One of the most profound meditations is the chanting of the OM mantra.  There are many meditation techniques that use the OM mantra, and in today’s article you will find an excellent variation below. This technique has been wonderfully explained by Richard, and this is his first guest post on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga.  Richard is a meditation teacher and author, and you will find more information on the courses he offers on his website Shaktipat-meditation.org.

If you would like to be a guest author on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please email me at anmol@anmolmehta.com.

Chanting Sacred Om

By

Richard Crown

Om is the most sacred sound in our Universe. It represents the basic Shakti energy field that forms the substratum of all existence. The goal of chanting Om is to realize Shakti and become Shakti. While reaching this goal, you can enjoy excellent health and many other benefits by simply chanting Ommmmm……

I learned this exercise from a vibrantly healthy Chinese man who had long white hair tied back in a ponytail. I met him on the street in front of a Taoist Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He told me, “When I was a young man, I took a long journey up into the Himalayas on a Spiritual quest. The only thing I learned was how to chant Om. I’ve never had a sick day since then”.

3 Phases of Om

The Shakti energy field is composed of the smallest energy particles in existence. This particle field underlies everything in our universe. The particles flash out of, and disappear back into, emptiness so fast that their life span cannot be measured. All phenomenon in our universe is created from Shakti particles, sustained in Shakti and disintegrates back into Shakti.

The sacred sound of Om encompasses all three phases of energy:

1. Creating (Brahma)
2. Sustaining (Vishnu)
3. Disintegrating (Shiva)

When you chant Om as described in the exercise below you are:

1. Creating new energy to rebuild yourself on all levels.
2. Sustaining your presence in the universe.
3. Disintegrating away old, unneeded, stale energies, leaving you clean and refreshed.

Chanting Om With Beads

Chanting with beads is the traditional method of measuring both time and number of repetitions while chanting. If you don’t have beads, set the alarm on your cell phone for 10-15 minutes.

Buddhist beads are the most common. There 108 beads on the string –one bead for each of the Buddha’s 108 disciples. You could also use Muslim beads with 99 beads or a Christian Rosary.

Hold the beads loosely in your hand draped over your index finger. Every time you chant Om once, use your thumb to move one bead.  There is usually one slightly larger bead, or a piece of string, to mark the beginning and ending point. Once around the string of beads is one mala.

Pronunciation & Vibration of Om

1. O –long O sound, short duration.
2. m –short m sound, very long duration.

 The long O sound lasts for a very short period of time with your mouth open.

The short mmmmmm…… sound lasts very long with your mouth closed. (It continues as long as you are breathing out.) Send the sound vibrations up your nasal passages with your exhaling breath to vibrate the bone in your nose.

Ommmmm……. While vibrating your nasal bone.

The vibration of your nasal bone is THE most important part of this exercise. No benefit accrues without this vibration. The vibrating nose bone is the magical tool that sends waves of Om energy throughout your entire system.

An Om Exercise

1. Chant the sacred Om sound aloud for one mala. This vibrates all your cells, detoxifying and recharging them.
2. Chant Om in a whisper for one mala. This cleanses your emotions.
3. Chant Om silently for one mala. Continue chanting in time with your breath, sending the silent sound into your nasal bone. This vibrates your etheric energy body. Ultimately you will see the Shakti particle field.

Chanting Om purifies you on all levels. It dissolves away the obstructions that are preventing you from experiencing reality and gaining Enlightenment.

Richard Crown left his native California for Asia more than thirty years ago. He began meditating with the Forest Monks of Northern Thailand before moving on to South India where he has received authorization to teach from two different SatGurus.

Richard now teaches meditation in centers throughout Southeast Asia and worldwide via Skype/Tel. His favorite teaching energies are Shaktipat, Kundalini and Deeksha because they take students very deep into meditation very fast. You can take a personal online course with Richard at Shaktipat-meditation.org.

Download 2 free Ebooks Creating Eternity: A Meditation and Healing Manual and Ascension In Love: Our Spiritual Journey at http://shaktipat-meditation.org/weekly-shaktipat-blessing/

Connect w/ Anmol

Related posts:

1. Best Mantra Meditation for Emotional Healing | New Free So Hum Mantra Video
2. Great Vedic Mantra for Abundance – Vishvani Deva Mantra
3. Powerful Lord Shiva Mantra | Mahamritunjay Mantra Free MP3 Download
4. OM (AUM) Mantra Meditation Video for Kundalini Yoga Class
5. Lord Ganesh Mantra for Success | Perfect Mantra for the New Year

For all the readers of Mastery of Meditation and Yoga that read my articles via RSS feed or directly from the website, please find below the 10 best yoga poses from last year.  This was the topic of my January 2012 – Edition 1 newsletter.  Edition 2 featured the 10 best meditation from last year.  If you would like to sign up for the newsletter simply enter you email at the top left corner of the website.

The next newsletter will feature the 10 best articles from 2011, so in case you missed any of them, you will have a chance to catch up :-).

Each title below is a link to the article with all the details including cautions, benefits, practice tips, etc.  So click that to get full details for that pose.

#2: CLICK FOR YOGA FOR BACK AND LUMBAR SPINE

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/10/13/yoga-for-lumbar-back-pain/

 

Given that almost 80% of adults in the US suffer from back problems at some point of their life, it is no surprise that coming in at #2 is Yoga Bridge Pose.

 

This video article teaches many variations of Bridge Pose.  Some of these variations are perfect for beginners, while others are for advanced practitioners.  The best part is that all of these pose variations are excellent for strengthening and toning the lower back and spine.

 

Here is a picture of Advanced Bridge Pose.  Check out the article for full details and modifications…

 

 

Advanced Bridge Pose Picture

 

#3: CLICK FOR YOGA FOR MALE SEXUAL FITNESS

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/11/15/yoga-exercise-to-enhance-virility-male-sexual-fitness/

 

2011 was the year of Free Yoga Videos.  I created videos of many of the best yoga poses and exercises to help you learn the techniques easily and as well as possible.

One of these videos, was for Chair Pose, which is designed for improving sexual virility and energy.  This pose is also great if you are looking to tone and strengthen your thighs and buttocks.

You will find the original article for Chair Pose here – Chair Pose for Sexual Health.  For this pose there are modifications for beginner’s as well, which you will also find in the video.

 

 

Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose

 

#4 CLICK FOR POWER YOGA ELBOW PLATFORM

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/11/29/power-yoga-video-online/

 

This is one of best power yoga poses and is great for those who are really looking to challenge themselves.

This pose works your upper and lower body simultaneously and is excellent for building grit and character.  Below is an advanced version of this difficult pose.  I suggest trying the basic version first, as that is quite difficult in and of itself.

You will find the original article, which is part of the Free Kundalini Yoga Exercises Collection, here – Tough Power Yoga Pose. 

 

 

Advanced Elbow Platform

 

#5 KUNDALINI AWAKENING SPINAL TWISTS

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/12/07/awakening-the-kundalini-with-yoga-twists/

 

For those aspirants interested in stimulating Kundalini Shakti at the base of the spine, this is an exercise worth exploring.  You should note that this exercise done with particular hand positions is best for kundalini awakening affects.  

Also this article not just contains a video demonstration of this movement, but has links to other important resources for those interested in awakening kundalini.

 

#6 CLICK FOR BEST CORE YOGA EXERCISE

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/04/13/core-yoga-pose/

 

If you have been a reader of my blog, then you know that core and ab work is something I always stress.  This not only helps tone and shape your stomach, it also helps you build character and willpower.

 

To work on the core there is of course the classic Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose and in 2011 I finally got a chance to create a video of this wonderful exercise, which you will find in this article.

 

 

Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose

 

#7: CLICK FOR THIGH AND BUTT YOGA WORKOUT

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/10/14/excellent-thigh-workout-from-yoga/

 

One of the great things about yoga sequences is that a single sequence can work on many different parts of the body.  I see these types of exercises now being done at the gym, but yoga has incorporated them for thousands of years already.

