the mid back spinal pain, too.

The pectoral muscles are stretched in full while we do fish pose. This would provide good exercises to the neck, breasts, and the chest. By http://theholisticcare.com [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Dwapada Urdhwa Ardh Matyasana

This asana can be done with one variation. After positioning the whole body as epshown above, you should lift your legs upward. Keep both the legs straight and the paws straight in the direction of the wall, and not to the sky. As our body is requred to use both the legs and keep it upward, this pose is named as Dwapada (two legs) Urdhwa (Up) Ardh Matsyasana. [Image courtesy By Marcocarvalho (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons]

Precautions

While doing this posture, or postures similar to this one, a yoga exercise doer should keep some important factors in mind. These factors are relating to the health. If you are suffering from low pressure or high pressure of blood, you should take doctor’s advice before doing such poses. In any other physical difficulties, it should be done in the presence and guidance of a trained yoga teacher.

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Tantra: Joining With Cosmic Energy

What is Tantra

Definition of Tantra is given in many scriptures and books of yoga, in various ways and different words. In simple words Tantra is a technique that could generate psychic power in our body. Tantra teaches us certain techniques and principles which enable us to experience the unfathomable potential of the human mind and the psychic power. This power is enables us to experience the ultimate bliss. It also guides how the non-erotic sexual union of man and woman could result in the experience of the universe that is beyond ourself.

Buddha in Sarnath Musium

Drawing on Divine Energy

The seeker of Tantra Yoga believes that universe is the projecting of divine energy. And the whole universe is a stock of cosmic power; and that cosmic energy is within every one of us. In order to feel this cosmic energy, we are required to activate it from its dormant position. Tantra coupled with yoga poses tries to join the limited energy of human with the unlimited cosmic energy of the universe.

Kundalini and Chakra

The seeker of Trantra takes the help of concept of Kundalini that is known as the dormant power embedded into human body in the form of a female serpent. The Kindalini travels through seven Chakras. These Chakras are clusters of glands located in our body parallel to the spinal cord. They are named as Muladhar, Swadhistan, Manipur, Anahat, Visudha, Anja and the last one is Sahastrar. As the Kudalini rises with our yogic efforts, the Chakras get activated one by one.

Mantra

Another devices used by Tantric practitioner is the chanting of Mantras. These are the verses to chant while doing any religious acts or performing yoga. Tantra seeker would also chant specific verses. The above-mentioned chakras are envisioned as lotus having fifty outgoing petals. Each of these petals represents our desires, instincts and longings for worldly things. The words and humming of chanting create effects on each of these petals. This helps in awakening the power of Kundalini. And once the energy awakens and reaches at a particular chakra, the petals are pierced and conscious becomes clear and clearer. The energy flows from downward to upward, starting from the genitals to the head.

Buddhism and Tantra

Buddhism also recognizes the existence of hidden energy in our body. Buddha himself had professed the importance of joining our body with the cosmic energy. The Mandala s devised by Buddhism try to depict correlation of our individual energy and cosmic energy. Both the Vedic scriptures and Buddhism believes that Tantra is union of three forces: the physical energy of human body, the cosmic energy and the ultimate power the Divine energy.

Tantra Yoga

It is believed that the corporeal act have three distinct purposes. To procreate for keeping the human race alive, to feel pleasure while doing the act, and to get the liberation. Tantra Yoga deals with the third object, the liberation of soul by taking the help of physical acts done together by a man and a woman in their intimate moments. By practicing Trantra Yoga one tries to re-integrate with what is beyond our form, the body. The awakened mind and upward going energy of ours would lead us to the universal energy, the life that is larger than ours. This is done by practicing yoga postures, meditation and Tantric practices.

Tantra and Sex

The Shiva and Shakti is worshiped as the God of love. The concept of Shiva and shakti has nothing to do with any religion. It is human nature of man and woman, sometimes depicted as Ardhnariswar, meaning half man and half woman. Tantra uses this concept to make us feeling the hidden energy within our body and enlighten us to a higher stage of being.

Shiva Shakti

Sexual energy is the main source of power in our body. Tantra Yoga includes the concepts wherein it is believed that the sexual act done under specific condition would show us the path to the spiritual enlightenment. Such act done focuses on the concentration of body, mind and spirit with the desire to achieve the ultimate liberation. The sex has the potentiality to lead us to the super consciousness. Our energies are hidden. We can awaken it and use the same energy for the spiritual purposes. If we can awaken the Kundalini, this could be done. The Kundalini is based at Muladhar Chakra, the point that is near to our genitals. The sexual act if done without lust and erotic passion could help awakening of the Kundalini from its base to upward locations. When there is no lust; there is no hurry in the corporeal act. With co-operation of both man and woman the act can be delayed and the energy can be experienced by the man and the woman.

