Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Clean your liver with one sip. Amazingly simple!

Healthy liver = vitality = energy = look and feel great = life is amazing! Soooo....



So your liver is "kinda" impotent, it does all sort of amazing things for us like helps digest stuff, make proteins and gets rid of bad stuff.

Now I know most of us ( me too ) don't like the idea of these long detox programs that take weeks or months to go through and most of us ( me too ) like a quick fix solution.

So here it is.

Lemon. Olive oil. DONE!

Mix equal parts and drink, best in morning before any other food or drink.
1 table spoon is good and all you need.

you will feel better and look better in no time ;)
do it for a few days.
I would just like to add that doing those long detox programs are AMAZING and you should if you can as well, this is more of a good maintenance plan.

Namaste and Cheers!
drink uP

SjD @ yoga108bali

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Clear Your Body Of Toxins with One Glass


This is an extremely simple drink that will help your body clean out all of the toxins it has accumulated. It will begin to take effect immediately after consumption! It will attack the toxins, destroying them, leaving you feeling fresh and replenished! It will also aid the digestive system, keeping you full of energy throughout the day!

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole lemon (peel and all!)
  • 4 apples (preferably green, any will do however!)
  • 1" of fresh ginger root
  • 1 cup water (optional)

Preparation:

Please make sure you're using only organic ingredients if you are not peeling. Blend the lemon, apples, and ginger in your blender. Water is optional if you prefer a less viscous drink. Prepare early in the morning and drink fresh on an empty stomach before breakfast!

Friday, August 15, 2014

What is Buddhism? by LAMA YESHE.

"You go to the toilet every day but that doesn’t mean you’re tied to it; 
you’re not too attached to your toilet, are you?" 

From a public talk in Plummer Park, L.A. CA by
LAMA YESHE. 1975.

What is Buddhism?
Although different people have different views of what Buddhism is, I think it’s difficult to say, “Buddhism is this, therefore it should be like that.” It’s difficult to summarize Buddhism in a simplistic way. However, I can say that Buddhism is different from what most Westerners consider to be religion.

First of all, when you study Buddhism you’re studying yourself—the nature of your body, speech and mind—the main emphasis being on the nature of your mind and how it works in everyday life. The main topic is not something else, like what is Buddha? What is the nature of God? Things like that.
Why is it so important to know the nature of our own mind? Since we all want happiness, enjoyment, peace and satisfaction and these things do not come from ice-cream but from wisdom and the mind, we have to understand what our mind is and how it works.

One thing about Buddhism is that it’s very simple and practical in that it explains logically how satisfaction comes from the mind, not from some kind of supernatural being in whom you have to believe.
I understand that this idea can be difficult to accept because, in the West, from the moment you’re born, extreme emphasis is placed on the belief that the source of happiness lies outside of yourself in external objects. Therefore your sense perception and consciousness have an extreme orientation toward the sense world and you come to value external objects above all else, even your life. This extreme view that over-values material things is a misconception, the result of unreasonable, illogical thought.



Therefore, if you want true peace, happiness and joy, you need to realize that happiness and satisfaction come from within you and stop searching so fanatically outside. You can never find real happiness out there. Whoever has?

Ever since people came into existence they have never found true happiness in the external world, even though modern scientific technology seems to think that that’s where the solution to human happiness lies. That’s a totally wrong conception. It’s impossible. Of course, technology is necessary and good, as long as it’s used skillfully. Religion is not against technology; nor is external development contrary to the practice of religion—although in the West there are religious extremists who oppose external development and scientific advancement, and we also find non-believers pitted against religious believers. It’s all misconception.

First let me raise a question. Where in the world can we find somebody who doesn’t believe?
Who among us is a true non-believer?
In asking this I’m not suggesting some kind of conceptual belief.
The person who says “I don’t believe” thinks he’s intellectually superior but all you have to do to puncture his pride is ask two or three of the right questions:
“What do you like? What don’t you like?” He’ll come up with a hundred things he likes. “Why do you like them?” Questions like that immediately expose everybody as a believer.
Anyway, in order to live in harmony we need to balance external and internal development; failure to do so leads to mental conflict.
So Buddhism finds no contradiction in advocating both external scientific and inner mental development. Both are correct. But each can be either positive or negative as well. That depends on mental attitude—there’s no such thing as absolute, eternally existent total positivity or absolute, eternally existent, total negativity. Positive and negative depend on the background from which they arise.

Therefore it’s very important to avoid extreme views because extreme emotional attachment to sense objects—“This is good; this makes me happy”—only causes mental illness. What we need to learn instead is how to remain in the middle, between the extremes of exaggeration and underestimation.
But that doesn’t mean giving everything up. I’m not asking you to get rid of all your possessions.
It’s extreme emotional attachment to any object—external or internal—that makes you mentally ill. And Western medicine has few answers to that kind of sickness.
There’s nothing you can take; it’s very hard to cure. Psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists…I doubt that they can solve the problems of attachment. Most of you probably have experience of that. That’s the actual problem.
The reason that Western health professionals can’t treat attachment effectively is that they don’t investigate the reality of the mind. The function of attachment is to bring frustration and misery.
We all know this. It’s not that difficult to grasp; in fact it’s rather simple.
But Buddhism has ways of revealing the psychology of attachment and how it functions in everyday life. The method is meditation.
The real culprit, however, is a lack of knowledge-wisdom.