 

The sequence in this article, is great for healthy weight loss, toning your things and buttocks, building your cardiovascular system and improving your flexibility.  It is a one of the best combo exercises.  

 

#8: CLICK FOR YOGA FOR CLEARING ROOT CHAKRA

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/03/18/opening-and-healing-the-root-chakra-yoga-pose/

 

Another video from 2011 was for the yoga crow pose, which is excellent for cleansing the root chakra.

 

As all other videos, this one also teaches important modifications for this pose.

 

#9: CLICK FOR EASY YOGA TWISTS

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/10/31/easy-yoga-exercises/

 

A perfect exercise for starting your yoga session and warming up the entire torso and back are these easy spinal twists.  This exercise is recommended for daily practice by many schools of yoga and they are excellent for beginners, seniors and kids as well.

 

 

Easy Yoga Spinal Twists

 

#10: CLICK FOR YOGA FOR NECK PAIN

 

http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/04/01/neck-yoga-exercises/

 

This is a very nice set for stretching the neck in a safe and healthy way.  If you have tension, pain or stiffness in your neck, or are looking to warm-up prior to doing more advanced yoga asanas then this set is perfect for you.

 

The set is also good for those with thyroid issues or looking to work on the Throat Chakra.

 

 

 

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Related posts:

1. Basic Yoga Poses for Balance
2. Basic Yoga Poses for Weight Loss – Part 2
3. Best Yoga for Weight Loss – Complete with Illustrated Yoga Poses and Exercises
4. Yoga Positions for Beginners | Basic Yoga Poses
5. Top Yoga Poses with Pictures for Daily Practice

Kundalini Awakening Signs

To help people identify that what they were feeling and experiencing were actually signs of Kundalini Awakening and not symptoms of a mental or medical condition, I created a list of Kundalini Awakening Symptoms for them to use as a reference.  These symptoms were from my own experience with Kundalini Rising, and were certainly not comprehensive.

Kundalini is a very mysterious process and its awakening and rising tends to always have some unique and personal aspects.  Of course there are many common signs, but if you read the hundreds of comments in that article thread, you will notice there are various different ways that people experience kundalini.   These varied experiences then gives us more insight into the nature and secrets of kundalini and how she works.

One good thing though with regard to Kundalini Syndrome, which is what the experience of Kundalini Awakening is often referred to as, is that the approach to dealing with the challenges such awakening brings is usually common.  Of course there are cases on the extreme end of the spectrum, which need medical intervention and/or psychotherapy, but the vast majority of cases can be handled individually by following the advise laid out in the following 2 articles…

7 Effective Tips for Dealing with Kundalini Syndrome

Kundalini Shakti Help and Advise

So as I alluded to above, the list of kundalini symptoms I enumerated is not necessarily a complete list, and today I want to share with you Don’s kundalini experience, which has a detailed account of what he went through with regard to kundalini.

I find his account very useful as it adds to the list of signs of kundalini awakening and also provides valuable advise and help for others who might be struggling with kundalini syndrome.  I want to thank Don for sharing his experience with us and if you have yourself experienced kundalni rising please do share your experiences with us in the comments section below.  I am sure others will benefit from your insights as well.

Don’s Kundalni Experience and Symptom List:

When I started to experience, what I later found out after intensive soul searching and some online research, to be Kundalini symptoms, I was, to put it quite bluntly, terrified.  The height of their intensity was in November, October, and December of 2010.  I awoke suddenly in the middle of the night to some intensely pleasurable vibrations of a sexual nature, when my wife was sound asleep next to me.  Since I knew it wasn’t coming from either of us, I was disturbed, putting it mildly.  The next few months were followed by me not being able to sleep without the light on.  I felt very strong waves of unseen energy traveling from the soles of my feet toward my head. It was like being in a massage chair.  I had nightmares, and I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.

I went through some nights or days when I was home alone with some intense kriyas.  That’s what terrified me more than anything at the time. I had no control of what was happening, and I didn’t yet understand why.  My spine felt like it was elongating. I would go through periods of spontaneous stretching.  I was also experiencing some painful aches in my left side, just under my ribcage, which my doctor had no medical explanation for, after she put her stethoscope to where the pain was.  That physical pain only lasted a few months,
 thankfully.  I went through some horrible neck and back pain for those few months, too.  At times, I couldn’t even stand up straight.

Here’s a list of other symptoms I was experiencing at the time:

1. Spontaneous popping sounds coming from my nose
.

2. Itchy crawly sensations on my left leg, between my eyebrows, cheeks, and my neck.


3. What felt like tremendous heat around my left leg and foot. I went through an agonizing forklift injury to my left foot in 2003 that was followed by a long bout of depression, over not being able to support my family the way I was used to, so that needed tremendous healing, and it has in more ways than one today. I didn’t lose my foot, but the crushing injury shattered several bones in my heel, severing my ligaments, and liquifying the soft tissues inside my foot. I shouldn’t be able to run on it today, but I can sprint today from home plate to first base. That shouldn’t be possible, considering the severity of the injury.


4. Intense ringing in my ears
.

5. Spontaneous emotional trauma and anxiety (sudden memories cropping up of past trauma of sex abuse my brother and I endured at a daycare in the early seventies)


6. Tachycardia (rapid heart rate of 100 beats a minute or more)
.

7. Severe headaches
.

8. Seeing black blobs of color with my eyes closed that were beyond dark (fears that needed to be released that manifested into dark entities that I could feel and sense)


9. Unexplained twitches unrelated to anything like Parkinson’s disease
.

10. Being jerked awake at times, almost like my arm was suddenly pulled out of socket.


11. Severe lack of sleep.


12. Considered checking into a mental hospital, and so glad I didn’t
.

13. Considered an exorcism.


14. Severe lack of concentration, like I couldn’t retain any new information.


15. What felt like electrical sparks around my head and in between my eyebrows.


16. Spontaneous orgasms that would go on for hours when I was alone with no stimulation or visual. (Reminded me of puberty, without a doubt, although I was now 40)


17. Nocturnal emissions (wet dreams).


18. Spontaneous yoga positions, although I’d never taken yoga (something I also experienced often around the age of 10-15).

The list goes on, believe me, but these were the most intense.

Then, an amazing thing happened at about 3 in the morning. I had been lying in bed terrified, when I was suddenly out of my body up near the ceiling in the corner of my bedroom. I looked down to see an intensely beautiful being rubbing my forehead, comforting me. I saw what I can only describe as her wings, stretched down past my toes. My entire bedroom was lit up in the most amazing blue light I can even imagine. In an instant, I was next to my kids’ room, where the light was a beautiful shade of orange. Then, I was in the living room, gazing down at my daughter as she was bathed by a brilliant white light, where she had fallen asleep. Then, I ended up in the kitchen to see an amazing shade of green throughout that space. Before I knew it, I was back in my body.

From that moment on, I have been in awe. I released my fears. I truly did experience a “dark night of the soul.”  If you’re going through anything like that, and you’re scared, just release your fear. Fill your heart and thoughts with love.  Love vibrates at a very high frequency. 

In the coming months, I started to sleep soundly all night long. I started to see auras with the naked eye, as I do today quite clearly. My aura is the most amazing neon green I can imagine, and lately I’ve been seeing my aura turn more blue, and it’s getting stronger and bigger all the time. I’m in school right now, working on medical assisting classes, and I plan on using that as a stepping stone to move into nursing.

There is a spiritual awakening going on. I can feel it every moment.  Trust your heart.  Trust your intuition. Love yourself as you deserve to be loved, so that you can share that with others.

