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Mastery of Meditation, Kundalini Yoga and Zen
Learning how to meditate is the most important part of being a human being. In fact, to uncover and embrace all that you are, meditation is key. Meditation reveals to you the Truth of your infinite, divine nature, and there are absolutely no material equivalents to these discoveries. Along the way to Self-Realization, many other priceless benefits are also bestowed by meditation practice, and I have detailed those in the following article to help motivate you even further: Top 10 Benefits of Meditation. So given how important meditation is, in this article, I would like to teach you step by step how to learn and practice this great art.
One of the most important aspects of learning how to meditate and reaping the rewards of this spiritual science, is to develop a consistent, daily practice. Without such a practice, you are unlikely to master this subtle art. I have previously discussed some tips on how to accomplish this in a few articles such as, Tips and Tools for Daily Meditation Practice and How Much Time Should You Meditate for Daily, and I would like to summarize all that wisdom for you here today. So below are guidelines of what you need to set-up in order to maximize your chances of learning and succeeding in meditation.
1. Meditation Time:
To really increase the chances of meditation becoming an integral part of your life, set a particular time of day when you plan to meditate. Preferably this should be early in the morning if possible (See: How to Become an Early Riser), but if not, then some other time of day when you can do your meditation consistently is also fine. For beginner's, the optimum configuration is 2 times per day, 20 minutes each session, once in the morning, once in the evening. This configuration has been proven time and again to be the best for those just learning to meditate.
2. Meditation Space:
Not far behind Meditation Time, is Meditation Space, if you want to learn meditation and establish a long-term, consistent practice. Having a space put aside for meditation, will make it much easier to do your daily meditation, and also help induce the right state of mind for meditation. The space should be inspiring, clean and simple, so that once you enter it, your mind reflects the outer order, thus making it easier to concentrate and penetrate beyond the superficial levels of consciousness.
3. Meditation Tools:
Don't underestimate the importance of simple meditation tools to help you learn and master this art. A good meditation cushion, or Zafu will help you with your posture and relieve you of back pain. Proper meditation attire, will keep your blood circulating and prevent your legs from falling asleep. A stop watch will help you stay focused during meditation, as it will relieve the need to constantly check the time. Some incense, or a candle, will help help calm the mind and inspire your spiritual nature. So put these items in place, as they will not just inspire, but also help prevent some of the common pitfalls that derail an early meditation practice. The Tips & Tools article above, gives you more information on this.
You can purchase such items at your favorite yoga and meditation supplies store, or by visiting one of my partners if you like (YogaAccessories).
Once you have established your place and time. The next step is actually getting down to meditating. Although you can meditate sitting up straight on a chair or lying flat on your back, the traditional postures of meditation are sitting cross legged with certain mudras (hand positions in place). These postures are the best for meditating and if you are learning how to meditate, I strongly suggest trying one of these sitting postures first.
Below I am going to show you three postures that are excellent for meditation. One is a basic posture, the second is a typical Hindu meditation posture, and the third is a typical Buddhist meditation posture.
How to Meditate Illustrations:
Basic Meditation Posture
Hindu Meditation Posture
Hindu Meditation Mudra - Gyan Mudra
Hindu Meditation Posture
Buddhist Meditation Mudra - Cosmic Mudra
Buddhist Meditation Posture
How to Sit for Meditation:
For all the postures above, following is common.
1. Sit up nice and tall, keeping your spine straight.
2. Pull your chin back slightly, like a soldier at attention, to align the back of the neck with the spine.
3. If possible sit in Burmese Style (or Full Lotus if you can). In Burmese Style fold your left leg in, and then place your right leg in front of it. The knees are touching the floor as shown above. This forms a very strong base, and also with the legs not on top of each other, prevents common leg issues, when meditating for longer periods of time.
