Welcome to the Living
Practice Quarterly eNewsletter – Fall 2003
Editor’s
Letter with Megan McCarver
Yogi Tips for
the Evolved to the Householders - Prana Breathe by Nahdi
How to Lead
a Spiritual Life or How to be Spiritual - Hathayoga
by Neel Kulkarni
The Rainbow
Within by Christine Machiraju
Website
Reviews by Dr. Kev
Music
Review by Megan McCarver
A Note from
YogaEverywhere
Yoga
Classified and Events
Namaste Yoga Friends, Family and Teachers,
I am
grateful to share another fall with you and I thank you. I am finally settling
into our new home in
Here is a
quote that touched me and hopefully it will resonate with some of you as well.
God whose love and joy are everywhere
Can’t come to visit
Unless you aren’t there.
-Angelus Silesius
- translated by Stephen Mitchell
Last month
I experienced a big “ah ha!” while having a 24 hour food fast. During past fasts,
I‘ve struggled with not eating, becoming very cranky, agitated and sometimes even
miserable. As a result to my discomfort,
I would usually retreat to my bedroom and crabbily sleep through the day or
break my fast early feeling incomplete. This year’s fast was different. It was an
awakening day allowing an easy fast!
Let me
explain. Since my move from
After all,
we are all humans being, witnessing life cycles with her lessons. May we continue to feel, awaken and understand
our journeys with great compassion. Always my love and great appreciation for your interest, time and
attention.
Megan McCarver
“As long as
there is breath in the body, there is life. When breath departs, so too does
life. Therefore, regulate the breath.” -
Hatha Yoga Pradipika –
Ch.2:S.3
Yogi Tips- for
the Evolved to the Householders - Prana Breathe by Nahdi
The Sage then whispered, "Sitting on the peak with the view from the
eternal, the subtle is visible and not hindered invisible anymore by the gross.
Below in the mundane is the choice to be the muck or in yoga to reach out to
the blissful reality as the lotus of knowing. The knowing discarding away
belief as the peak's view is the ancient truth worth each breath in the mundane
world." These loud thoughts of the Sage are reflected below -
1. All our youth, our energy flows upwards, which constantly
rejuvenates the body. From the age of 23-26 onwards, our energy
begins to flow downward progressing with age. This energy flow downwards is
accelerated when the mind is scattered, overburdened and not centered. Yoga
redirects the energy upward. Yoga must be practiced with this insight.
2. From the start to finish of a yoga session, be present within the eternal
Aum. This eternal Aum is called, the 'nada', the resonance of the divine heard
and unheard. In this process, the breath clings on to the Aum recited. Breath
then is becomes like a creeper climbing up the eternal pillar of joy and
knowing. This surely will get the energy surging upwards!
3. Our body is a product of karma and ego. We were born to complete the past.
We are today the sum total of the past. The lighter beings carry less of the
past and future to live in the eternal present. Yoga brings us to the present
as the truthful center that overflows in bliss shedding the past and future the
mind carries as baggage. The mind brought to its calm true state of bliss
rising up into the absolute present then shapes the body as the calm tranquil mind
free of burden delights in feeding the rejuvenated energy to the body.
4. Know the upward climb of yoga to be the various states of the body
transcended by the mind and finally reaching the single pointed blissful
awareness of the soul. This is however a foundation needing to be built with
each asana (posture), concentrating on the energy within each chakra and ascending above finally to perch between the
eyebrows.
5. Each chakra has been described by the ancient
wisdom so that the upward journey by a yogin could be
mapped with milestones to invoke the divine essence at each of these energy
centers so encompassing each facet of our life to ensure harmony in the upward
climb.
6. "Ha" means the Sun and "Tha"
means the Moon. The word "Hatha" is derived
from the knowing of these two energies of the sun and the moon. Five times a
day, our breath switches to the right nostril, the energy of the Sun. When we
are excited, inspired, divinely absorbed or in intense concentration, we breath
through our right, the Sun energy. At times of sunrise or sunset, we would be
breathing through our right. When we are sad, sleepy, ill, tired or in a very
relaxed mood, we must be breathing through our left nostril, the Moon energy.