Lately, I’ve been able to see brilliant shades of purple, blue, and green with my eyes closed, and especially during and shortly after meditation.  I see these with the naked eye just as easily.  The universe all around us is teeming with life.  I trust in that with every ounce of my intuition. It’s something that I’ve always had a gut feeling about. It’s nice to know it’s true.

Namaste and God bless you always! – Don Winslow

Kundalini Experience Signs and Symptoms Summary:

Don’s experience is that of a full blown kundalini awakening.   If you are experiencing kundalini activating, you may also be experiencing some of these symptoms.

What I want to especially highlight here is the importance of Trust.  If you are going through something like this, you have to simply trust the process.  This will help reduce the anxiety, stress and fear that accompanies such a process, which will also help reduce some of the symptoms that are actually not related to kundalini rising, but related to stress and anxiety.  I know this can be very hard to do, but the more you can trust kundalini, the better you will be able to handle her.

Some of the interesting symptoms that Don experienced that are often reported are those of spontaneous yoga poses, itchy creepy crawly, intense pressure in the forehead and spontaneously organisms.  If you are also experiencing any symptoms of kundalini awakening, feel free to share them with us in the comments sections below.

Connect w/ Anmol

Related posts:

1. Kundalini Awakening Symptoms
2. Awesome Power of Prayer for Kundalini Awakening & More
3. Awakening of Kundalini | 4 Powerful Meditations
4. Jiddu Krishnamurti Ponders His Enlightenment & Kundalini Awakening
5. Top 5 Signs You Are Living Your Passion

Simple Yoga Fat Burning Exercise

Today I read an interesting piece of advice regarding using simple Jumping Jacks 3 or 4 times a day to help you expend extra calories, burn fat and speed up your weight loss results.  The article suggested doing 3 sets of 100 Jumping Jacks scattered throughout the day to complement your weight loss exercise program.  It stated that you could burn an additional 60 calories a day by including this easy exercise into your day, and that each set would take just 2 minutes to do.

I like this idea and I think its benefits will go beyond just burning fat and losing weight.  Today a lot of jobs and life styles lack physical activity and there are many studies that strongly suggest taking a break from prolonged sitting and getting periodic exercise throughout the day.  I think this will help with cardiovascular health, respiration, relieving stress, and also help with issues such as back problems and the like.  But if you are going to make the effort of sprinkling in the Jumping Jacks during the day, why not do the advanced form of Jumping Jacks which will not just help you burn fat, but will also help you develop mental focus and concentration.  In other words, do Yoga Jumping Jacks :-).

The yoga variation of this exercise will be just as good in getting your heart rate up and help you burn fat, but the design of this movement is such that it will require additional concentration from you to do correctly.  This additional concentration will work your brain along with your body and help you build mental focus.  The variation will also help expand your lung capacity. 

We should all be familiar with simple Jumping Jacks, and have probably done plenty in gym class or physical education training, but for yoga jumping jacks, you break up the exercise into 4 parts instead of the 2 parts it normally consists of.  Step by step details and illustrations are in the instructional section below.

For those who are familiar with the popular Healthy Weight Loss Yoga Set here on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, this exercise is part of that set.  In an upcoming article I am going to discuss how fast you can lose weight with yoga, and this set will certainly be a part of that discussion.

More Yoga Exercises and Poses:

You will find plenty more yoga poses and exercises in the following 2 free online collections.  There you will find both, easy yoga exercises and poses, as well as more advanced one. Free Hatha Yoga Galleries and Free Kundalini Yoga Exercises.

For Yoga and Meditation Certification Program Students:

For students enrolled in the Online Yoga Teacher’s Training and Certification Program or Online Meditation Certification Program, this is a great exercise to do early in your class, especially if you want to get the energy going and get everyone’s blood pumping.  Also, as this is a relatively easy exercise to do, almost all students can participate.  Make sure you have plenty of spacing between the students prior to starting.

Yoga Exercise to Burn Fat – Yoga Jumping Jacks

Below please find details of how to practice Yoga Jumping Jacks, along with illustrations, step-by-step instructions, benefits and practice tips.  Please note the special breathing that goes along with the movements.

Yoga Jumping Jacks Illustrations

B. How Much To Do:

• For the purpose of losing weight, burning fat and doing it frequently during the day, as I mentioned, do 2 minutes or a set of 100.  Try to do 3 times a day to burn more calories.
  
• In general though you can even do 5 minutes of this exercise.
  

C. Easy Yoga JJ Exercise Benefits:

• Good for Burning Fat and promoting weight loss.
• The different variation and coordination with the breathing makes it good for building concentration and focus.
• Works on your heart and lungs.
• Helps tone and strengthen your calves and leg muscles.
• Works on your arms and shoulders.
• Great exercise for getting your entire body warmed up and getting your energy going.

D. Practice Tips for Yoga JJs:

• This yoga exercise is not as simple as it looks as you really have to focus in order to break the pattern of how you normally do Jumping Jacks.  Once you get the rhythm though, it should get easier and start to flow.
  
• To modify this exercise just move the legs or just the arms.  This easier version is good for seniors or the disabled.  Also, if you are getting tired you can switch to doing just arms or just legs, to allow yourself some time to recover.
  
• You can also of course do normal Jumping Jacks instead of these more difficult ones.
• This is really a fun exercise to do, so enjoy yourself as you do it.  Embrace a child like mentally and jump away.

More Fat Burning Exercises and Poses:

Post Natal Yoga Exercise to Lose Weight

Best Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss

PS: If you enjoy this exercise or any other exercise on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please do share them with your friends. I appreciate your support.

Connect w/ Anmol

Related posts:

1. Rapid Weight Loss Yoga Exercise Video
2. Yoga Exercise to Tone Thighs and Buttocks
3. Weight Loss Yoga Exercise Program Feedback
4. Bhastrika Yoga Breathing Exercise to Burn Fat for Natural Weight Loss & More
5. Yoga for Weight Loss | Free Yoga Weight Loss Programs

Altruism and Living a Good Life

One of the more interesting debates in the spiritual landscape is whether or not Enlightenment stops at “being”, or if living a truly enlightened life, includes “doing”.  In other words, can the enlightened life be defined as simply being in the state of Oneness, with no trace of the ego, or should the definition of an enlightened life include doing good and being altruistic?

Is focusing on “being” enough?  Is it ok to stumble upon the state of non-duality or the One Self and then retire to the mountains to rejoice in this discovery?  Or is it incumbent upon those who have discovered this great Truth to then be of service to others?

In the article, the 5 Principles of Living a Good Life, I detailed the 5 principles I follow, which I feel are key to enlightenment and living an awakened and good life.  These 5 principles are the following…

1. Being Relaxed: Going with the flow.
2. Witnessing: Being mindful of your thoughts, feelings and actions.
3. Affection: Being kind and loving.
4. Honesty: In all things, actions included.
5. Courage: This is needed to face the horror of your inward state and go beyond.

The above 5 principles were not forged overnight, but they came forth after being on the spiritual path for many years.  Although in the list above I included affection, I did not specifically say that doing good or altruism was a necessary part of the process.  In other words affection can be taken as more passive in nature, while going out there and doing good is more active in nature.

To this list and article, I received a very interested response from my friend Steve Cohen.  He is indicating that the “doing” should be made a part of leading an enlightened life and altruism should be added to the list of 5 principles that are essential for enlightened living.

Of course, I am all for altruism and doing good flows naturally when your heart is full of love and compassion.  The enlightened, free of the burden of self centered desires are loving and giving, and in this state goodness flows from them, but is it ok for them to just reside in “being” and not engage consciously and actively in “doing”?  That is the question being put forth.

Here are Steve’s very insightful thoughts on this subject:

I wanted to share a few thoughts on living an enlightened life, which have been bubbling inside since I read the yoga sutras a few years ago and started to focus on the spiritual journey.  My thoughts didn’t crystallize into something I could articulate until I read your 5 Principles For Living an Enlightened and Good Life article and subsequent meditation.