Too much concern for your own comfort and pleasure driven by the exaggerations of attachment automatically leads to feelings of hatred for others.
Those two incompatible feelings—attachment and hatred—naturally clash in your mind and, from the Buddhist point of view, a mind in this kind of conflict is sick and unbalanced in nature.
Going to church or temple once a week is not enough to deal with this. You have to examine your mind all day long, maintaining constant awareness of the way you speak and act.
We usually hurt others unconsciously.
In order to observe the actions of our unconscious mind we need to develop powerful wisdom energy, but that’s easier said than done; it takes work to be constantly aware of what’s going on in our mind all the time.
Most religious and non-religious people agree that loving kindness for others is important.
How do we acquire loving kindness?
It comes from understanding how and why others suffer, what’s the best kind of happiness for them to have, and how they can get it. That’s what we have to check.
But our emotions get the better of us.
We project our attachments onto others.
We think that others like the same things we do; that people’s main problems are hunger and thirst and that food and water will solve them.
The human problem is not hunger and thirst; it’s misconception and mental pollution.
Therefore it’s very important that you make your mind clear.
When it is, the ups and downs of the external world don’t bother you; whatever happens out there, your mind remains peaceful and joyous.
If you get too caught up in watching the up and down world you finish up going up and down yourself: “Oh, that’s so good! Oh, that’s so bad!” If that world is your only source of happiness and its natural fluctuations disturb your peace of mind, you’ll never be happy, no matter how long you live. It’s impossible.
But if you understand that the world is up and down by nature—sometimes up, sometimes down—you expect it to happen and when it does you don’t get upset.
Whenever your mind is balanced and peaceful, there’s wisdom and control.
Perhaps you think, “Oh, control! Buddhism is all about control. Who wants control?
That’s a Himalayan trip, not a Western one.” But in our experience, control is natural. As long as you have the wisdom that knows how the uncontrolled mind functions and where it comes from, control is natural.
All people have equal potential to control and develop their mind.
There’s no distinction according to race, color or nationality.
Equally, all can experience mental peace and joy.
Our human ability is great—if we use it with wisdom, it’s worthwhile; if we use it with ignorance and emotional attachment, we waste your life. 
Therefore be careful.
Lord Buddha’s teaching greatly emphasizes understanding over the hallucinated fantasies of our ordinary mind. Emotional projections and hallucinations due to unrealistic perceptions are wrong conceptions. As long as our mind is polluted by wrong conceptions it’s impossible to avoid frustration.
The clean clear mind is simultaneously joyful.
That’s simple to see. When your mind is under the control of extreme attachment on one side and extreme hatred on the other, you have to examine it to see why you grasp at happiness and why you hate. When you check your objects of attachment and hatred logically, you’ll see that the fundamental reason for these opposite emotions is basically the same thing: emotional attachment projects a hallucinatory object; emotional hatred projects a hallucinatory object.
And either way, you believe in the hallucination.
As I said before, it’s not an intellectual, “Oh, yes, I believe.” And by the way, just saying you believe in something doesn’t actually mean you do. However, belief has deep roots in your subconscious, and as long as you’re under the influence of attachment, you’re a believer.
Belief doesn’t necessarily have to be in the supernatural, in something beyond logic.
There are many ways to believe.

From the standpoint of Buddhist psychology, in order to have love or compassion for all living beings, first you have to develop equilibrium—a feeling that all beings are equal. 
This is not a radical sort of, “I have a piece of candy; I need to cut it up and share it with everybody else,” but rather something you have to work with in your mind.
An unbalanced mind is an unhealthy mind.
So equalizing sentient beings is not something we do externally; that’s impossible.
The equality advocated by Buddhists is completely different from that which communists talk about; ours is the inner balance derived from training the mind.
When your mind is even and balanced you can generate loving kindness for all beings in the universe without discrimination. At the same time, emotional attachment automatically decreases. If you have the right method, it’s not difficult; when right method and right wisdom come together, solving problems is easy.

But we humans suffer from a shortage of intensive knowledge-wisdom.
We search for happiness where it doesn’t exist; it’s here, but we look over there.
It’s actually very simple. True peace, happiness and joy lie within you; therefore, if you meditate correctly and investigate the nature of your mind you can discover the everlasting happiness and joy within. It’s always with you; it’s mental, not external material energy, which always fizzles out. Mental energy coupled with right method and right wisdom is unlimited and always with you.
That’s incredible! And explains why human beings are so powerful.
Materialists think that people are powerful because of their amazing external constructions, but all that actually comes from the human mind. Without the skill of the human mind there’s no external supermarket, therefore, instead of placing extreme value on the normal supermarket we should try to discover our own internal supermarket. That’s much more useful and leads to a balanced, even mind.

As I mentioned before, it sounds as if Buddhism is telling you to renounce all your possessions because extreme attachment is bad for you emotionally, but renunciation doesn’t mean physically giving up. You go to the toilet every day but that doesn’t mean you’re tied to it; you’re not too attached to your toilet, are you?
We should have the same attitude to all the material things we use—give them a reasonable value according to their usefulness for human existence, not an extreme one.
If a boy runs crazily over dangerous ground to get an apple, trips, falls and breaks his leg, we think he’s foolish, exaggerating the value of the apple and putting his well-being at risk for the sake of achieving his goal. But we’re the same.
We project extreme attachment onto objects of desire, exaggerating their beauty, which blinds us to our true potential. This is dangerous; it’s the same as the boy risking his life for an apple. Looking at objects with emotional attachment and chasing that hallucinated vision definitely destroys our own nature.
Human potential is great but we have to use our energy skillfully; we have to know how to put our lives in the right direction.
This is extremely important.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Mind - Body - Mind - conection

When we think of "I AM", ( and I think you should spend sometime meditating on this, ((there are some good meditation practices in my blogs)) ) and we find this multifaceted, multidimensional aspects of the "SELF",   we cannot leave the body out of the picture!
it is a part of us, of who and what we are AND it is a direct link to how we feel and think.

