Why Yoga & Meditation is Good for You

In the rush of life, the pressure to meet timelines to deliver results, the desire to achieve some kind of superiority leading to frustrations caused by ambitions not reached, excessive indulgence in sense pleasures due to greed as well as habits, the cognitive apparatus gets disheveled, defiled, drained and tired, leading to symptoms of stress and burnout.

Unless you energise and infuse this cognitive apparatus with Vital Life Energy (Prana) you will be unable to perform tasks satisfactorily, with creativity and enthusiasm. A tried and tested way of energising yourself is Yoga in its broadest sense, which is not limited to the practice of just posture based excercises known as Hatha-Yoga.

195 Yoga aphorisms, known as Yoga Sutras, were compiled in the early centuries CE, by the sage Patanjali in India who synthesised and organised knowledge about Yoga from much older traditions.

The Yoga aphorisms are best known for the reference to 8 elements of practice culminating in a state of meditative consciousness of the mind, by concentration on something, leading to meditative absorption, and with regular practice, the development of a luminous mind which is equanimous and mindful.

The 8 elements of Yoga practice are:

1. Abstinences (Yama)
2. Observances (Niyama)
3. Yoga postures (Asana)
4. Breath control (Pranayama)
5. Withdrawl of the senses (Pratyahara)
6. Concentration of the mind (Dharana)
7. Meditation (Dhyana)
8. Absorption (Samadhi)

The main aim is to reach a state where you are untouched by the highs and lows of a dual world by transitioning to a meditative and metaphysical witness-consciousness state and observing empirical reality as separate from it. The by-product of this is being infused with Vital Life Energy which elevates your body and mind leading to a better quality of life.

Here are a host of metaphors that may encourage you to do Yoga and meditation, daily, to keep you going with your life in a state of happiness and devoid of stress:

1. Yoga and meditation is like filling your bicycle tyres with just the right amount of air so that your ride is not bumpy but smooth because the air also acts like a shock-absorber.
2. Yoga and meditation is like topping up your vehicle with fuel for the day. You just need to plug-in to the fuel source for a short while and then move on to your tasks for the day.
3. Yoga and meditation is like a gentle wind that blows and clears the clouds hiding the sun so that the light of your Soul can shine through into your body and mind and bring in a feeling of lightness and take away the feeling of heaviness.
4. Yoga and meditation is like rain that keeps the soil humid and therefore more fertile for seeds of creativity to sprout and new cells to grow.

According to scientific research, Yoga may:

1. Reduce stress
2. Relieve anxiety
3. Help manage depression
4. Stimulate brain function
5. Help prevent heart disease

I hope this article has encouraged you to learn techniques for Yoga and meditation and practice them daily for a fulfilling life.

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11 C’s for success during Covid times of uncertainty

Covid has caused uncertainties in income, health, wellbeing and relationships. Uncertainties can take you into negative spirals of thoughts and emotions specially when there is discomforting news.  Remember these 11 C’s of success while navigating through Covid times of uncertainty. If you sow these 11 seeds now, they will help you live the life of your dreams and at the same time help you to contribute to the betterment of the world. 

1. Compassion – This is the highest intelligence which is why it comes first. Unless you are doing something for the betterment of humankind in some way you will not have lasting success. Compassion is also the parent of most leadership qualities. Empathy at the workplace and at home keeps everyone motivated and well, which is specially needed during Covid times. Empathy requires good comprehension too, so put your focus on understanding a situation holistically before reaching out to help.

A Simple Meditation

Your soul is already, in bliss, aware, wise, creative, relaxed and also full of energy. All you need to do to renew yourself with its qualities is touch it by silencing your mind for a while. Meditation is how you do this and meditation is not as difficult as made out to be!

Before I give you a simple technique, let me tell you what it does. Meditation just increases the space between two thoughts and take note that there is nothing such as achieving complete stillness and no thought, here on earth! When the spaces between thoughts increase, there is less of habitual thinking which causes mental clutter and more of feelings and nudges coming from your heart. The hearts desires translate into thoughts in your mind and can be recognised by a relatively silent mind as your first thoughts on a subject. When we meditate, we can easily catch these "first thoughts" because we start to automatically watch what we are thinking! Here is an example of what a "first thought" is like and why you should follow it - If your friend asks you for a coffee and your first thought is a hesitation, then you must follow this hesitation and postpone your coffee for another time. Since your heart knows the future as well, the hesitation was caused because something closer to your heart, such as a close family member dropping by at home, is due to happen, and the coffee date will spoil it!

Now here are a couple of things to do to prepare yourself before you start your meditation:

1. First, the time has to be right. Early morning after a bath is a good time because you have yet not started your mind on thoughts about work.
2. Turn off any humming noise from appliances if you can.
3. Put your phone on "Silent" mode and if possible, place it in another room.
4. Sit straight on the floor or on a chair or bed.
5. Let your hands face up and legs be in a comfortable position because you don't want to focus on discomfort.
6. Close your eyes.

THE MEDITATION

1. After your preparation is done, slow down the pace of your breath to the slowest rhythm that is comfortable to you. This does not mean taking deep breaths but taking normal breaths at a slower pace.
2. Now, mentally follow your breath at the tip of your nose going in and then going out.
3. In your mind you can say “In” as you take a breath in from your nose and “Out” as you allow your breath to go out from your nose.
4. After sometime if you don't feel like saying it, just follow your breath going in from your nose and out of it, with the attention of your mind.
5. If some thoughts arise in between, let them come and go like you watch passing vehicles on the road. You don’t sit on every vehicle on the road and go off on it for a ride, do you? No! So, allow these thoughts to flow and just keep following your breath in and out with your mind.
6. Do this till you feel like. And, when you feel like coming out of it, lie down with your eyes closed.
7. Then, get up when you feel like and stay blissful by loving the day.

Try to do this every day at the same time but without timing it. Don't ever time it because meditation is all about going into a timeless zone.

Rest assured that with daily meditation, you will be renewed with soulful energy, inside-out, for the day, every day. Your clarity and creativity will give you joy and when expressed will give others joy. Each day will surely be a meaningful day!

If you wish to go a step further into prayerfulness, then click on this link - Prayer and Worship

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