I was also at the same time preparing a teaching for a monthly service that I lead  and my focus this month is on seeking  balance between “being” and ” doing” using analogies from the Joseph story in the bible.  During recent meditations a realization flowed through that all of the originally articulated enlightenment principles  are “being” focused.

I wanted to suggest an additional essential principle for leading an enlightened and good life that focuses on “doing”.

Altruism.  For this purpose, I define altruism as taking actions with the primary intent of benefiting someone other than oneself.  I believe that part of living an enlightened and good life is coming to the realization that we are all part of the whole and then acting for the benefit of the whole (including another Self in the whole) rather than simply for the benefit of your Self. If enlightenment is defined as awakening to the realization of non- dualism and to the fact that we are each one with others and with divine nature, then it seems to me that altruism is a logical and essential result of this enlightened realization.

I also favor the word integrity over honesty as a more nuanced word for enlightened living.  To me, integrity encompasses honesty of thought and consistent follow through in actions; however, I think this is just word choice preference and we mean something similar in how we use these words.

I guess at some level of enlightenment it is all being focused being in the present with “what is”, but something in my gut tells me that an even higher level of consciousness would be to be doing from that place of enlightened being in the present and that would truly be the epitome of an enlightened and good life.  The journey continues.

Obviously, one can’t encompass all of life in 5 words, but I thought you might be interested in considering these observations.

I continue to very much enjoying your course materials and appreciate the work you have undertaken to compile them.

Steve Cohen

Summary of Altruism and Enlightened Living:

So what do you think?  Is is sufficient to be enlightened, and live your life in love, peace and harmony, in just “Being”, or is it essential to go out there and do good and be altruistic?  If the world is all an illusion, a dream and just a game, is it really important to bother with it at all?  Or, since suffering is real for those who are not enlightened, is it the responsibility of the enlightened to go out there and be of service to others, and help alleviate their pain?

Would love to hear your thoughts on this matter.

Connect w/ Anmol

Related posts:

1. Interesting Osho Quote on Enlightenment
2. Zen Definition of Spiritual Enlightenment
3. Understanding Non-Duality, Hinduism, Buddhism, Enlightenment & Life!
4. Survey Results – Are We Entering the Age of Enlightenment?
5. How to Attain Enlightenment

Techniques to Manifest Desires

With the new year upon us and many of us having forged resolutions and goals, I thought this would be a good time to summarize all the techniques and wisdom from previous articles on how to manifest your desires.  This knowledge and these techniques can be very useful, not just in helping you manifest your intentions, but very useful in helping you determine what indeed is worth manifesting in the first place.

Below are the best articles on the topic of manifestation from past years.  I have provided a summary of each of these articles below, and you can click the title link to read the articles which are of interest to you.

1. The 4 Key Laws of Manifesting Desires:

If you are interested in manifestation, law of attraction and intention manifestation this article is a must read.  It summarizes the topic of desires end to end.  It discusses the mysterious states of desirelessness and witnessing, and also explains what kind of desires one ought to pursue and what kind of desires the Universe helps fulfill.  This is one of the most popular and important articles on the topic of manifestation.

2. Secret to Manifesting Abundance and Wealth:

In this followup article to the 4 Key Laws of Manifestation, I discuss what I consider the fifth law of manifesting desires.  This article goes into the difficult topic of security and how it needs to be approached in order to have the Universe taking care of you and fulfilling your desires. 

3. Relax and Let the Universe Fulfill Your Desires:

Along the lines of the fifth law of manifestation, this article explores the value and practice of “going with the flow”.  The great challenge and benefits of this approach are discussed, and it includes a funny real life event of mine to illustrate the points.

4. Meditation for Making Money and Success:

This article details a visualization meditation often used for manifesting money, success, or anything else you feel you need in your life.  It exploits the power of the Third Eye and the mind to assist with the manifestation.

5. Infinite Energy and Prosperity Meditation:

Here you will find details of the powerful kundalini yoga technique to bring upon you blessings and rewards.  There is also a video demo of how to practice this potent technique.

In addition to the above articles, the following posts also explore manifestation and mind power, and you might find them useful in helping you realize your desires.

Visualization Technique to Manifest Desires

Weight Loss Meditation

Mind Power to Manifest Desires and Intentions

If you have used techniques to help you manifest your desires successfully, please do share them with us in the comments section below.  I am sure everyone will benefit from your feedback.

If you enjoy any of the articles of Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please do share them with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, etc.  I appreciate your love and support.

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Help for Weight Loss

Next time someone asks you, “Will yoga help me lose weight?”  You can say, “Yes, it sure can!” And for proof you can go ahead send them this article link :-).  In fact, as you will see below, you don’t even need a full fledged yoga workout in order to lose weight, you can do it by simply practicing Yogic Breathing!

Today I received an email from a long time reader who had undertaken the serious practice of Kapalbhati Yoga Breathing Exercise with the objective of burning fat and losing weight.  So did Kapalbhati help her lose weight?  It sure did and here is her success story in her own words.

Kapalbhati Helped Me Lose Weight – Pat’s Story:

Pat Writes:

Hi Anmol,

Remember me?  I corresponded with you a number of times, but have not done so in over 6 months — I think it has been that long.  Anyway, here are my wonderful Kapalbhati yoga breathing weight loss results so far, as I promised you that I would let you know what they are from time to time.  Well,  I started doing Kapalbhati yoga breathing in Mid or late Feb. of 2011–about 11 months ago.  At that time, I weighed 210 pounds.  I just weighed myself today, and find that as of today, I have lost 17 pounds, and now weigh 193 pounds.  Naturally, I am very happy and hope that you will be happy for me!!!

I have long since made Kapalbhati my own, and will most definitely use it for the rest of my life for continued weight loss and then for low weight maintenance.  My goal is to get down to, and then to maintain 120 pounds, for the rest of my life.  So, that means, I have about 73 or so more pounds to lose.  I expect that that goal might take maybe 4 or 5 years for me to attain, but that does not matter to me because I am going to do Kapalbhati yoga breathing for the rest of my life, anyway, and I know that the longer it takes me to lose all of the weight I still have to lose, the better off I will be health wise.  So, these are my Kapalbhati breathing yoga weight loss results that I have to report to you so far.

Yoga Helps with Weight Loss:

Pat is not the only one I know who has had success with losing weight with Kapalbhati.  There are others who too have enjoyed success, with some having completely transformed their body, with Kapalbhati being the core of their weight loss program.

Although Pat’s testimonial is evidence that yoga breathing exercises in and of themselves are effective for weight loss, I would suggest a program which includes other aspects of yoga and Ayurveda to further accelerate your weight loss process.  With Kapalbhati alone, Pat has been able to shed 17 pounds over the course of 11 months.  This type of gradual weight loss is safe, natural, healthy and permanent.  The weight that comes off, stays off.  If you include yoga poses and exercises, along with an appropriate Ayurvedic Diet, you can aim to comfortably lose 5 pounds or so a month.

Below are more yoga resources to help you achieve your weight loss goals.  I hope you will find them useful and I look forward to receiving your email saying, “Yoga has helped me lose weight too :-)”.

Yoga Resources to Help You Lose Weight:

Yogic Breathing: 

Along with Kapalbhati, I would suggest Bhastrika Pranayama for Burning Fat and Kundalini Yoga’s Breath of Fire as effective weight loss techniques.

Ayurvedic Diets:

I would suggest following the Ayurvedic Diet to Burn Fat and also using the these 5 Healthy Weight Loss Tips from Ayurveda to help you lose weight.

Yoga Sets:

For Beginner’s or those who are obese I would suggest one of the following yoga sets for weight loss.

Best Yoga Poses for Weight Loss

Best Morning Yoga Stretches – Surya Namaskar

For those in better shape, I suggest the following yoga set.