Thoughts/feelings affect body and body affects thoughts/feelings
Have a look at this nice chart and see if it makes any scene to you ;) 

Buddhism: 50% of your State of Mind is dependent on your Posture.


Namaste
SjD @ yoga108Bali

Ross Sisters 1944. amazing!

Thursday, June 19, 2014

pineal gland

Lets leave for a moment the mythical aspects and power of out 3ed eye and look at the anatomy behind it.
More and more importance is being given to the glands of the endocrine system and the necessity of their proper functioning as advances in healthcare progress,
Much is still to be researched and understood about the body’s endocrine system, particularly the glands located in the the brain. 

Endocrine system


The endocrine system consists of a series of glands that secrete particular hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones send messages to the cells of the body, which in turn help to regulate a variety of functions including metabolism, growth and development, tissue function and mood. From its unique perch between the brain’s two hemispheres, the endocrine system’s pineal gland secretes melatonin, a derivative of serotonin, which generally contributes to feelings of well-being and happiness. 
The tiny, pine cone–shaped gland is joined by the habenular trigone and the posterior commissure to make up the epithalamus, which serves to connect the limbic system to other parts of the brain. 

The limbic system influences both the endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system and seems to have involvement (which is not entirely well understood) with emotion, behavior, motivation, long-term memory and olfaction (our sense of smell). 
Just in this brief description, we get a glimpse of the inextricable relationships amongst our organs, systems and their functions. 

Limbic system


Released by the pineal gland’s pinealocyte cells, melatonin is a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals that damage neurons (or any cells, for that matter). 
The amount of melatonin found in spinal fluid is much higher than the amount in our bloodstream, and it controls our circadian rhythm—our sleep and wake cycle. 
The pineal gland creates more of the antioxidant at night, in the absence of light, which helps to dictate our sleeping patterns. Studies on the pineal gland and melatonin have contributed to chronobiology, the branch of science which explores rhythms in living organisms. We all know people who strongly identify with being a “morning person” or “night owl,” and chronobiology has ways of assessing these chronotypes. In the dark months of winter, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) seems to be the result of low melatonin levels. Interestingly, aside from our eyes, the pineal gland is the only other organ in our body that detects light.
 Melatonin is produced in response to another hormone called norepinephrine. 
Recent research shows that while the norepinephrine complex turns up melatonin in the evening (and the resulting sleepiness), dopamine and its receptor form a complex of proteins that does the opposite in the morning. 
The dopamine receptor on the outside of the pineal gland works alongside norepinephrine receptors to slow the melatonin-secretion signal in the early morning. 

Several diseases and conditions are affiliated with melatonin, including insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and, most recently, cancer. 
Since melatonin protects white blood cells against radiation damage, they provide a boost for the immune system. The blood flow through the pineal gland is very high and second only to the kidney, the body’s natural blood filter. 
This counts as another unique aspect of the pineal gland, as most other parts of the brain are separated from the bloodstream by the blood-brain barrier system (a separation of circulating blood from the brain extracellular fluid). 

The pineal gland also has an effect on our reproductive system. 
High levels of melatonin in children are thought to inhibit their sexual development, and pineal gland tumors have been linked to the onset of early puberty. 
In addition, when the gland is damaged, accelerated growth of sexual organs occurs. Dr. Rick Strassman, who conducted extensive research on near-death experiences in the 1990s, asserts that the pineal gland is also responsible for secreting the naturally occurring psychedelic hormone dimethyltryptamine (DMT). 
Structurally analogous to both serotonin and melatonin, it is believed DMT might help contribute to the visual effects of natural dreaming, near-death experiences, religious visions or other altered states. As we have attempted to understand its functions throughout history, the pineal gland has been associated with mystery and myth. 
René Descartes, for example, dubbed it the “principal seat of the soul,” suggesting it connected the body and intellect. Further, the philosophy of French writer Georges Bataille holds that the pineal gland can be thought of as a blind spot in Western rationality. 
This could serve to explain why science has merely a partial understanding of its function and secretory activity. 
From a profound sense of clarity and presence to an increase in physical and mental health and balance, the effects of its proper functioning are wide-ranging and can be difficult to communicate. 
Further study will provide the elusive link between science and spirituality.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Ending negitive karma



It should not be important how people treat us.
Important is how we treat our self and how we treat others.
In Buddhism there are many positive way to react when people treat us bad.
First, it is an opportunity to practice patient and tolerance.
Try to understand that these people are also suffering under the power of their desire, aggression, ignorance, pride, jealousy, etc. etc.
They have no control over themselves and we should not take these experience personally.
Second, we can take these difficult people as our Teacher giving us the opportunity to practice what has been just said.
Third, sometimes when we are hurt, it is our ego being hurt. 

Being hurt are just feelings and feelings come because of our ego thoughts. 
We should learn to 'let go' of these thoughts. 
This is easier if when have some kind of meditation experience.
Fourth is to accept the fact as stated by Buddha and Masters; that whatever happen to us is the result of our karmic result from past lives and this one. 