4. For the hand position, there are 3 variation I have given above. Here are the details for those.
Now that you have got yourself into your meditative space and taken the right meditation posture, it is time to actually start meditating 
. To do this, the final step is to choose what type of meditation you are going to practice. I have given a wide range of meditations in the Free Online Guided Meditation Techniques E-book and I have also broken down meditations with regard to benefits, in the article Meditation Techniques | the Ultimate Guide, but for those who are just learning to meditate I would suggest starting with Breath Meditation first. This is a simple technique with profound benefits. It is the meditation of Lord Buddha.
I have given details of this meditation in the article Zen Meditation Technique, but I will offer them here as well.
Above are the basic instructions for breath meditation practice and it is a great way for you to learn how to meditate. The simple act of watching your breath in this way, will teach you great concentration, expand your awareness and give you mastery over your mind and body. As your meditation practice deepens, you can expand your awareness to be mindful of not just your breath, but of any sensations that arise in your body, any feeling or emotions that come up, and finally develop the art of watching and comprehending your thoughts from moment to moment. Perceiving your thinking mind and having direct insight into the false nature of duality and thoughts, is the ultimate goal of meditation. For this advanced version of Insight Meditation, see the article Silent Mind Meditation Technique.
One of the most important goals of this website, is to help you master the art of meditation. As I mentioned at the very beginning, this is where the real treasures of life are found. Once you learn how to meditate, you will learn about your true infinite nature and see the perfection that is inherent in every moment of your life.
One final resource I would like to mention to help you learn to meditate if you are just get started, is the free online meditation class offered here on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga. Below is the link to this class... enjoy!
Thank you everybody for making this one of the largest and best personal development and spiritual growth carnivals in the blogsphere. I would like to invite all my fellow bloggers, webmasters and readers to feel free to network with me on any of the Social Media sites below. Let us use these emerging mediums to develop long lasting friendships and business partnerships .
Network w/ Anmol on Stumble Upon
Below, in addition to yoga and meditation articles, you will find lots of information on fitness, diet, weight loss, positive thinking, mind power, faith, confidence and more. I really hope you enjoy the collection of articles, and find some to help you with your personal development and spiritual growth.
Kat Marchin-Tomlin presents Green Yoga posted at YogaMar - contemplating Yoga and Life, saying, "Green Yoga - How can we incorporate earth consciousness with yoga??"
Shuna Gould presents Science and Yoga posted at Lab Rat, saying, "A scientists view on the philosophy of yoga"
Oz presents The Origin Of Meditation And Evolution Of Meditation Techniques posted at Meditation Techniques: The Blog, saying, "I have used insight meditation and 1,100 of the books out there to track meditation to its ultimate origin. You can read the summary here."
WP presents Free Yourself from the Prison of Your Mind posted at The Conscious Life, saying, "Stories from the past and worries about the imaginary future often leave us exhausted and disenchanted with life. Learn how to transcend the constant chattering in your mind and live a life of freedom and tranquility with breathing meditation."
Celes presents How To Meditate In 5 Simple Steps posted at EmbraceLiving.Net, saying, "To meditate is to sharpen our saw. However, not everyone knows exactly how to do so. Here's a detailed 'How To' guide on how to meditate :)"
Gary Mullen presents Origins and History of Singing Bowls posted at Green Man, saying, "Exploring the history of the Tibetan Singing Bowl."
Den Levin presents Top Causes of Anxiety and How to Handle Them posted at Battle Anxiety, saying, "There are many common causes of anxiety."
Ashley Cook presents How to Get a Good Workout on a Treadmill posted at Healthy Living Tips, saying, "Tips to get a good workout on a treadmill."
Darryl Kimball presents Weight Loss 4 Dumb Asses - My Dumb Ass Work Out Book - Are You Mentally Conditioned to Stay Overweight? posted at www.weightloss4dumbasses.com, saying, "Has the constant advertising of the diet, weight loss, and fitness industry convinced you that losing weight is difficult. Have you been convinced that it takes a lot of time, or that it is just too hard, or that it takes money to lose weight? Perhaps you have allowed yourself to become mentally conditioned to stay overweight!"