Online Yoga Exercises to Lose Weight

Meditation for Weight Loss:

Emotional eating and food issues are often the cause of obesity and being overweight.  To combat such conditions, use the following meditation techniques to promote self love and resolve emotional problems.

Emotional Healing Through Meditation

Ayurvedic Treatment to Stop Emotional Eating

Ayurvedic Herbs for Weight Loss:

You can also supplement your weight loss program with Ayurvedic Herbs.  Here is one product in particular designed to help you lose weight naturally and safely – Ayurvedic Herbs for Weight Loss – Yogic Slim.

If you have achieved successful weight loss through yoga or other natural means, please do share your stories with us in the comments section below.  I am sure it will be inspirational and helpful to all.

If you enjoy this or any other article on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please do share it with your friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, E-mail, etc.  I appreciate your love and support.

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Related posts:

1. Healthy Weight Loss Via Yoga, Breathing & Meditation Program- Online Course #104
2. Can You and How to Lose Weight with Yoga? – Part 1
3. Healthy Ayurveda Diet To Burn Fat & Lose Weight
4. Sweet Ayurveda Treatment to Stop Emotional Eating & Lose Weight
5. Bhastrika Yoga Breathing Exercise to Burn Fat for Natural Weight Loss & More

Tips to Simplify Your Life

Life is pretty complicated these days and for most of us, it seems to just get more and more complex and busy with each passing day.   Such complication, not just adds to our stress levels, but it also significantly reduces our opportunities for spiritual and personal growth.  So for our peace and sanity, and for helping our hearts and minds blossom, we really need to simplify our lives.

In this series I am going to share tips and information that will help you learn how to simplify your life.  Given that we are heading into new year’s resolution territory I think this is a great time for such a series, as I hope many of you, understanding the need and benefits that such simplification brings, will be adding it to your resolutions for next year.

In the first part of this series I am going to share with you what I have done this past year which has helped me a great deal in ensuring that each day is spent in the most meaningful way possible.  Given all the things that we have on our plates, from family, career, friends, finances, hobbies, passions, responsibilities, etc, etc., how can we make sure that our time and energy is well directed and that we are not being swept away in the tidal wave of daily activities and chores?  The answer is to create a must do daily shortlist.

Create a Daily Shortlist:

I have found that creating such a shortlist of things really goes a long way in helping me simplify my day and help me structure it in the best possible way.  What this list is, is simply the few things you must do everyday no matter what.  I have 3 things on this list and I suggest the same number for you.  If you make this list too long, it is just going to end up being too complicated like everything else :-).  So keep it short and keep it meaningful.

My list of the 3 things I must do everyday are Meditation, Exercise and Blog Work.  These are the 3 most important things in my life and if I don’t give them my time and energy, I always feel that my day has been incomplete and that I have not used my time wisely.  If you don’t know what might be the things you ought to do everyday, here are some questions which can help you uncover the answers.

How to Determine Your Shortlist Items for Life Simplification:

In the article Stop the Madness of Self Discipline, I provided 6 questions which help you determine what your real passion in life really is.  Those 6 questions can be very helpful in creating your shortlist and helping you simply your life.  Here are those questions for you…

1. What is it that you like to do for its own sake, without any concern for reward or compliment? Do you find joy in writing? Do you like to just create music? Do you like to teach? Do you like the challenge of watching your thoughts in action?

2. If you won the lottery, I mean the really, really big one how would you like to spend the rest of your life?

3. If you were informed you are about to die shortly, what would you regret most as not having spent your time doing?

4. No matter where on Earth you are. In a rich, first world country, in the bush lands of Australia or high up in a Himalayan village what do you see yourself doing regardless of location?

5. What activity do you always find yourself coming back to throughout your life?

6. What activity can you just not see yourself doing without?

For me the answers to those questions are Meditation, Exercise and Teaching (blogging).  Those are the things that fit the questions and those are the 3 things I make sure I do everyday without fail.

Simply Your Life Summary

So this is what I suggest for you to do as well as the the first step in simplifying your life.  This will set the foundation for more simplification which I will suggest in future articles of this series.  Doing the things you care about most and which are the most important to you on a deeper level, will ensure that you are living your true purpose in life and ensure that you will not have regrets later in life.  It will also make sure that each day is being spent meaningfully and productively.

Another good resource for helping you determine which things you should shortlist is the article 10 Things You Should Do Everyday for a Happy Life.  This list can give you ideas on what daily activities raise your level of consciousness and make life a beautiful adventure.

Look out for more tips on how to simplify your life coming soon.

If you have tips you have used to simplify your life please do share them with us in the comments section below.

If you enjoy this or any article on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga please do share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.  I appreciate your love and support.

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Prayer for Love

Some time ago a reader, Debra, shared with me the wonderful prayer of Saint Francis which reflects the desire of those of us who wish all hearts everywhere to be filled with peace and love.  During this season where we recognize Jesus Christ who was a great example of love and forgiveness, I thought it would be a great time to share this payer with all of you as well.

An interesting aspect of yoga practice, which I always enjoyed, was the extra 1 minute we would add to various exercises and sets, and devote that effort to others.  This aspect was a reminder that we not only practice for our wellbeing, but that our practice is ultimately aimed at uplifting and healing the world around us as well.

Also, there is a technique which is dedicated to the expression of such love and sacrifice and it is called Jesus Pose.  A picture of that pose is below and you can get more details on it in the following article: Jesus Pose for Love and Sacrifice.  This exercise is great for including into your practice as well, especially towards the end of sets, to build your inner strength and retain the attitude of love and forgiveness.

Jesus Pose for Love and Sacrifice

The Prayer of Saint Francis will be added to our collection of prayers, mantras and chants which is available to you at the following link – Free Online Mantra MP3 Downloads.  There you will find many more prayers and chants to express your feelings of love and devotion for the world. 

Other prayers you might also enjoy, which are dedicated to promoting peace and love in the world are…

Beautiful Buddhist Prayer for Peace

Serenity Prayer – Wahey Guru Hymm

Prayer of Saint Francis

Prayer for Peace and Love

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred- let me sow love.
Where there is injury- pardon.
Where there is discord- harmony.
Where there is despair- hope,
Where there is darkness- light.
Where there is sadness – joy.

Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not seek so much to be consoled as to console…
To be understood as to understand…
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
and it is in dying that we are born into eternal life.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and peaceful new year.  Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om.

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Related posts:

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5. Video of the Greatest Devotional Vedic Mantra (Prayer)

Yoga and Meditation

From the point of view of meditation, Hatha Yoga or any other physical yoga practice, is a supplemental science that facilitates the practice of meditation and moves you further along the road to Self Realization.  In fact, one of the primary reasons I took up yoga initially was to enhance my sitting during meditation and I am glad I did.  Yoga has helped me a great deal in sitting for long periods of time and in deepening my meditation practice.

One of the most common complaints during meditation is with the legs falling sleep or the back getting tired and sore, and the solution to these issues is often the flexibility that come with yoga.  Yoga poses and exercises bestow all kinds of benefits, which you are read about here – Benefits of Yoga, but with regard to meditation, one of the most important is the flexibility with allows you to sit for extended periods of time and the calmness that yoga breathing exercises promote.

To avoid the problems of the legs falling asleep or your back hurting, your meditation posture is very important.  In the following article I illustrate various postures for meditation, How to Meditate with Illustrations, and in all these postures you will notice I am sitting Burmese Style (see picture below).  This style is excellent for meditation and along with full lotus, it is the best posture to place your legs in for prolonged meditation.  This posture helps alleviate the blood flow issues to the legs and, when used with a good Zafu, it also alleviates back pain (see Tips and Tools for Meditation).  But, as you might have realized, it requires a bit of flexibility to come into this posture.  Thankfully there is a Yoga pose which really helps you with sitting Burmese Style and that is Yoga Butterfly Pose.