The Sun energy increases the metabolic rate and results in weight loss but in
excess could result in a burn out of energy. The Moon energy rejuvenates and is
normally predominant while we are sleeping. Hatha
yoga is the union of these two energy fields through breath as the subdued mind
climbs to the divine with the grace of harmony and balance between the two
energy fields.
7. "Nadi- shuddi",
a pranayama (breathing) practice of alternative nasal
breathing is important at the early stages of the yoga session. This practice
cleanses the 'nadis', which are the 72000 energy
points running through our body and enables the mind to single-pointedness when practiced with visualization and mantra
counts. Nadi-shuddi is like dusting and cleansing the
mind and body. Since our yogic journey upwards will invoke powerful divine
energy we need to make our mind and body compliant with this higher energy by
doing the nadi-shuddi.
8. While doing yoga, be aware of the moment of breath when you exhale to inhale
and inhale to exhale. The mind normally flutters at this moment of change in
breath with stray thoughts. To turn this disadvantage into an
advantage, develop a fixed thought pattern through japa
(repetitive recitation of mantra) to latch the mind to the divine single pointedness. Every time you inhale, ask yourself,
"Who am 'I'?" and when you exhale, "'I' am That" even as
you recite your mantra to achieve the yogic objective of the calm state of
"I AM", the residual truth.
9. Remember that for yoga to be effective, the healing essence and the rejuvenative energy are the vital for the body, which
relies on its primary source, the mind. The mind in turns relies on the vast
space of divinity as the mighty Void or the overflowing Absolute in the form of
pure bliss. This union of the body, mind and the spirit is prana
breath, divine knowing and grace. The Oneness in the trinity is bliss.
10. Upon each break to inhale, our state of awareness falls below from wisdom
to intellect as we meditate. The Siddha technique to harness the change in
state of mind is to let our awareness during the descent for breath be on the chakra on we are contemplating. As we ascend chakra, so does our awareness too of the particular chakra and focusing our inhaled breath through that chakra provides the 'bandha',
which locks up the energy each chakra up building a
foundation.
11. The 'bandha', is the process of consciously
locking up or creating a dam for the energy already built up. In our
ascent upwards, we would wish to climb on foundations of energy fields that
serve as the safety net on which we can bounce up higher each time we land when
descending for the next breath. The bandha, the lock,
creates this energy field. To create a bandha, using
our muscles gently with subtle attention to the deity we are with of that
particular chakra in the awareness.
12. There is a bridge within the mind between the conscious single thought and
the unconscious void/absolute thought. In yoga, this is a process of surrender
of thought process to the lamp lit within. To keep the intellect alive and
nourished through the brightness of wisdom, break through the inner vision of
the third eye, between the eyebrows and hold on to the consciousness while
perched there. This will focus will carry the mind through the divine journey
with adequate 'grounding' on return back to perform normal day to day work.
"The mind is the master of senses five;
He is the head of the body habitat;
There is a steed (breath) he rides to his destined goal;
The masterly one the steed carries,
The feeble one it throws away;
That steed the Prana Breath is!"
- Siddhar
Thirumulanathar, a Siddha Sage, Grand Guru to many Sages who attained Light.
The author Nandhi, is an initiate in the path of the Siddhars. He lived in
Spirituality
Article 7- How to Lead a Spiritual Life or How to be Spiritual - Hathayoga by Neel Kulkarni
Once a person truly realizes existence of the Spirit and develops an intense
desire to realize it, he or she takes up one of the paths as a main path
depending on the person's nature. Actually, each person takes up all the paths
in some combination. Any practice of Spirituality in the entire universe
can be proven to be some combination of the previously described four
paths. There is no doubt that Yoga is the most universal and the most
complete discipline which a Human Being shall ever see.
Any person who "actually performs" a Yoga practice using any
combination of the above described four paths, shall find that his or her
practice, in some fashion demands, a superior physical and mental
health. Also, with only a few exceptions in the universe, each
person finds it easier to start by training the body first and then training
the mind. This is achieved by the practice called as "Hathayoga".