If we react negatively, the negative karma will continue into future lives. 
When we react positively, we will end the continuous round of negative karma
Bottom lineis, we should not be moved by the 8 worldly winds of;
praise and blame, gain and loss, pain and pleasure, fame and disrepute.

Monday, April 28, 2014

A poor man asked the Buddha...

A poor man asked the Buddha,

“Why am I so poor?”

The Buddha said, “you do not learn to give.”

So the poor man said, “If I’m not having anything?”

Buddha said: “You have a few things,

The Face, which can give a smile;

Mouth: you can praise or comfort others;

The Heart: it can open up to others;

Eyes: who can look the other with the eyes of goodness;

Body: which can be used to help others.”

So, actually we are not poor at all, poverty of spirit is the real poverty.

Via The ManKind Project

“Why am I so poor?”

The Buddha said, “you do not learn to give.”

So the poor man said, “If I’m not having anything?”

Buddha said: “You have a few things,

The Face, which can give a smile;

Mouth: you can praise or comfort others;

The Heart: it can open up to others;

Eyes: who can look the other with the eyes of goodness;

Body: which can be used to help others.”

So, actually we are not poor at all, poverty of spirit is the real poverty.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is ALWAYS something to GIVE.
GIVE GIVE GIVE

Monday, April 7, 2014

How I strat my day; Dalai Lama


I believe a good morning is the beginning of a good day. 
If we wake up in the morning and are happy, even if we face small irritants, we can cope with them.
 
 


If we wake up in a bad mood or are unhappy, even the smallest problem will make us angry. 
Mental attitude is very important. 
So, train your mind through meditation, and let your mornings be the best time to bring peace into your lives. We must remain in the 'thoughtlessness' zone if we want to be calm. 
Focus on how to create a happy life.

Ask yourself every morning, if you wish to live a meaningful life or a frivolous one.
Don't think about the past or future. Every moment is an opportunity to create a life with peace and compassion. We need hygiene of emotions. Reach out to others, it will make you self confident and give you inner strength. When we show concern, we will be able to win people's trust, and this trust creates friendship of a lifetime. It helps us develop inner peace, we create peaceful families, peaceful cities and peaceful societies. Doing things for others will reduce your stress and give you good physical health.

Try not to bring conflict in your morning and your day. If there is conflict in your relationships, try to resolve it with a dialogue. Talk. Don't distance yourself from people and create barriers; living a self-centred life leads to stress and anxiety. Live simply. Some days will be difficult and some easy, but if you spend your days with purpose, you will be mentally satisfied.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, SPIRITUAL LEADER 
 
Shared from
The times of india
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com 

Monday, March 31, 2014

you are more then this body ( the 5 Koshas )

 
A Bit of an intro.
According to yoga, individual consciousness is a partial expression of cosmic consciousness. 
Cosmic consciousness and individual consciousness are one. 
Only subjectivity separates them. it is out of Consciousness that the ultimate reality of which mind and matter proceed. 

consciousness exists in everything, from minerals to man. 
 the human body is the most highly evolved Of all existing bodies that express themselves through behavior. It is capable of self-expression and the realization of Truth beyond the realm of sensory perception. With the help of memory, imagination and intuition, the human organism can understand laws inherent in nature and use them for its growth and development. 


When consciousness desires expression as an organism, it needs tools to control and work with the physical body.

 Annamayi Kosha (Sheath of Matter)
The main centers of consciousness in the human body are in the brain and the spine. 
The cerebrospinal system is the first part of the organism to be developed after conception. 
From it the entire bodily form comes out. This system is a great generator of electrical energy that is constantly supplied to the internal organs by a network of nerves that serve as connectors. 
The functiong of the entire human body is controlled by the cerebrospinal system, and the psychic centers are located in it. 

Inside the big company of the body there is a branch, a side office, in which mind is the boss. 
Mind has a practical tool in the body which is the brain. Brain uses breath, and breath uses nerves, and nerves are dealing with the five sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin), and the five work organs (anus, genitals, legs, hands, and vocal chords). 
So the combination of brain, breath, nerves, sense organs, and work organs form a unit inside the body which is working with the mind. 

 Pranamayi Kosha (Sheath of Vital Air)
Prana or energy is the moving force. 
This sheath of Vital Air supplies energy to the whole system and keeps it alive. 
Prana refers not only to the flow of oxygen but to all components of life force. 
This energy enters each and every cell and each and every pore. 
Breath is the physical counterpart of the mind. All neuromotor activities, all sensory and motor functions of the body, are performed with the help of the breath. 

Breath provides the pranic force to the organism. This pranic force, working as the Air element, creates movement, pulsation, vibration and life. The science of controlling prana is known as pranayama, a branch of Hatha Yoga. By mastering prana one can master the mind. By practicing pranayama, the breath becomes calm, images do not disturb the mind, and the internal dialogue stops

 Manomayi Kosha (Sheath of Mind)
Mind is the tool of consciousness that enables us to perceive the world and process the incoming information. The world exists in front of us, because of our five senses. There are organisms without brain and eyes and ears, only tactile sensation is there through the skin. If you touch them, they react. Even though they have no brain these organisms have perception of the world because they have mind. Most of the time, people think that mind is the functional aspect of brain, however, mind and brain are two different things

Mind is using brain as tool. Mind is pervaded in everything, it's in every cell, everywhere, it has no specific seat. It's not the same as god, but it has similar character being present everywhere.
Mind is the greatest obstacle in the way of systematic thinking. It jumps from one point to other point by finding similarity in that point. Anything which is similar immediately reminds the mind of something else, and from this field he jumps into some other field, and then he starts talking about something else and the whole point is being lost. Most of the time only one is dominant and that is mind. But sometimes ego is also very dominant. And intellect is only in the beginning, when you start, at that time it comes and tries to show you how to go, but after that, mostly it is the mind which takes the lead. 