Meditation Posture Burmese Style

As you might imagine, being a meditator at heart, I am an avid practitioner of Yoga Butterfly Pose and I can tell you from personal experience that it has helped me a great deal with sitting more comfortably.  

You will find full details of Butterfly Pose in the following article Best Yoga Asana for Meditation, and in this article you will find a video of the pose below.  In the video I also demonstrate how to do Root Lock with Butterfly Pose and that is a great way to end this pose and direct your energy upwards.

I also want to point you to other yoga set, poses and exercises which are very helpful to meditation and here is that list for you.  In a future post I will publish a complete list of how Yoga can assist you with your meditation practice, but the list below has some great techniques to get you started.

Yoga Techniques that Help with Meditation

Best Yoga Sets for Meditation:

Yoga for Meditation Set

Surya Namaskar – Best Morning Yoga Stretching Poses

Spinal Warm-up Yoga Exercises

Yoga Poses for Meditation:

Yoga Forward Bend for Healing and More

Neck Yoga Exercises

Yoga Breathing Exercises for Meditation:

Anuloma Viloma Pranayama

One Minute Yogic Breath for Meditation

For Yoga and Meditation Certification Students and Teachers:

Butterfly Yoga Pose is one of the best poses to begin your yoga or meditation classes with.  As you have to often sit in yoga classes, starting your classes with this pose will make the entire session easier for your students, so be sure to include this pose in your programs.  I also include Breath of Fire when doing this pose, and the combination is really excellent for getting everyone’s energy going.

This pose is a part of both the Yoga Teacher’s Training and Certification Program and Meditation Certification Program programs and you will find it in your e-manuals.

Butterfly Yoga Pose Video:

• The video gives a full demonstration of Yoga Butterfly Pose.
• It explains how this pose helps with meditation and how to do it using Breath of Fire.
• It teaches various variations to the pose, including how to do Root Lock at the end of the pose.
• It discusses the benefits of this pose, along with other details about the technique.
• Please note if you have trouble viewing the video from here, I have provided the YouTube link as well which you can use.

Free Online Yoga for Meditation Butterfly Pose

DIRECT YOUTUBE LINK –> YOGA FOR MEDITATION POSE

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5. Powerful Gayatri Mantra Meditation Video to Open Third Eye

Yoga Children

In the following 2 articles, Yoga for Kids | Guidelines and Benefits and Comprehensive Guide to Teaching Children’s Yoga, I shared a great deal of information on yoga for children.  Included in those articles are a large collection of kid’s yoga poses and details on how to successfully teach a children’s yoga class.  Those articles have helped many kid’s yoga teachers and some have requested that I provide more information regarding children’s yoga as there is not much reliable information regarding this topic on the web.

So today I am going to share with you 6 tips on how to encourage kids to learn and practice yoga.  Although I am a certified kid’s yoga teacher, these tips actually come more from my personal experience than from the knowledge I gained in the teacher’s training course.  These are techniques I use to actually get my 2 little boys to do yoga and as it has worked with them, I am sure it will go a long way in helping you with your children too.

6 Tips for Teaching Yoga to Children

Yoga for Children: – Tip #1:

Set Time for Yoga

Set aside a definite time for doing yoga.  If you have tried to maintain a regular yoga or meditation practice, you know that consistency is difficult and that the key to resolving this is to have a set time to do yoga.

As yoga needs to be done when the stomach is empty, it requires a bit of planning, so it is good to have a set time either before eating or a few hours after eating to practice.

Teaching Children Yoga – Tip #2:

Keep Children’s Yoga Resources Handy

Children are often inspired by their peers and like to try things they see other kids doing.  So keep a yoga for kids book handy.  Make sure the book has plenty of illustrations and is easily accessible.  My kids love leafing through such books and then trying the poses and exercises they see.

You can also use YouTube or the internet for this.  Find kids yoga videos or show them the yoga illustrations I have on my website.  This is another way to get them motivated.

Yoga for Children – Tip #3:

Yoga Creativity

Let the children unleash their creative side and allow them to create unique poses that they have come up with.  Of course, you will be teaching them the regular kids yoga poses, but allowing them some freedom to come up with their own postures and movements is fun and engaging for them.

To not let such activity disrupt the flow of their yoga session, you might want to save this part for last.

Children’s Yoga – Tip #4:

Do Yoga Shows

Children love to put on shows, so use that as a motivating factor by planning for them to do a yoga show for you from time to time.  As my boys are growing up now, they are 5 and 7 respectively, they get excited about the possibility of being featured on daddy’s blog if they learn their yoga and do it well.  In the same way, allow them a stage to showcase their skills and it is a fun way to inspire and motivate them.

Teaching Yoga to Children – Tip #5:

Kids Yoga Class

Consider enrolling the children in a kids yoga class.  These are becoming more and more common, and are also part of many private and public school programs now as well.  My son, Shivum, had a weekly yoga class in his school and it was one of his favorite activities there.

Teaching Kids Yoga – Tip #6:

Explain the Benefits of Children’s Yoga

How many times have you told your kids to eat this or that because it makes them stronger or will help them grow?  It is natural for kids to want to grow and blossom, so giving them information on all the ways yoga is going to benefit them is only going to make them more eager to take up its practice.

You will find a full list of benefits in the article: Yoga for Kids – Guideline and Benefits.

Teaching Yoga to Children Summary:

Just a reminder that much more information, specially with regard to teaching kid’s yoga classes can be found in the guidelines article linked to above.   Here I have given you tips on how to inspire and motivate your children to do yoga.  Yoga is one of the great gifts we have been given, and your children will be forever grateful if you can pass it on to them as well.

PS: I have a new Mastery of Meditation and Yoga Facebook Fan Page.  Please stop by and Like it.  Also, if there are specific topics you want to learn more about, leave a message for me there and I will be glad to write about them on my blog.  I appreciate your love and support.

PPS: As always please feel free to share any tips you have used to teach yoga to children in the comments section below.  I am sure parents and yoga teachers will appreciate your input.

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Related posts:

1. Yoga for Kids – A Comprehensive Guide to Teach Children Yoga
2. Yoga for Kids | 12 Excellent Children’s Yoga Exercises – Part 2
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5. Yoga for Kids Guidelines & Benefits

Meditation for Emotional Healing

I have shared with you in past articles incredible accounts of emotional healing and transformation that others have achieved using meditation and yoga.  An inspiring example of such a journey can be found in the following article – Curing Severe Anxiety and Depression with Yoga.  In today’s guest article, Axel, will give you more information on how to use meditation to gently heal emotional wounds and traumas, and having gone through such healing himself, he has wonderful insight into this complex condition. 

Axel shares more insights and information on meditation and spirituality on his great website Axel G.  Make sure you stop by and check it out.

If you would like to be a guest author on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please email me at anmol@anmolmehta.com.

How To Heal Unpleasant Emotions With Meditation

By Axel Gjertsen

In this post you will learn how to transform painful emotions into inner stillness, which is a soothing mental state. Please keep in mind that emotional healing, or mental purification if you like, is a gradual process.

I was depressed from the age of 16-32 and to the very best of my understanding, the depression was caused by childhood traumas, a physical injury that sunk my dreams, the inability to let go of feelings and thoughts, and karma.

The reason I took a serious interest in meditation, was because I hoped it could possibly help me overcome the emotional and mental pain that I experienced around the clock. After years of meditation practice, the depression eventually subsided during a 10-day self-retreat. Only someone who has been through similar suffering, can fully appreciate the enormous relief of breaking free from the chains of emotional torment.

Avoiding Emotional Discomfort

Have you ever gone to sleep because you were feeling unhappy or low? It’s human nature to shun away from unpleasant emotions. Sex, alcohol, drugs, food and sleep are popular ways to suppress the emotional pain, momentarily. However, by avoiding your negative feelings and thoughts, they pile up like rubbish at a garbage dump.