Lucy presents Uncovering the True You posted at Lucy's Life, saying, "Why do so many of us not truly know ourselves?"
SwissTgallery presents Sticking With Your Home Workout Routine posted at healthy diet, saying, "You can often find motivation in dedication. When you truly make up your mind to see something through, it can be motivating. However, on days when the motivation isn't there, dedication needs to be present to carry you through. Don't give yourself an option to workout, make it a necessity, a daily requirement. More than likely you will find that you will never regret a workout after the fact."
Jack presents Urban Fitness posted at Urban Lover, saying, "Some tips for getting fit while living in the inner city."
Chris presents How to Feel Your Chi Energy in Just Ten Minutes posted at Martial Development.
Farid presents Puffiness Around Eyes - Treat, Reduce Under Eye Puffiness posted at Puffiness around the eye, saying, "If you're predisposed to under eye puffiness, or you just find yourself looking in the mirror and seeing bags under the eyes, there are several different types of remedies and treatments to fix it. From cucumbers and tea bags to eye masks, there are a number of temporary, short-term solutions. But when you have puffiness around the eyes that occurs more regularly, you may want to explore other, more effective long term treatments available out there."
Nancy Miller presents The Top 50 Mormon / LDS bloggers posted at Online University Reviews.
Alvaro Fernandez presents Book Announcement: The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "While most of us have heard the phrase ?use it or lose it,? very few understand what ?it? means, or how to properly ?use it? in order to maintain brain function and fitness. Here's the story on how my interest turned into a blog and now a book!"
FitJerk presents Build Self Confidence In Mere Weeks! The Newbie Self Conscious Drill posted at FlawlessFitness, saying, "Do you feel you lack confidence or self worth? It's a hard thing to admit. Here is an awesome technique to boost self confidence in weeks! A more confident you will be respected & admired no matter WHAT you look like."
Daylle Deanna Schwartz presents Find Your Mountain posted at Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat, saying, "To climb a mountain, you need to take your first step. Let past successes motivate present challenges. Here's how."
Ella Moss presents ABOUT HAPPINESS « Zodiac Times posted at Zodiac Times.
Dawn Abraham Life Coach presents Power of positive thinking posted at Qualified Life Coach.Com, saying, "What Everybody Should Know About The Power of Positive Thinking ? Does it sound simple? The power of positive thinking? Is it something you wish just came naturally? Having positive thoughts? It?s important to let the Universe know what you want. Not everything in life that is good just happens."
Scientific Living presents The Key to Personality Development Is Remembering Death posted at Scientific Living.
Axel presents Consumed By Collective Fear posted at axel g.
Marisabel presents How to create your own miracles: Life on Canvas posted at Life on Canvas.
Broderick Allen presents Overwhelmed? posted at Broderick Allen - Personal Growth and Enjoying Life's Journey.
Akemi Gaines presents Creating Your Life And The New World posted at Yes to Me.
Joe Tichio presents The Greatest Inspirational Spiritual Quotes posted at Inspirational Quotes Blog, saying, "Inspiring thoughts and quotes on living a spiritual life."
Catherine VanWetter presents To the Heart of the Matter - Inner Peace Tip: Choosing Faith over Fear posted at To The Heart of the Matter, saying, "At times I think about what faith is too much and discover that is a way to get hung up in the details of faith rather than trusting the divine unfolding. How to enter your day with intention."
Rebekah Fraser presents Shift the Global Focus to Peace? posted at Solstice Sing for Peace.
Brain Blogger presents What is Free Will? posted at Brain Blogger, saying, "This post continues my discussion of free will and determinism in neuroscience. Due to the relatively brief nature of these posts, this discussion is incomplete. However, I hope it spurs additional discussion. I believe addressing free will and determinism allows us to understand the underlying theories and implications of neuroscience and social science research as well as the practical application of that research."