Ego, mind, intellect, and the self (together 3 of 5 koshas), travel from one body to other body, from one life to other life, as long as there are attachments, likes and dislikes, ego continues for the fulfillment of desires.

Vigyanamayi Kosha (Sheath of Ego and Intellect )
Within the 5 koshas division of our psychology, around the sheath of Bliss is sheath of Knowledge, that combines ego and intellect. Ego is the tool of consciousness which links all events in life together. Ego is the illusion that I exist as a separate individual being, it is false identification. 

Ego is the one which assumes the responsibility for the body. Ego says, "This body is mine". When the body breathes, he says, "I am breathing". And if you close his nose then he says, "You are suffocating me, I am dying". Ego is very sensitive and the fear of death is always there. Ego takes a name, and becomes Mr. such and such and it interacts with others.
Whatever you experience in this life or in past lives, and whatever information you got from your parents, from your society, from the race, from the country to which you belong, all that information combined together becomes intellect
It gets a part of the genetic information from seven generations of the father, and seven generations of the mother. Intellect carries with it the past and the present, and also speculates about the future. Intellect helps ego with advice and comments but the final decision comes from ego. Ego can say, "I like it" and although intellect may disapprove ego may decide "O.k., I don't believe that this is right, but I don´t want to follow all these rules and regulations, I'll break the law". 

Strong attachments and the struggle for survival increase the ego. In modern schools there is competition all the time. Who does it first? Who is the best? Ego always tries to say, "I am better than you", "I am holier than you". In ancient days they had an education system that did not let the ego grow beyond a particular limit. The child had to go and live with the family of a teacher as a member of the family (gurukul). The wife of the teacher was responsible for providing all food, and nobody was allowed to bring other food. And parents were not allowed to bring gifts in order to treat all pupils equal, and make them feel that everyone is equal.

Anandamayi Kosha (Self seated in Sheath of Bliss) 
The human consciousness is folded in these five layers, or sheaths, (koshas) around the central point, containing the self (chitta). The self is enveloped in the sheath of bliss. 
Both the self and the bliss are not experienced although they are always there, and always protected from all sides. Nothing is disturbing to the self, because nothing is real for the self. 
The self is the truth, and truth is never changing. Whatever else is happening, is all changing every minute. 
The self knows this is not real, this is ever changing, this is illusion.
in other words, the self is watching the movie that you THINK you're in. ;)

NAMASTE

Monday, March 17, 2014

6 yoga poses for pain relief

Many people suffer from back pain
Yes, some of us have injuries from accidents or physical strain related causes, BUT, many of us are feeling pain as a result of mental and emotional stresses that over time lead to pain due to holding on to stress IN OUR BODY'S. pore posture habits sometimes as a result of long hours in chairs at work or home also lead to pain.
SOOOOOOO... the pain I am refering to here is BACK pain DUE TO pressure on the SPINE and/or NERVES.

Yoga is more of a preventive practice, an opportunity to LET GO of things and at the same time keep the body and mind active and healthy but it can be used for therapy as well and even pain relief in some cases, even some practices of meditations can heal the body but this is another Blog altogether, I'll just say this for now; "MIND OVER MATER" (it's the mind the caused the pain to begin with)
ANYWAY...
YOGA POSES to relieve PAIN



1. Downward-Facing Dog

 Downward-Facing Dog
This classic pose is excellent for total body stretch, spinal traction and maintaining lower back health.
keep your spine neutral. Tilt your tailbone towards your heels, push heels to floor and press back through your legs.
Extend your spine and head towards the space between your hands.

2. Uttanasana - Forwards bend
there are MANY variations, as with all yoga poses, and the main thing to keep in mind is EASY DOSE IT!! don't push the pose, let it happen, if you are tight, keep knees bent and even rest your hands on thighs above knees. try to relax the neck and slowly let go... lifting tail bone to sky, dropping head down and stay for a while... in the breath. This will lengthen and relax the back mussels, relieving tension from the vertebra's as well.     

3. Plank (Modified for Standing)

Stand in front of a wall with your hands flat against it. Keep your fingers wide, fingertips pointing towards the ceiling.
Draw your navel back as you lengthen your tailbone towards the floor. Lift your ribs from the pelvis. The goal here is to keep your low back as neutral as possible, using your core muscles to help stabilize your posture.
Keep your spine aligned while you walk your legs back. Bend at the waist and walk your hands down the wall as you go. Eventually your body will form the shape of an ‘L’. If you feel any pain or stress in your lower back, bend your knees to maintain the proper spinal alignment.
Maintain this pose for the length of 10-15 breaths. It will help build strength in your core muscles, thereby taking some of the load off of your spine, while supporting length and flexibility in your back muscles.

4. Legs Up the Wall (Viparita karani)


If you are using a bolster or pillow, place it under your hips and lift your legs up a wall. Otherwise, lie with your tailbone as close as possible to the wall and lift your legs.
Flex your toes towards your body and extend your arms out to your sides with your shoulders pulled back so that your shoulder blades are as flat against your mat as possible.
Relax and breathe deep into your belly.
This pose releases low back pressure, elongates the spine, and develops flexibility of the leg muscles and ligaments that helps support a natural, back-healthy gait.

