Yoga is much more than the physical movement of our bodies on the yoga mats. Yoga also offers us insights into our motivations, our desires and the ways in which we think and feel about ourselves. We can broaden our experience of yoga by exploring yoga philosophy and mythology. This approach is called Jnana (NYAH-nah) Yoga. The Sanskrit word jnana means wisdom and jnana yoga means the yoga of wisdom. In our lives as yoga practitioners, we can cultivate an intelligence of both our bodies and our minds. Wisdom can be found in every corner, whether we are moving on our mats, practicing meditation on a cushion or reading ancient texts. Yoga is wisdom.
from…Yoga 365 – Daily Wisdom for Life on and off the Mat
Tonight I will be focusing on Sutra No. 5 from book one (which is the portion on contemplation) from The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali. They are a collection of 196 Sanskrit sutras (aphorisms) on the theory and practice of yoga. The Yoga Sutras were compiled sometime between 500 BCE and 400 CE by the sage Patanjali in India who synthesized and organized knowledge about yoga from much older traditions.
Best translated to English it read...”There are five kinds of mental modification that are either painful or painless.”
Some thoughts bring us pain. Others do not. A good way to look at them as either being selfish or selfless thoughts. And if you’re thinking….I thought the whole point of the Sutras was to quiet the mind, remember this is number 5 out of 196. And while we try, this is the beginning and it takes time. So in book one, we’re learning and becoming an analyst of our mind….silently watching. This is part of the process. Books two, three and four will deal with Practice, Accomplishment and Absoluteness, respectively). So for know we simply acknowledge our thoughts and training us to have selfless thoughts.
Reiki is the Japanese word for Universal Life Force Energy. When the ‘Rei’ and ‘Ki’ are broken down into their two component parts, the Kanji (Japanese alphabet) definition for Rei is universal, transcendental spirit, mysterious power, essence. Ki is described as the vital life force energy, very similar to the Chi of Chinese acupuncture, Light to Christians, and Bioplasmic Energy to Russian researchers. We all have Reiki energy (Universal Life Force Energy), for it is our birth right. What makes Reiki different from other healing methods, is the attunement (Also known as the initiation) process which the student experiences in the various levels of Reiki classes. Anyone can lay their hands on another person and help accelerate the healing process by transferring magnetic energy. A person who has been through the process of Reiki attunements however has experienced a very ancient technology for fine tuning the physical and etheric bodies to a higher vibratory level. In addition, certain of the energy centres, also known as chakras, are opened to enable the person to channel (And vibrate) higher amounts of Universal Life Force Energy.
Reiki is never sent, it is drawn through the channel. For example, If I lay my hands on you to do a treatment, you will draw appropriate amounts of energy to which ever areas of your body need it. I am never drained in the process, as I too am treated as I “Give” a treatment. The energy enters at my crown chakra and passes through the upper energy centres to my heart and solar plexus. The rest then passes through my arms and hands to your body. I am thus never drained in the process, as a certain
In 2015, 16.1 million Americans reported experiencing major depression during the previous year, often struggling to function while grappling with crippling darkness and despair.
There’s an arsenal of treatments at hand, including talk therapy and antidepressant medications, but what’s depressing in itself is that they don’t work for every patient.
“Many people don’t respond to the frontline interventions,” said Benjamin Shapero, an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a psychologist at Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Depression Clinical and Research Program. “Individual cognitive behavioral therapy is helpful for many people; antidepressant medications help many people. But it’s also the case that many people don’t benefit from them as well. There’s a great need for alternative approaches.”
In recent decades, public interest in mindfulness meditation has soared. Paralleling, and perhaps feeding, the growing popular acceptance has been rising scientific attention. The number of randomized controlled trials — the gold standard for clinical study — involving mindfulness has jumped from one in the period from 1995‒1997 to 11 from 2004‒2006, to a whopping 216 from 2013‒2015, according to a recent article summarizing scientific findings on the subject.
Studies have shown benefits against an array of conditions both physical and mental, including irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. But some of those findings have been called into question because studies had small sample sizes or problematic experimental designs. Still, there are a handful of key areas — including depression, chronic pain, and anxiety — in which well-designed, well-run studies have shown benefits for patients engaging in a mindfulness meditation program, with effects similar to other existing treatments.
“There are a few applications where the evidence is believable. But the effects are by no means earth-shattering,” Desbordes said. “We’re talking about moderate effect size, on par with other treatments, not better.
You are posed for flight! The actions you take begin with the thoughts that you make. Using intention in your daily practice helps guide your projectory and helps you find your power and balance. It is an ongoing process that can begin on the mat and then taken into your day.
You are posed for flight! The actions you take begin with the thoughts that you make. Using intention in your daily practice helps guide your projectory and helps you find your power and balance. It is an ongoing process that can begin on the mat and then taken into your day.
Finding space is not always easy – sometimes you have to strive for it like a warrior. Standing steadily in Viparita Viranhasrasana, the sanskrit name for Peaceful Warrior Pose or Reverse Warrior Pose, your legs are spread apart with your front knee bent and your back foot fully rooted to the ground. Arch your torso back fully extending one arm and resting your other hand on your back leg. With your lower body leaning forward while your upper body leans back, you embody the physical process of give and take – of balance seeking. Finding peace often entails finding a balance the aggressive and receptive parts of ourselves. Be a warrior for peace. Be firm in your resolve and open to receive.
Thankfulness. Gratitude is the expression of appreciation for what one has. It is a recognition of value independent of monetary worth. Spontaneously generated from within, it is an affirmation of goodness and warmth.
You are posed for flight! The actions you take begin with the thoughts that you make. Using intention in your daily practice helps guide your projectory and helps you find your power and balance. It is an ongoing process that can begin on the mat and then taken into your day.
Inspired Life 