Ross presents How to Alkalize On-The-Go posted at Energise for Life, saying, "I have been alkalising for five years and running the world?s largest alkaline diet resource for just as long - and in this blog post I am going to share my biggest tips on how to stay alkaline when you?re on the go"
Lucky Balaraman presents How To Find Happiness, Step 1: posted at Calm and Cool.
Terry Holliday presents Creativity Devotional - Make Me a Channel Meditation posted at My Creativity Blog, saying, "Terry Holliday writes a weekly devotional which includes a photograph, quote, thought and prayer."
Steven presents Mindfulness: What's In It For Me? posted at The Emotion Machine.
Andy presents 100 Weight Loss Tips & Tricks posted at Personal Hack, saying, "The following 100 weight loss tips are divided into 4 sections: Get Moving, Adjust Your Eating Habits, Adjust Your Thinking, and Additional Tips."
Paula Kawal presents Angels Speak posted at Journey Inward Productions, saying, "The Angels are giving me more and more information. They say that the world is in desperate need of healing and the call of every human being currently on the planet revolves around this in some way or form."
Alvina Lopez presents 25 Scientifically Proven Ways to Make Yourself Smarter posted at Psychology Degrees.
Nina presents Ten Powerful Inspirational Quotes and Reflections About Success posted at Metaphysical Teachers, saying, "Sayings and quotes about success can have a powerful effect on you. If you take the time to think about the deeper meaning behind the words, you?ll realize how easily you can apply these sayings into your own life to achieve the success you desire."
Joel Gray presents Illness Prevention It Could Save Your Life posted at Health Tips 101.
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of meditation, yoga and spiritual growth carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Many popular articles on Mastery of Meditation expound on the benefits of meditation, such as Top 10 Benefits of Meditation and 10 Amazing Benefits of Meditation for Students and Young People, but today I want to present you with another view of meditation. I want to explore the dangers of not meditating. I want to discuss what happens when you don't meditate and what are the signs that are yelling at you to start meditating immediately.
1. Anger:
Every time you lose it. It does not matter what the reason is, this is a clear signal to you that you need to start meditating. Meditation means residing deep within, in your center, where you are infinitely at peace and have great composure, and the more you live from this center the less the storms on the periphery disturb you.
This goes for irritation as well. Getting irritated with the children, co-workers, other drivers, spouses, etc., all mean the same thing. You are not meditating enough. Not that meditation alone will cure all irritation, as there can be bio-chemical reasons for this as well, but it will certainly help a whole lot. So next time you feel that anger creeping up, don't react, watch the energy carefully and set your alarm clock thirty minutes earlier for the next morning .
2. Jealousy:
Clearly a sign that you are on the wrong track, with the wrong perspective and wrong attitude is if you are a frequent victim of jealousy. In fact, this is so good an indicator of you not meditating enough, that I felt it was a good way to actually test your spiritual level. You will find the details of how to test yourself using jealousy in the article, How to Test Your Spiritual Growth.
3. Stress:
Are you and Mr. Stress the best of buddies? Inseparable are you? Well if you want to end this relationship with Mr. Stress you have to start meditating. The key to a long, healthy life is to live stress free. An Ayurvedic Doctor I recently met told me that 80% of the problems that patients came to see her with were stress related. So a big danger of not meditating is ending up hanging out with Mr. Stress. And where Mr. Stress hangs out, Mr. Disease is not too far away.
To help motivate you and give you some solid techniques to live stress free, here is a great resource: Best Treatments for Stress & Anxiety Disorder. You will notice I grouped anxiety along with stress, and I just want to mention that this is another sign that you are not meditating enough. If you suffer from panic attacks and anxiety, you need to start a meditation program. There is ample evidence showing the benefits of meditation with regard to anxiety as well.
4. Restlessness | Insecurity:
Are you feeling your life is meaningless? Feeling you are not doing anything special in life? Feeling you are not achieving your true potential? These are signs that you are not meditating. Meditation puts you in touch with your infinite nature, and from there you realize that there is nothing lacking whatsoever in you. You are perfect and life is perfectly fine just the way it is. This realization is the reward of meditation, and the further you are from this realization, means the further you are from meditation.