5. CAT COW POSE
Inhale look up, drop belly and lift tail bone
Exhale forehead to hips, hips to forehead and arch back to sky
do a few SLOW rounds and rest in Child's pose.. then again...
This pose incises mobility of the spine, stretches the front torso and neck and even Provides a gentle massage to the belly organs.


6. Child POSE
Child
Use any variation for this pose and even some pillows or bolsters to make yourself comfortable.
Your knees can be wide apart or closed, arms stretching or folded next to feet, palms up.
head on floor, or pillow... what ever, just make it so you are RELAXED
Breathe into your back as you inhale and exhale deeply.
Breath in to the belly and lower back... go deeper with each breath and release tension with each exhale
Feel the space between each vertebra grow as you relax deeper into the pose.

"pain is inevitable suffering is optional"
may all beings be free from suffering!
Namaste ;)
SjD


Monday, March 10, 2014

Things to know about Shiva



Lord Shiva:
Maheshwara...Shankara.
Attributes: Unclad body smeared with ashes: This form of Lord Shiva symbolizes the transcendental aspect of his nature and indicates that his presence is much higher than this physical phenomenon.

Jata (Matted Hair): The flow of his matted hair represents Shiva as the Lord of Wind or Vayu, who is the subtle form of breath present in all living beings. It shows that Shiva is Pashupatinath, Lord Of All Living Beings.

Sacred Ganga: The river Ganga (or Ganges) is the most sacred river for pious Hindus. According to a legend, the river Ganga has its source in Shiva and flows from his matted hair. This is symbolically represented by depicting Ganga as a jet of water sprinkling out of the head of the Lord and falling on the ground.

The Third Eye: In the great Hindu epic Mahabharata, Lord Shiva is depicted as a three-eyed God. Hence, he is often referred to as Tryambaka Deva, meaning "three-eyed Lord". The sun is said to be his right eye, the moon the left eye while fire is his third eye.

Half-Open Eyes: The half-open eyes signify that creation is going through an eternal cyclic process, with no beginning and no end.

Crescent: Lord Shiva is typically pictured as wearing a crescent-shaped ornament on one side of his head. This is why he is often called 'Chandrasekhara' meaning "Having the moon as his crest". The Crescent is actually the moon in its fifth day phase and symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end.

The Snake around the neck: Lord Shiva is often shown with a snake curled three times around His neck and looking towards His right side. The three coils of the snake symbolize the past, present and future - time in cycles.

Vibhuti: The three line of ashes drawn on the forehead of the Lord is known as the Vibhuti. It signifies the Immortality of the Lord and his manifested glory.

Tiger Skin: Hindu mythology states that the tiger is the vehicle of Shakti, the Goddess of power and force. Lord Shiva is often shown seated upon or wearing a tiger skin, which emphasizes the fact that he is the master of Shakti and is beyond and above any kind of force.

The Elephant and Deer Skin: The Lord also wears elephant and deer skins. Elephants stand in for pride while deer represent the flickering mind. Wearing elephant and deer skin shows that Lord Shiva has conquered both these vices.

Rudraksha Necklace: He is almost always shown as wearing a necklace having 108 beads made with seeds of the Rudraksha tree. The beads represent the elements used in the creation of the world.

Damaru (Drum): It is the small hourglass-shaped drum that the Lord holds in one of his hands in a specific gesture called 'damaru-hasta'.When a damaru is shaken, it produces Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation. According to Hindu scriptures, Nada is the source of creation. This is one of the attributes of Shiva in his famous dancing representation known as Nataraja.

Trishul (Trident): The trident, or the spear with three prongs, is one of the accessories of the Lord and symbolizes His three fundamental powers iccha(will), kriya(action) and jnana(knowledge).

Kamandalu: The water pot (Kamandalu) often shown adjacent to the Lord is another of his accessories. It is said to be made from a dry pumpkin and containing amrit (nectar).

Kundalas: The Kundalas refer to the two ear rings, Alakshya (meaning "which cannot be shown by any sign") and Niranjan (meaning "which cannot be seen by mortal eyes"), worn by the Lord. The ornaments in the ears of the Lord signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. It is noteworthy that the kundala in the left ear of the Lord is of the type used by women and the one in His right ear is of the type used by men. The dual type of Kundalas represent the Shiva and Shakti (male and female) principle of creation.

Mount Kailasa: Lord Shiva is most often shown to be seated with the beautiful Himalayas serving as his backdrop. Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is said to be His traditional abode. In Hindu mythology, Mount Kailasa is said to represent the center of the universe. This denotes that Lord Shiva is 'Kailas' - the bestower of peace and also 'Kailashadhipati' meaning "Lord Of Mount Kailash".

Nandi, the Bull: Nandi is the Bull of Lord Shiva and is said to be his vehicle. The bull is a symbol both of power and ignorance which suggests that Lord Shiva removes ignorance of his devotees and gives them the power of wisdom. In Sanskrit a bull is called "Vrisha" which also means "righteousness". The Nandi bull beside Lord Shiva indicates that He is the eternal companion of righteousness.





SHARED BY ; Durai Rajan @ guggle +
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+durairajantvvn/posts

Namaste ;)

Sunday, March 2, 2014

The meaning of Om


 

What is OM?


OM is the beginning of the universe

In the beginning there was only Brahman.
Brahman is infinite.
Brahman is the absolute.
Brahman is the Supreme Self.
Brahman is beyond space, time and causation.
Brahman is satchidananda: being, consciousness and bliss.