Hatha means force. And, Yoga means the practice
of Yoga. In Hathayoga, the practitioner forces
the body into various poses, using mind, thus training the mind and body at the
same time. Due to the usage of the mind, one gets hold of the mind, and
also due to usage of the mind, the body exercise can be intensified to one's
own capacity and also, all body parts including muscles, bones, glands, nervous
system, etc are addressed, thus leading to superior physical health.
However, one must understand that Hathayoga is NOT
meant for physical health as it is understood in the universe today. It
is mainly meant for Mental Training, however the body exercise and health forms
an integral part of it. Also, one must understand that when the Hathayoga was perfected thousands of years ago, the
population did not have health problems which are found today due to today's
inferior life style. So, Hathayoga was not
formed for Therapeutics usage to treat diseases, though actually the practice
of Hathayoga can be directed for that purpose.
A real Yoga Student must never forget the role of Hathayoga.
Now, the superior physical and mental health achieved using Hathayoga
is to be used for obtaining more superior mental health during the Meditation
or Rajayoga, which was described in the past. One of the most important works on Hathayoga,
namely, 'Hathayogapradipika by Svatmaram'
states, "kevalam rajayogay
hathvidyopadishyate'. This means, "only for Rajayoga prequalification
Hathayoga is being instructed". Hathayoga perfects in Relaxation where the body is
completely relaxed without sleeping thus getting a complete hold of mind.
Later, in Rajayoga, this mind is to be trained using
mind itself, called as Meditation.
There are many branches of Yoga which came out of Hathayoga
in recent times when Physical Health has been sought due to increase of
diseases and Hathayoga becoming a business which can
be used for Living. This practice is NOT to be condemned as long as the essence
of Hathayoga is not lost.
Thus, Hathayoga forms a baseline for all Yoga Paths,
making them efficient due to Physical and Mental health achieved. In
particular, Rajayoga training depends on Hathayoga very intimately. But, Hathayoga
is not an END in itself. Neither, it should be used only for Physical
Aspects as done in today's times.
This Article completes a series of Spirituality Articles which described all
the Paths in Spirituality. May the entire creation be filled with peace
and joy. To study more with Neel . Or purchase
his videos and CD entitled Authentic Yoga Level I - An
audio visual instruction providing an average Level I yoga exercise
routine of 1 hour duration, Patanjali Yoga Aphorisms
- 1 - 5 Audios - providing chanting of four chapters of Shree
Patanjala Yogadarshanam, and Authentic Yoga Meditation Course - 1-3 audios
based upon Raja Yoga.
The Rainbow
Within by Christine
Machiraju
Color is
nature's way of expressing joy! Our
light body, which contains are chakra system can be
healed with light and color and is in fact made up of the same spectrum of
colors as a rainbow.
Everywhere
in nature we see beautiful combinations of colour -
green leaves and stems, pink flowers, blue sky, red berries, purple sunsets,
orange fruits … so many colours! The rainbow that is seen in the sky after a
summer shower is duplicated on our astral bodies - by the chakras,
which are wheels of colour. The organs, which correspond with the chakras on the physical body are healed and cleansed by the
color of the chakra that they are associated with. The
moods and emotions can also be changed with colour
and often times we associate colours with emotions.
For example, red is for anger, blue represents a cool personality, pink is for
health etc.
Let us take
a specific look at colours as they apply to our dosha types, organs and emotions. The information in this
article can be used to create homes, offices and healing environments.
Colour therapy
can have several modes of application. Meditating on coloured
flowers is a good way to brighten the mind, the use of coloured
crystals applied to specific parts of the body can clear energy blocks,
exposure to different coloured lights or, using different
coloured lights in daily surroundings can have a
healing effect. Simply incorporating colour into home
or office environment also has a profound effect. Colour
should be considered when buying a car, clothing or home to make sure that you
are bringing the energy into your life that is suited to you.
Red
strengthens heart and blood circulation. It can be a very stimulating colour. When combined with black it creates a negative or
aggressive quality.