Once the energy starts flowing upward, it enlarges our consciousness and generates many positive signs of spiritual progress. While doing the sexual act as per the Tantric norms we would experience the unknown bliss. Once we start feeling the energy, we would start to believe that the human body and the universe are not two aspects. We are connected with the whole universe by way of the common string of the cosmic energy. [Images courtesy: Top By พระมหาดร.คมสรณ์ คุตตธมฺโม (ผู้ถ่าย-ปล่อยสัญญาอนุญาตภาพให้นำไปใช้ได้เพื่อการศึกษาโดยอยู่ภา่ยใต้ cc-by-sa-3.0) (พระมหาดร.คมสรณ์ คุตตธมฺโม)[see page for license], from Wikimedia Commons , Siva Shakti See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons]

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How to Do Wheel Pose, Chakrasana

The word ‘Chakra’ means wheel. While doing this posture our body would look like a wheel, so it is called ‘Wheel Pose’, too. This is one of the poses of the yoga system known as Hatha Yoga. This helps in balancing the relationship between our mind and body. The posture given here is known as Supta Chakrasana, too.

Both men and women can do this posture. The women should avoid doing this pose during pregnancy. If a pregnant woman gets advice to practice certain yoga posture as an exercise, she should do it in the presence of a trained teacher only.

How to Do Wheel Pose, Chakrasana

• Arrange your yoga mat properly and lye on your back. Bend you knees in a manner that both the feel remain flat on the floor. The distance between two feet should be as wide as your hip.

• Press the feet firmly on the floor and inhale slowly. Then try to lift the hip portion upward. While doing so you would lift your thighs and buttocks on the up side direction.

• Now use the hands. Put the palms firmly on floor keeping fingers facing your head. In order to lift your shoulder, just try to straighten your arms slowly but steadily. After the shoulders, your head also would be above the floor. When the legs and arms are fully stretched upward, the Wheel Pose is complete.

• Here you can hold yourself in Chakrasana until you feel pain. You can inhale and exhale, but try to keep breath inside for more time. It would give you strength to hold the posture for long.

• While coming back from this posture, do it slowly. Get you head down by bending elbow and then let the shoulders touch the floor. There after let the body rest in flat position or in corpse pose. It would help in decreasing fatigue.

Benefits of Doing Wheel Pose

The Chakrasana, the wheel pose is one of the poses defined in Hatha Yoga system. Due to its posturing of our body, we can name it as Beck-Bend Pose. It would help in making our breathing system balanced. If we breathe following the natural rhythm, we would achieve many benefits or we can avoid many physical illness. The physical side of benefits of such backbend postures is multi-faced.

Those who are suffering from Sciatica Pain, they can arrive benefit by doing wheel pose. But care must be taken if more pain is felt; in this case do this asana in the presence of a trained yoga instructor. A person feeling back pain would find it relieving a little bit. In the beginning this posture should be done in the presence of a trained teacher. You can join a good yoga classes where advanced yoga is practiced and taught.

If this posture is done with wearing proper yoga outfit, it would make you feeling more comfortable. A good yoga suit and a long yoga mat are advisable. While relaxing, you can use a soft yoga cushion. [First Image courtesy By Marcocarvalho [CC-BY-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons , Second Image courtesy By http://theholisticcare.com [null], from Wikimedia Commons]

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Yoga Retreats in India

Yoga retreats are the centres where you will find residential facilities with training of yoga. In India you would find various types and sizes of yoga retreats catering to your needs and desires. Mostly these retreats concentrate their attention on the matters of teaching the yoga postures, pranayam, and meditation. Living comfortably is also a part of yoga theory. So in such retreats you would find the living comfortable.

Indian Yoga Retreats

India is founder of the yoga system. From the days of ancient universities of Nalanda and Taxila (Taxshila), the knowledge about yoga and meditation are imparted here with authenticate spiritual dedication. It is said that the silence is the language of God. In a well-managed yoga centre, you would be able to hear that language, sitting in the atmosphere of peace and quietness enabling you to submerge into yourself.

In modern day India, too, the teaching of yoga is continued with same dedication with which it was done in ancient time of Aryan saints and medieval yoga gurus. Many of the retreats emphasize the lifestyle of ashram during the sessions of yoga teaching. The persons working in such institutes or facilities are mostly well-trained in the field of yoga poses and meditation.

How the Retreats Help Learning Yoga

Yoga is known as the journey for knowing the self; it is like a trip to discover the person living within ourselves. For travelling inside of us, we need an exclusive corner of peace and tranquillity. The yoga retreats situated either on the hills of Himalayas or on the tranquil beaches of India would provide you the space you need. You would find a nice place around Hrishikesh in north India or Goa near Bombay. The retreats situated in Kerala offer the peaceful stay at palm groove beaches. These places open up the possibilities of experiencing the real peace we can have by doing yoga and meditation.

What They Provide in Yoga Retreats

Depending upon the situation and the place of the retreat and the tariffs they charge, the facilities offered to the yoga parishioners could be varied. In most of the retreats, especially near Haridwar and Hrishikesh, the charges would be very economical. Most of the places provide the facilities of food and beverages at cost prices. They charge some fees for the services of trained yoga teacher.

Other Facilities in Yoga Retreats

There are various places catering to the different needs of the person. It includes the services of providing Ayurvedic spa and massaging. Those who want special huts near seashore or under a palm tree will be required to pay extra for the same. These resorts provide all types of yoga accessories like yoga mat, yoga balls. You would find a good gym, too, in some of the resorts. (Image courtesy By MyA [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], from Wikimedia Commons) (Image of Ramjhula, Hrishikesh courtesy By Asis K. Chatterjee [CC-BY-SA-2.0], from Wikimedia Commons)

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