Brahman is our individual true Self.
All is Brahman.

Brahman brought forth the universe and everything in it.
From Brahman came the many.

This is beautifully described in the words of the Chandogya Upanishad:

“In the beginning was only Being, One without a second. Out of himself he brought forth the cosmos and entered into everything in it. There is nothing that does not come from him. Of everything he is the inmost Self. He is the truth; he is the Self Supreme. You are that, Svetaketu, you are that.”


OM is the sound of the beginning of creation.
OM is the first vibration that came from Brahman.
OM is the primal sound.

With OM Brahman created the universe and everything in it.
The name of Brahman and everything in creation is OM.

We do not create OM by chanting the name, but our chants produce a vibration that is in harmony with the cosmic sound that has been vibrating from the beginning. That is the secret of the power of OM.

Our chanting of OM resonates with the eternal vibration of Brahman. Om is like a divine tuning fork vibrating into eternity.

Why do we chant OM?

We chant OM to connect with our true Self. Since our true Self is the same as the Supreme Self, when we connect with our true Self we connect with the Supreme Self.

When we chant OM it produces a vibration in us which resonates with the universal vibration of OM, and we are elevated from our everyday minds to relationship with our true Self. We chant OM to be in tune with the true Self.

When we chant OM it puts us in a meditative mood. When we chant OM our minds become calm and we can rest in our true Self.

OM is the supreme mantra

All mantras begin with OM. OM is the supreme mantra.

Chanting OM calms and purifies our minds and helps us rest in our true Self.
If we chant OM we become filled with divine energy. It is like taking divine medicine.

In Yoga Sutra 1.28, Patanjali said “Let there by chanting of OM with meditation on its meaning.” By chanting OM our minds become still, and our true Self shines forth.

Chanting OM is the path of bhakti yoga or the path of devotion. Chanting OM helps us unite with the Supreme Being.

OM is a trilogy of meaning meanings

OM is comprised of three sounds: “A”, “U” and “M”. There is also a fourth sound which is a universal vibration and is the essence of all other sounds. This fourth sound is known as the un-struck sound.

OM is comprised of three letters and represents many trilogies of meanings.

Here are some examples:

A U M
Brahma Vishnu Shiva
Creation Preservation Destruction
Body Mind Soul
Rajas Sattva Tamas
Sat Chit Ananda
Past Present Future
Birth Life Death
Jagrat Svapna Sushupti
Father Mother Sun
Fire Sun Wind






OM is consciousness

OM is the four states of consciousness.

OM is the waking state or jagrat.
OM is the dreaming state or svapna
OM is the deep sleep state or sushupti.
Om is the transcendental state or turiya.

The three curves of the OM symbol represent jagrat, svapna and sushupti.

The large curve at the bottom represents jagrat. It is the largest curve because we spend most of our time in the waking state.

The smaller curve above it represents the deep, dreamless state or sushupti.

The curve in the middle represents the dreaming state or svapna because it is an intermediate state between the waking state and the dreamless state.

The dot (or bindu) signifies the fourth state of consciousness or turiya. In this state consciousness looks neither outward nor inward. This peaceful and blissful state is the ultimate aim of all spiritual activity. This state illuminates the other three states.

Finally, the semi-circle symbolizes maya and separates the dot from the other three curves. It is the illusion of maya that prevents us from the realization of this highest state of bliss. The semi-circle is open at the top and does not touch the dot. This means that this highest state is not affected by maya. Maya only affects the manifested phenomenon.

Chanting OM causes our mind to become still, sets up harmonious vibrations in our mind and subtle body, elevates our mind to divinity, and raises our consciousness to the transcendental state of turiya. We unite with the Supreme Self.

Resources

One of the best resources on OM is the Mandukya Upanishad. It is quite short- only 12 stanzas- but is considered one of the deepest and most important of the Upanishads. Swami Krishnananda has published a free book in PDF form which contains the Mandukya Upanishad and his commentary. Here is the link to the book:

www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand/Mandukya_Upanishad.pdf




The Yoga Sutras contain two Sutras on OM: Sutra 1.27 and Sutra 1.28.

Sutra 1.27 states that the sacred word representing Isvara (the Supreme Being) is OM (pranava).

In Sutra 1.28 Patanjali gives us an important teaching for our practice: “Let there be the chanting of OM with meditation on its meaning.” If we read the two together we learn that meditation on the Supreme Being is an important path to realizing our true Self. It is the path of bhakti yoga or the yoga of devotion.




I sat alone on a block of stone
On the banks of the Ganges.
Mother Ganges blessed me.

I meditated on OM and its meaning–
The Word that is the symbol of Brahman.

The little personality was lost.
The mortal limit of the self was loosened.

But there was infinite extension.
I entered into the Nameless beyond;
I realized the unity of bliss.

No words can describe the thrill of joy,
The mystic experiences,
The supreme and divine height of felicity!

The little “I” fused into the incandescent brilliance.

Two become one now,
It was all Tejomaya Ananda–
One mass of transcendental light bliss.