Yellow is
great for the nervous system and brain. It is also a good colour
for healing the kidneys. It increases energy and creates movement. It is very
helpful in treating pain related to arthritis. Yellow is a clarifying colour and thus, is good for opening up lines of
communication. Used to excess, yellow makes one hyperactive.
Green is a
harmonizing colour. It is calming to mind and nerves.
It is used in healing the liver, spleen and pituitary gland. It has a soothing
effect on all Pitta or fire problems-fever, acidity
and metabolism. If used to excess it can reduce activity and increase Kapha or water element.
Blue helps
to reduce tumors, congestion, fevers and infections. It is used for the eyes
and pineal gland. It reduces anger and hatred. Used in excess it can make one
cool and unfeeling.
Purple is a
colour that creates an aura of prestige. It is good
for reducing cysts, heart pain and stiffness.
Violet is a
colour that increases devotion. It is very good for
rooms where meditation is performed. It
builds white blood cells in the spleen. This is a colour
that promotes spiritual growth. Violet is a very good color for people who
suffer from aids, hepatitis, cancer, lupus and other illness that affect the
immune system.
Gold
increases the strength of the heart and immune system and balances endocrine or
hormone function. It is a warming colour for the
body. On a spiritual level, it increases awareness, purity and virtue.
White is a
nurturing colour. It is a pure colour
and is the best colour to wear to perform any
spiritual activity. It is a healing colour and this is why it is warn in hospitals everywhere. It heals fevers and infections, calms mind,
heart and nerves and soothes the emotions. If used excessively it can be
suppressing to the emotions or make one feel inhibited, lazy or hypersensitive.
Brown is
grounding and stabilizing colour. It should not be used as a primary colour in a room as it does not promote thought or
spiritual growth.
Black is a colour that creates obstruction, depression, paranoia; it
cannot be used in healing as no light passes through it.
Chakras: Mooladhara, root chakra located
in the area of the cocyx, associated with the anus
earth element - colour is red grounding chakra - gives security and controls primal instincts.
Swadhisthana located in the lower abdomen, associated with reproductive organs and
bladder. Ruled by
water element orange sexual energy and reproductive centre.
Manipuraka
the city of gems fire element associated with the kidneys and adrenal glands -
yellow - centre of the ego or I consciousness.
Anahata -
the heart centre ruled by air and the colour
green. This chakra
governs heart, thymus and auto immune system. as well
as liver, gull bladder, stomach, spleen and pancreas This is the centre where
the feelings dwell.
Visuddha
the pure centre at the throat governs the thyroid ruled by the colour blue. Here we
find truth to be the essence.
Ajna chakra is the centre of consciousness. This centre is violet in colour
and is the centre of union. Working on
this area helps to balance mental illness, epilepsy and is associated with the
pineal gland.
Sahasrara or the thousand petal lotus, the centre
of bliss and super consciousness. This is the seat of all knowledge, the centre of unabounding joy.
This area is associated with the pituitary gland and thus it governs all
hormone function and balances all body systems.
Venkat and
Christine Machiraju teach yoga and use Vedic sciences of Ayurveda
and Jyotish – Vedic astrology to help people enhance
their lives. Venkat and Christine also create herbal formulas to help people
move toward natural and holistic living. Many of their clients and students
have mentioned that Ayurveda and guided relaxations
have helped them to relax. They have combined the tips that
have given people over the years relief. Ayurvedic Tips
for a Restful Sleep is a booklet of simple tips on how to attain a restful
sleep.
Website Reviews
by Dr. Kev
YogaBasics,
although a bit heavy on ads, is pretty much everything you want in a yoga site.
Some free instructional content and a larger archive of lessons if you want to
pay a nominal fee to access them. http://www.yogabasics.com
More great yoga links at http://yogaclass.com/links.html
Music Review
by Megan McCarver
Journey
Home, the title says it all. Listen to the tender, feminine “call and response”
style of Kathy Zavada chanting Om
Nama Shivaya and Soham, Soham. Instruments are piano, flute, tables, keyboard,
percussion and bass. Enjoyable and inspiring. My four
year old daughter loved singing along to it too!
Name of CD:
Journey Home
By: Kathy Zavada
A Note From YogaEverywhere
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