Related signs to restlessness are the feelings of self-doubt, insecurity and fear. These are other dangers you will have to face if you decide to not meditate. The ego is insecure. It endlessly seeks security and safety. Meditation helps you de-emphasize your egocentric mind, and instead reside in your simple witnessing awareness. This living in the witnessing consciousness, in the here and now, weakens the ego and thus, relieves you of the feelings of insecurity, fear and self-doubt.
5. Hatred:
As Yogi Bhajan puts it, "If you don't see God in all, you don't see God at all." I love that saying, and can't put it any better than that. Hatred is born of fear and is only possible when you emphasize differences. The more you break up Reality and side with different fragments, the more you open the door to hatred and fear.
Eyes that see the world and humanity as one big family, in fact, eyes that see the whole world as just your family, are eyes that are going to be full of compassion and love. Meditation is responsible for opening your eyes to this view. So if you are filled with fear and hatred, the red flag is up, you need to start meditating. Looking around at the state of world today, I wish along with prescribing a daily multivitamin, everyone was prescribed thirty minutes of daily meditation as well.
I can always tell when I have drifted away from my meditation practice. Invariably one of the signs above will light up and remind me of what is the most important thing in life - meditation. I suggest the same for you. Keep an eye out for these danger signs above, if you notice their presence getting stronger, you know it is time to get back to meditating. If you are new to meditation and are looking to start this profound practice, whose rewards have no material equivalent, I suggest you try some of the free online meditation classes offered here on this site. Below are some helpful links in this regard.
Yoga, as I have mentioned previously, is not just for stretching and flexibility, but is perfectly capable of giving you a complete full body workout. Thus, if you are looking for fitness, strength and muscle tone, along with the added benefits of mental and emotional balance, yoga is an excellent solution for you.
In this article today, I will combine for you several key exercises and sets, which when put together give you a complete fitness routine. This workout will target your upper body, stomach and abs, as well as help you tone and strengthen your lower body. On the way to doing this, it will even give your important heart muscle a bit of a workout.
The techniques and exercises in this comprehensive set come of the school of Kundalini Yoga. I have found that Kundalini Yoga, because it uses so much dynamic movement, is especially good for routines geared towards fitness and dynamic strength. Don't get me wrong, other types of yoga also use flow and movement, and will deliver quite a workout as well, but in general, Kundalini Yoga fits the needs of a full body fitness routine very well.
Your will find the exercises, poses and postures used in this Yoga for Full Body Fitness Set in the Free Online Kundalini Yoga Exercises E-book and the Free Illustrated Hatha Yoga Poses E-book. In addition, this set will make up Chapter 17 of our popular Free Online Kundalini Yoga Sets E-book. Soon it will also be a part of a even more complete yoga fitness program via the Free Online Yoga & Meditation Classes held here on Mastery of Meditation & Yoga.
I suggest visiting the exercises and sets in particular to see all the benefits and other details for these exercises, there are too many to list here. Below I will just give the highlights of what this delivers:
The following two articles are important to read as they provide guidelines on how to practice yoga intelligently and safely:
Essential Beginners Guide to Yoga Practice
10 Important Guidelines for Kundalini Yoga Practice
Remember the golden rule is please do not overdo or over strain. Especially if you are new to yoga, please use the beginner's version for the difficult exercises and back off if you feel uncomfortable or dizzy. For all the poses in this set illustrations have also been provided.
You will also need to learn the Breath of Fire breathing exercise, which is taught in the following video: Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama. This breathing exercise is a fundamental breathing technique in Kundalini Yoga and is used in conjunction with the yoga poses in the set below. If at any time you feel it is difficult to keep up with breath of fire during the exercise, please switch to long deep breathing or normal breathing instead. Breath of Fire will play an important role in helping you achieve the level of fitness you seek, by adding an important respiratory and circulatory component to the workout.