Sri Swami Sivananda

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Chakras in the Body by Ram Dass

If you think in terms of chakras, or energy systems in the body or connected with the body, there is the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, which are called the muladhara, sradhishthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha, anja, and sahasrara. The first one is in the bottom of the spine, the second is sort of below the navel, the third is at the navel, the fourth is in the heart region, the fifth is at the throat, the sixth is between the eyebrows, the seventh is on the top of the head. These don’t necessarily have any physiological correlates. They’re just psychic localizations of psychic energy, let’s put it that way, in this Hindu system, a Sanskrit, Hindu system I was talking about. Now, instead of doing an MMPI or a Rorschach you could also do a chakra chart, just like you could do an astrological chart. And these all tell you certain things. An astrological chart is like an MMPI one level back in abstraction. In the same way, a chakra chart tells, in a way, where the energy is fixed or localized in a person, where it’s stuck.

For most people in the Western universe, in fact most people in the world, almost all of the energy is located either in the first, second, or third chakras. The first chakra can be characterized crudely as being connected with survival and the survival of the individual as a separate being. It’s like we’re in the jungle and there’s one piece of meat and who’s going to get it, you or me? It’s a survival-of-the-fittest type model. It’s a Darwinian assumption about the motivations of beings. When you’re at that chakra, your motivation is to protect yourself as a separate being, your separateness. And the channel up which this is all going is called the Sushumna – think of it as a big river. You go in the river from Africa and the next stop is like the Riviera. See, you’ve got your security under control and now you start to go into sensual gratification and sexual desires and reproduction. You can’t be busy reproducing if you’re protecting your life, but the minute your life’s protected a little bit, then you can concern yourself with the next matter, which is reproducing the species. So the second chakra is primarily concerned with sexual actions, reactions, and so on – at the reproduction level. Procreative. Sex.

The third chakra, that’s like Wall Street and Washington and London. It’s primarily connected with power, with mastery, with ego control. Most of the world that we think of is connected with those particular centers. All the energy’s located there. People justify their lives in terms of reproduction or sexual gratification or power or mastery. And it’s interesting that pretty much any act we know of in the Western world can be done in the service of any one of those energies. So that a man can build a huge dynamic industry or we can say, “Aha, phallic,” meaning second chakra. Or a person can seduce many women in order to have mastery and power over them and we say, “Aha, concerned with power and mastery,” meaning third chakra. Doing sex in the service of third chakra.

Jung is primarily concerned with the fourth chakra.
I would point out that there are still the fifth, sixth and seventh chakras, and these are in terms of other kinds of psychic spaces and ways of organizing the universe and understanding what’s happening. There are many theories that are nonmystical and there are theories that are mystical; there are theories that deal with transcendent states and there are theories that don’t. And when Jung starts to deal with his archetypes, collective unconscious and so on, he is starting to deal with the fourth chakra, which is the same thing as Buddha’s compassion. He is still in astral planes and he himself is afraid to go on, that’s quite clear. He goes just so far and then he stops, because he’s afraid that if he goes the next step, he will no longer be able to do what he does as Carl Jung. That’s a very tricky place, to be able to surrender to your game which you have certain mastery in, in order to go for more. But I’m afraid that everybody is driven to go for more until they can, in the depths of their inner being, say, “This is enough.” And they can only say that when it is. So the press of evolution on man’s consciousness is inevitable. There’s nothing he can do about it. He doesn’t really have much choice in the matter. He’s just got to wake up at the rate he’s got to wake up.
- Ram Dass, 1970

Friday, February 7, 2014

Are you on your way to Bodhisattva?



A Bodhisattva is someone who says from the depth of his or her heart, 
       “I want to be liberated and find ways to overcome 
         all the problems of the world. 
         I want to help all my fellow beings to do likewise. 
         I long to attain the highest state of everlasting peace and happiness,
         in which all suffering  has ceased, 
         and I want to do so for myself and for all sentient beings.” 
According to the Buddha’s teaching, anyone who makes this firm and heartfelt commitment is a Bodhisattva. We become Bodhisattvas from the moment we have this vast and open heart, called Bodhichitta ( is a compassion for all beings, accompanied by a falling away of the attachment to the illusion of an inherently existing self.) , the mind bent on bringing lasting happiness to all sentient beings.

Buddhist literature defines three types of bodhisattvas: 
the kinglike bodhisattva, 
the captainlike bodhisattva, 
and the shepherdlike bodhisattva.

A kinglike bodhisattva is like a good king who first wants everything luxurious for himself, like a big palace, a large entourage, a beautiful queen, and so on. But once his happiness has been achieved, he also wants to help and support his subjects as much as possible. 
Accordingly, a kinglike bodhisattva has the motivation, 
“First, I want to free myself from samsara and attain perfect enlightenment. As soon as I have reached buddhahood, I will help all other sentient beings to become buddhas as well.”

 
A captainlike bodhisattva would say, 
“I would like to become a Buddha, and I will take all other sentient beings along with me so that we reach enlightenment together.” 
This is just as the captain of a ship crosses the sea, he takes his passengers with him, and they reach the far shore simultaneously.

A shepherdlike bodhisattva is inspired by thinking, 
“I want to help all sentient beings to reach enlightenment and see the truth. Only when this is achieved and samsara is emptied will I become a buddha myself.” 
In actual fact it may not happen this way, but anyone who has this motivation is called a “shepherdlike bodhisattva.” In the old days, sheep were not kept in fenced pastures, and the shepherds had to bring them down from the mountains to protect them from wolves. They would follow behind the sheep, guiding them into their pen and lock them in. A shepherd would take care of his sheep first, and only then would he go home and eat.

The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara developed this shepherdlike motivation and is therefore considered to be the most courageous and compassionate of beings. He vowed, “I will not attain complete enlightenment until I have led all sentient beings to liberation without leaving a single one behind.”

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche