12 Great Reasons To Start Alternate Nostril Breathing “I rest well. I sleep peacefully, and I awaken with joy” Louise Hay Your nose is exceptionally clever. Simply by practising a few rounds of alternate nostril breathing (pranayama) for a few minutes each day, you can help restore imbalances in your brain – improve sleep – calm your emotional state – boost your thinking – calm your nervous system. How impressive is that! Another interesting fact about your nostrils, is that you don’t breathe through them equally all the time. Left nostril for calming – right nostril for energy: Your nose is directly linked to your brain and nervous system. Breathing in through your left nostril will access the right “feeling” hemisphere of your brain, and breathing in through your right nostril, will access the left “thinking” hemisphere of your brain. Yogic breathing, the perfect relaxation tool: I happen to believe alternate nostril breathing is up there, as one of the most therapeutic calming rituals. 12 benefits of alternate nostril breathing: Caution:
How to Meditate: What you didn’t know about Empty Mind Techniques and your bliss Sow a thought and you reap an act; Sow an act and you reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character and you reap a destiny. Empty mind meditation is one of the most popular and yet misunderstood types of meditation. I love it because it trains you to still (or control, depending on what you want) your thoughts and emotions. Why should this matter? Your very destiny begins in your thoughts. Empty mind meditation is also a neutral form – it is free of all the different teachings and belief systems, so everyone can practice it without getting sucked into something they might not want to. I’ve been asked a few times about my favourite meditations, so I’ll describe it here, with a few personal variations. If you’re an experienced meditator, you can skip the next few sections and get straight to the goods. Benefits of empty mind meditation I have used empty mind meditation to great effect; it was one of the most important practices I used to get out of extreme negativity.
77 Things You Never Knew About Yoga Whether you’re an accomplished Yogi or a bright-eyed newbie – check out these fascinating yoga facts – you’ll be amazed at what you never knew! Following the amazing success of Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love” meditative travelers are trading in sun, sea, sand vacations for more introspective trips. The author found inner-peace and true love through yoga and meditation via New York, India and Bali. But before you set off on your own journey of self-discovery – check out these 77 things you never knew about yoga, share with your friends and spread the yoga love! Yoga Facts 1. Yoga in the US 24. Yoga Benefits 33. 65. Learned something new? If you liked this, you might also like: 10 Ways to Avoid Vacation Stress *Statistics taken from the Yoga in America Study 2008. Tagged as: alternative therapy, Buddhism, complementray therapy, Eat Pray Love, exercise, fitness, fun, health, india, meditation, spirituality, yoga, yoga facts, yoga retreat
Why yoga is good for absolutely everything... Aquarius talks to Dubai-based yoga instructor Elaine Kelly, who conducts the annual yoga fest at Dubai Internet City, about the benefits of this ancient art form. Can yoga balance the body’s hormonal system? “Hormone imbalance can affect a women at any stage in her life, but the time when this is most likely to happen, and have prolonged side effects as a consequence, is during menopause. “Yoga is considered one of the most effective techniques for balancing hormone levels because of the close relationship it has with the endocrine system and the organs and glands that are a part of it. “Additionally, yoga allows your mind and body to feel relaxed and de-stressed. What are the physiological benefits of yoga? “Physicians and scientists are discovering brand-new health benefits of yoga everyday. Asthma Studies conducted at yoga institutions in India have reported impressive success in improving asthma. Back pain Back pain is the most common reason to seek medical attention.
Gregorian Bivolaru - Karma Yoga Translation from Romanian: Rodica Harabagiu Final correction of text: NATHA,Copenhagen, 1999 Motto: "In a state of detachment perform what has to be done, no matter what it is, and never wish to assume the fruits of your doings." Karma Yoga represents one of the four main classic forms of Yoga. Karma Yoga represents a starting point and is an essential part of the teachings of Bhagavad Gita, this serves as sufficient ground for its authenticity. Like all other forms of Yoga, the main and final purpose of Karma Yoga is to facilitate and accelerate the spiritual evolution of its persistent practitioner. From the different traditional definitions of Karma Yoga, the most current and precise, though not yet complete, is the following: "Karma Yoga is the Yoga of deep and thorough fusion with the Divine, through any unselfish action". Regarding this aspect, we will further on quote several contemporary masters: The main goal inKarma Yoga The efficiency of theKarma Yoga system The Specific Technique
Yoga Journal: Yoga Poses, Classes, Meditation, and Life - On and Off the Mat - Namaste Mission - Surya Namaskar - Sun Salutation Surya Namaskar or the Sun Salutation is a most complete series of postures. It is a very good exercise which takes only a few minutes to do and serves as a warm up routine before the practice of yoga asanas. It is one of the best home exercises requiring little space, only eight by three feet. Be sure to have enough space to lie down, and enough clearance to stretch the arms above the head while standing. Surya namaskar consists of a sequence of twelve postures performed continuously and combined with synchronized breathing. Each position counteracts the preceding one producing a balance between flexions and extensions. These 12 exercises are 1 round of surya namaskar. A healthy person requires a minimum practice of 12 or 16 rounds of surya namaskar each day. Surya namaskar's sequence of postures is most scientific as it completes the circuit within the body.
Hakula: Learn the Natural State of 'Fearlessness' The Natural Fear-Free State of Calm… Hakula, is the natural state of optimal human performance. It is the opposite of the tunnel-vision-fear state many have experienced, because it creates a feeling of calm, and enables the greatest perspective and flexibility of behavior and response. It is so powerful it is one of the key tools we teach our one-on-one clients in our VIP program. How to Practice HakulaPick a spot on the wall, somewhere higher than eye level, around the center of your field of vision. (This state of focus-with-peripheral-awareness was named ‘Hakula’ by the ancient people of Hawaii). When to use Hakula Hakula is perfect for the kinds of situations in which you used to experience fear because it shifts the mind into a state where it is ‘contextually all-aware’. Typically with our clients, we find that if clients think about a problem, then shift into Hakula, the problem immediately seems trivial.
Lucid Dreaming/Using Dream stabilization[edit] Once you are able to dream lucidly, you may find that it is difficult to stay in the dream; for example, you may wake instantly or the dream may start “fading” which is characterized by loss or degradation of any of the senses, especially vision. Alternatively, a new lucid dreamer could easily forget that they are in a dream, as a result of the shock of the sensation. Don't worry if you wake immediately after becoming lucid. As you gain more experience of becoming lucid, it will come as less of a shock and you’ll be less likely to wake up. You can avoid more gradual fadings by stimulating your senses. Ideally you should be able to use the techniques below to stabilize your dream before it starts to fade (or “black out”). If you still can’t stabilize your dream, you may decide to try and wake up with the aim of remembering your dream as accurately as possible while its still fresh in your mind. Hand Touching[edit] Spinning[edit] Slowing it down[edit] Easy[edit]