To meet the requirements of full body fitness, this set obviously utilizes a wide range of exercises and sequences. All these are illustrated and detailed below, but I want to give you a quick summary of them here first for easy reference. To get more details, you can scroll down to the particular section or head over to the article for that particular technique or pose.
Do each exercise as per your strengths and weaknesses of your body regions. If your abs are already fit and strong, you can do more repetitions of the abdominal exercises, while if your legs are strong already you can do more Kundalini Yoga Froggies. If you are new to yoga or just getting started with your fitness program, do the beginner times for the exercises as I have detailed below.
- Cobra Push-ups - Upper Body Fitness
- Yoga Ab Exercises Set - Core Fitness
- Yoga Chair Pose - Lower Body Fitness
- Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose - Lower Body Fitness
- Rest & Rejuvenation
I have broken down this routine into 4 sections. First is upper body training, second is core abdominal fitness, the third is lower body strength and toning, and finally a relaxation section at the end.
Illustration #A Starting Position
a. Instructions for practicing Cobra Push Ups:
Cobra Push-Ups Variation #2:
.Cobra Push-ups Variation #3:
b. Duration for Cobra Push-ups:
c. Benefits of Cobra Push-ups:
d. Practice Tips for Cobra Push-ups:
1. Yoga Single Leg Lifts:
Illustration #1: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts - Starting Position
Illustration #2: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts - Left Leg Up
Illustration #3: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts - Right Leg Up
Description:
For this exercise lie on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back, as shown in Illustration #1. Then lift your left leg up to 90 degrees and then back down (Illustration #2). Follow that by lifting your right leg to 90 degrees and then down (Illustration #3). Repeat with left leg and continue on. You will feel your abdominal muscles working to raise each leg.
Breath:
Inhale as leg goes up, exhale down.
Duration:
1- 3 minutes.
2. Yoga Double Leg Lifts:
Illustration #4 - Yoga Ab Double Leg Life - Starting Position
Illustration #5 - Yoga Ab Double Leg Lifts - Ending Position
Description:
For this exercise remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back. But now lift both legs smoothly up to 90 degree and then back down. Try to keep your knees straight and keep the motion controlled and smooth (illustration #5). This exercise work your ab muscles much harder than the single leg lifts, so be ready.
Make sure to take a break between exercises to let the abdominal muscles recover a little before moving on.
Breath:
Inhale as legs goes up, exhale down.
Duration:
1- 3 minutes.
3. Yoga Criss-Cross Legs:
Illustration #6 - Yoga Ab Criss Cross Legs
Illustration #7 - Yoga Ab Criss Cross Legs
Description:
Again for this exercise remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back. Now lift both legs up about 12-18 inches off the floor and have your toes pointing forward. Now begin to criss-cross your legs at ankle level rapidly (Illustrations 6 & 7). At first one leg will be on top, and then when you cross back have the other leg be on top.
This exercise will give the side ab muscles (obleques) a workout,and is excellent for shaping your stomach region. Energy for fitness comes from your core, so when this gets tough remember all the good you are doing for yourself.
Breath:
Do the Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise as you criss-cross your legs.
Duration:
1- 3 minutes.
4. Yoga Piston Legs:
Illustration #8 - Yoga Ab Piston Legs
Illustration #9 - Yoga Ab Piston Legs
Description:
Remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back. Again lift both legs up about 12-18 inches off the floor and have your toes pointing forward. Now begin to piston your legs back and forth rapidly (Illustrations 8 & 9). As one leg bends in (knee coming towards the chest), the other goes straight out and the motions reverse.
Be sure to not bicycle the legs, the legs should move parallel to the floor for this exercise. This exercise will ensure that if any parts of your stomach muscles were left out of the workout, that they get a chance to now participate . Six-pack abs here we come...
Breath:
Breath out as you fire each leg out.
Duration:
1- 5 minutes.
5. Add Stretch Pose or Boat Post (Optional).
The above 4 ab exercises provide a great workout to tone and develop your stomach, but if you feel ready to take it to the next level, then add Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose to this set. If you feel really strong and would like to set the bar even higher, then add Kundalini Yoga Boat Pose to enhance this set further. You will find me demonstrating Yoga Boat Pose in the Core Abdominal Power Yoga Set Video and description also in that article.
Illustration #10 - Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose
a. Step-by-Step Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:
b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:
c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:
d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:
Picture of Ending Position for Yoga Frog Pose
a. Step-by-Step Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:
b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:
c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:
d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:
Corpse Pose:
As I mentioned above, this set is going to eventually be part of a more complete yoga fitness program, which will then become part of the online classes that are offered, but in and of itself it is an excellent routine to develop total body fitness and health.
Previously, in the series Clever Yoga Tips for Busy People, I gave some handy tips on how to incorporate some useful yoga techniques into your everyday life. These included doing the wonderful Kapalbhati Pranayama for Weight Loss and Health while walking or driving, and doing Toe Touches (Padahast Asana) while in the shower. But, today I want to share with your some very good tips which you can easily integrate right into your yoga routine, in order to get a whole lot more out of it. After all, you are doing your practice anyway, might as well get the most out of the time you spend on the mat.
These simple yoga tips will help you awaken your Third Eye, release stress, increase the vibration of you energy, heal better, improve concentration and also help you develop the great yogic mind or witnessing consciousness. So let's get started...
Practicing Mula Bandha - Root Lock:
Apply root lock at the end of any exercise(s). To apply root lock, once you are done with your exercise, sit up straight, inhale deeply, then exhale completely and holding your breath out pull your rectum, sex organ and lower navel muscles up and in. Hold these three muscles up and in as tight as you are comfortable doing with your breath held out. When you need to, release this lock and inhale. Then repeat two more times for maximum benefit.
Mula Bandha or Root Lock is excellent for activating the three lower chakras (root, sex and navel chakras), and it has the added benefit of redirecting energy generated by the previous exercise(s) back into the spine for further use by the body. I strongly suggest using this tip to help raise the level of your energy and level of your practice.
Adding Relaxation Periods:
After doing a few exercises (and now after applying Mula Bandha ), take a minute or so to relax. This relaxation period, whether done on your back, sitting or even standing is very important to give the body a chance to assimilate the energy that is now circulating as a result of the previous work.
During this relaxation period, the body rejuvenates, heals and charges itself, especially in the regions that were targeted by the previous poses and postures. When doing this relaxation on your back, use yoga corpse pose and if doing it while sitting try to keep your back straight. In addition, just do long deep slow breathing during this relaxation time, which helps deepen the level of relaxation. This practice is also excellent for stress and anxiety relief.
Practicing Shambhavi Mudra:
As you start to sprinkle the relaxation periods into your workouts, you can enhance their value further by adding the following aspect to it, Shambhavi Mudra. This is to turn your eyes upwards, while closed and look through the center of your forehead. This is called Shambhavi Mudra, and it helps stimulate and activate the Third Eye or Ajna Chakra.
The Third Eye is the seat of intuition and awakening this center is a key aspect of making progress in yoga and kundalini awakening. Shambhavi Mudra is a very useful technique in this regard. One important caution with regard to applying this mudra, is to apply it for only as long as comfortable and releasing it when you feel you need to (and applying it again when ready). In other words, don't over strain your eyes when practicing this mudra.
One final note with regard to this tip, is that you can use Shambhavi Mudra during the active portions of your practice as well, whenever the opportunity presents itself. So when holding certain postures or during certain movement, apply the mudra as best as you can. If applying the mudra is difficult, then you can just bring your attention to the Third Eye region, without the mudra, as that too will help stimulate the activate this important center.
Practicing SAT NAM Mantra:
Another excellent way to enhance the relaxation period more and use it to develop your concentration and spiritual energy is to mentally chant a mantra while in relaxation. This is also perfectly compatible with practicing Shambhavi Mudra and therefore can be done in conjunction with th