We also tend to be afraid of our feelings and thoughts. That’s another reason we avoid them like the plague. Your unpleasant emotions are quite harmless though, and the more you work with them, the higher your tolerance gets.

Avoiding the emotional pain is obviously the wrong path to wellbeing.  Instead, you should give the emotions gentle, relaxed, caring and loving attention. Use the words that work best for you.

Healing Unpleasant Emotions

If your emotions are completely overwhelming, I strongly suggest that you seek professional help before trying emotional healing on your own. I recommend talk therapy, which I have tried successfully myself.

Now, start by lying down on your back. Since it’s natural to relax while lying down, it’s one of the best body postures for emotional healing and meditation alike. Make yourself as comfortable as possible. Then, close your eyes and give relaxed attention to any unpleasant emotion in your body. Usually, the emotions dwell around the abdomen and chest.

Remember to relax your body and mind. Trying too hard only builds up physical and mental tension. Whenever you sense an unpleasant sensation, give it caring attention. Really embrace it. Accept the emotion as it is, no matter how unpleasant it may be. Continue to give relaxed attention to the emotion until it subsides. You can take breaks any time you like.

An emotion is a form of energy. I prefer to call it mental energy. By giving an unpleasant emotion attention, the mental energy is burned, not unlike the oil in an oil lamp. So, one could say that the negative emotion is the fuel and your attention is the flame. This is how your attention transforms unpleasant emotions into inner stillness. All that is left behind is a scar, which represents your memories of what caused the pain.

Emotional Healing Tips

If you’re unable to connect with your emotions, try thinking about a traumatic experience from your childhood, for example. That is likely to put you in touch with the unpleasant emotions.

For deep emotional healing, I suggest you write down all the painful experiences from your life. That alone, will connect you to a lot of unpleasant feelings and thoughts. Then, lie down on your back and work on one situation at the time.

By thinking about a painful memory, intense emotions come up to the surface. Give the emotions gentle attention. When reliving a difficult experience no longer triggers painful emotions, that particular issue has been successfully healed.

Practice on a daily basis, even if only for 10 minutes at the time. Why not do it when waking up in the morning or before going to bed at night?

Be proud of yourself for having the courage to face your unpleasant emotions and remember that you’re investing in lasting happiness…

Good luck!

Axel Gjertsen is a former Buddhist monk and lives in Thailand. He runs axel g which is a personal development site with a focus on meditation.  Visit his website to learn more about emotional healing.

If you found this article beneficial, please do share it with your friends and family using Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.  I really appreciate your support and love.

Connect w/ Anmol

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How to for Positive Thinking

In the first part of this Mind Power series, I wrote about how to develop deep thinking and gave you 3 effective strategies on how to accomplish that.  You can read that article here – 3 Strategies for Deep Thinking.  Those strategies were designed to increase your mind and thought power and in part two of this series, I will discuss another very important aspect of developing mastery over your mind, and that is by learning how to become a positive thinker and exploit the power of positive thinking.

You may have heard about the power of positive thinking, and indeed it is widely accepted that positive thinking is a huge blessing to your life, but you might have not have been given tangible techniques on how to actually become a positive thinker.  So in this article, I am going to give you practical tips on how to accomplish this, so you too can enjoy the benefits of having a positive mind, full of positive thoughts and feelings.

Benefits of Positive Thinking

Before I jump ahead to the 5 techniques on how to do positive thinking, I just want to briefly summarize for you the advantages of being a positive thinker.  Positive thinking is inspiring, beneficial to your health, energizing and uplifting for both you and others.  In addition, it brings you joy, confidence, strength, charisma and charm.  Around positive people you will always feel that anything can be accomplished, regardless of how difficult the challenge.  Let me give you an example of this below.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati’s Lesson on Positive Thinking

During my summer stays at Arsha Vaidya Gurukulam, I was often around Swami Dayananda Saraswati and on one such occasion it was the day before a big fund raiser that the ashram was running.  Everyone was worried.  There was so much to do and the preparations were not going well.  In addition, there was the risk of bad weather, which meant the turnout could be poor.  There were these and other problems swirling around, and in the midst of all this, was Swamiji, calm and cool, and always with a smile.

“If even I start to worry, can you imagine what the repercussions would be?”  Is all he said to me.  I understood.  He was the rock, he was the source of calm, and his positive attitude and demeanor, were the key to holding everything together.  If he abandoned positive thinking at this point, the whole event would just collapse.

His positive attitude kept things going and needless to say the following day’s event was indeed a great success.

You are the Swami of your life.  You have to keep your positive thinking and attitude going and then, all else will be infected by this positivity.  Then you too will be able to remain calm, cool and collective in the middle of the storms of life and like Swamiji, see difficult times through with a smile.

5 Keys On How to Ensure Positive Thinking

Technique #1:  Substitute Positive Thoughts for Negative Ones

Negative thinking is not just an obstacle to meditation, it can also be detrimental to your life in general.  This is especially true if you are drowning in negative thinking and it is preventing you from achieving the life your ought to be living.  Negative thinking includes worrying, self criticizing, fear mongering, etc, etc.  There are many techniques and exercises to rid yourself of such thinking and I have discussed a few very effective ones in the article – Anxiety and Depression | 4 Effective Treatments.

In addition to the techniques I detailed in that article though, I want to give you a new one today, which will not just get rid of negative thinking, but will also make you a positive thinker.  That technique is the use of substitution.

Whenever you catch yourself entertaining negative thoughts, just substitute them with the opposite positive ones.  If you are thinking you are going to fail an exam, think instead you are going to ace it.  If you are thinking that a presentation is going to be a mess, think instead how great it is going to go.  If you catch yourself thinking anything negative about yourself, like you are too fat or sick, substitute for it thinking that you are beautiful and healthy.

In this way start to challenge and change the patterns of negative thinking, and with vigilance and patience you will begin to break these patterns and start to establish new ones.  Patterns of thought that are positive, uplifting and encouraging.

Technique #2: Substitute Positive Feelings for Negative Ones

This is closely related to the substitute method above but it is for feelings.  Try to substitute for any base and negative emotions, lofty and high emotions.  So for hatred and jealousy, substitute love; for anger, substitute forgiveness; for pride, substitute humility, etc.  In this way try to rid yourself of the negative emotion, and doing so will prevent the storm of negative thinking such emotions unleash.

In time, positive emotions will preside and positive thinking will follow.

Technique #3: Positivity List

If you find you are getting overwhelmed with negative thinking, depression and worry, I suggest making a list of all the positive things you have and the positive things you do.  Then reading this list in the morning and at night.  Also, keep adding to this list and use it to remind yourself of your blessings throughout the day.

You can further enhance this technique by keeping a positivity journal, where you reflect on the positive things from a particular day.  Recall the good aspects of that day and remember all the good feelings you can.  Furthermore, by putting them to ink, you will strengthen their affect.

We are all blessed in so many ways, but often we take these blessings for granted and instead focus on a few problem areas of our lives.  So keep a positivity list and read it often to ensure you remember how much you have to feel good about and be thankful for.

Technique #4: Surround Yourself with Positive Energy and People

Our culture and environment is filled with negativity.  Everywhere you turn you are bombarded with negative news and conflicts.  So and so is fighting with so and so, news is full of murder and rape, TV crime shows, horror movies, etc, etc.

To make matters worse, we are also surrounded by people who are filled with negative energy and all too eager to share this negative energy with you, as well as sap you of your positive energy.

So what can your poor mind do?  It is so influenced by all this negativity that it starts to gravitate in that direction too.  So it is sometimes important to change your environment.

See if you can surround yourself with good books, uplifting shows, beautiful nature and positive, happy people.  Such an environment will make a big difference in what you think about and will be instrumental in helping you become a positive thinker.

Technique #5: Use Mantra and Prayer to Defeat Negative Thinking

Along with the substitute method, the use of mantra and prayer to dislodge negative thinking is also very effective.  A lot of times, while you are busy during the day, you don’t dwell in negative thinking, but then when you are in bed at night or alone and unoccupied, negative thinking again rears its ugly head and starts to dominate your mind.  Here you can simply switch to mantra repetition and put your mind to God in order to stop the negative pattern.

There are many great mantras for doing this, such as the Gayatri Mantra or the Mahamritunjay Mantra.  You can even use breath awareness, along with So Hum Mantra Meditation to occupy the mind in a positive way and drive away the negative thoughts.

This method is very useful for those dealing with negative thinking at night and suffering from insomnia due to excessive worry and anxiety.

By using divine thoughts and feelings of love, coupled with the mantra, you will soon start to see a noticeable change in your mind and demeanor.

Positive Thinking Techniques Summary:

At the highest level, you are looking to still the mind of thoughts and penetrate the veil of duality, but on the journey there, you may be faced with many challenges, some mundane and some profound.  Negative thinking is just such a challenge.  It can discourage you, sap your confidence and energy, make you unhappy and unfortunately, mislead you into believing that the Truth is too hard to attain.  These conditions are not conducive to meditation and the exploration of the Self.

So it is necessary to be a positive thinker not just for happiness, peace, energy, confidence and success, but also for spiritual growth and meditation.  So don’t allow negative thoughts to become an additional hinderance to your practice, instead use the techniques above to learn how to become a positive thinker and enjoy the power of positive thinking.

If you have techniques you have successfully used to defeat negative thinking and become a positive thinker, please do share those with us in the comments section below.

If you enjoy this or any of the articles or posts on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please do share them with your friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.  I appreciate your support.

Connect w/ Anmol

Related posts:

1. Welcome To Mind | Understanding the Positive, Negative and Neutral Mind
2. Meditation Techniques – The Ultimate Guide
3. Yoga Meditation Techniques – The Top 3
4. Top 5 Yoga & Meditation Techniques
5. Meditation Techniques, Types and Practice – A Comprehensive Guide

About Meditation States

Meditation is the doorway to the infinite and those who have a serious meditation practice, inevitably enjoy glimpses of True Reality and the benefits that such encounters bestow.  Some who evolve to the highest human potential, even find themselves established and operating from the One Source and become a reflection of the bliss, joy and love, which are attributes of this dimension.  Along the way to these great heights, there are many amazing experiences the meditator has, and this series is going to be about such meditation experiences.

There are many interesting aspects about meditation experiences.  Some can be extraordinary and life transforming, but others can also be scary or painful.  Some states and experiences are unique to the individual, while others are quite common and felt by many.  They can involve all the senses, being full of light, sounds and pleasure, and they can also involve involuntary movements and even speech.  Sometimes the experiences can bring insight and clarity, while sometimes they can be beyond comprehension and description.  So as you can see the range of meditation experiences can indeed be vast.

As this blog is all about meditation and yoga, a lot of readers share their meditation and spiritual experiences with me.  In addition, having been a meditator for many decades now, many experiences and states have crossed my consciousness.  So in this series, I will share with all of you these experiences and states.

Reasons Behind the About Meditation Experiences Series

There are 3 primary reasons for compiling these experiences.  Of course it is very interesting to read about the mind blowing things one can experience during meditation, but that is not the main reason for undertaking this task.  I feel that such experiences can be inspiring to others and motivate them in their own meditation practice.  Also, most of these experiences are full of tremendous insight into the true nature of reality and that wisdom can be shared with you in this series.  And finally, meditation states and experiences can sometimes be overwhelming, painful and even scary, and knowing that others are also going through similar challenges, can be comforting and helpful in encouraging you to go further and deeper.

In the last part of this series I will create a full list about the different types of meditation experiences and states, and in this first part of this series, I want to share with you an experience about Kundalini Energy and how it might manifest in you during meditation.

Anmol’s Meditation Journal

(I actually don’t have the date for this entry, but my guess is that it was a few years ago).

About Experiencing Kundalini During Meditation:

Today as I sat for some afternoon meditation the following transpired.

The inspiration to meditate resulted from listening to some beautiful music and a quiet afternoon.  Both conspiring to inspire.

As I sat, a few minutes in, the beautiful insight of being open and simple began to blossom.  To be open, to be simple, just like a clear blue sky with no clouds.  This thought and subsequent understanding began to take hold and on that I meditated.

As the meditation continued, my understanding deepened and I strove to apply this understanding in the now (being completely simple and innocent at the deepest possible levels of thought and mind).

That’s when my body began to shake.  Slowly at first and then vigorously.  The shaking began in the legs and went up from there.  Subsequently, my back began to both stiffen and straighten. My torso and posture became fully erect and then I felt a terrible burning in my lower back region.

The burning was very intense and seemed to be moving up my back.  I strove to handle the immense energy and heat, and felt like I would explode.  I could only handle it for a short time and then I relaxed once again.  I guess that energy is what is called the Kundalini.  It will take incredible character to release it fully.

My pranam to Lord Shiva.

Lessons Learned from Meditation Entry:

There are many worthwhile tidbits of information in the experience above that I would like to highlight a few for your benefit.

1. Inspiration for Meditation:

As you can see my inspiration to sit for meditation, came from simply enjoying some beautiful music.  So if you surround yourself with things that inspire you towards infinity, you will find yourself being called upon to meditate and practice.  Such inspiration could come from any source that works for you.  Be that books, people, nature, etc.

2. Slow Down in Life:

Being inspired to meditate is one thing, having the time to do it is another.  If you are so busy that you can’t find the time for meditation, you will miss the best part of life.  In my case above, I was blessed to have a quiet afternoon, which allowed for me to meditate spontaneously when the inspiration struck.  So try to simplify your lives and make room for spontaneous living and spiritual work.

3. About Kundalini During Meditation:

One often associates Kundalini with yoga practice, but Kundalini is also often experienced by meditators, as I described above.  Don’t let such experiences scare you away.  Instead, focus on being healthy and fit, so you have a body capable of dealing with the power of such energy.  Such health and fitness will give you the confidence to explore these intense events more deeply.

For those interested in Kundalini during meditation, I suggest reading the following article – Kundalini Meditation | Power of the Energy.

4. Keep a Meditation Journal:

I also want to suggest to all of you to keep a meditation journal, where you can note down your experiences after your meditation or yoga practice.  This journal will not just chart your journey and be a treasure for you when you look back on it, but keeping a journal can also be very helpful in giving you more insight and clarity into your mind and heart.

About Meditation Experiences Summary:

If you have experienced altered states of consciousness or anything else interesting during meditation, please do share it with us in the comments section below.  As I mentioned in this series I will be compiling a list of such experiences and your input will help in this task.

For those who want to learn more about meditation, I suggest starting your own practice using the free online class below.

Beginner’s Meditation Course

Also useful will be the How to Meditate article.

For those interested in taking their meditation to the highest level, here is a free advanced meditation course for you.

Advanced Meditation Course

If you enjoy this or any other article on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please share it with your friends via Facebook, Twitter, Email, etc.  I appreciate your support.

Connect w/ Anmol

Related posts:

1. Enlightenment via Letting Go Meditation
2. 3 Tips for Inducing Altered States of Consciousness
3. Kundalini & Enlightenment Experiences Being Reported by Reader Like You
4. Interpreting Spiritual Dreams and Enlightenment Experiences
5. Enlightenment via “Who Am I” Advaita Vedanta Meditation (Neti Neti)

Mahasi Meditation Retreats

The world of meditation and spiritual growth is simply delightful, and for those interested to learn about meditation there is so much wisdom out there just waiting for you.  Today, guest author Axel Gjertsen, will bring some of that wisdom to you in his article below, which is about Mahasi Meditation and Mahasi Meditation Retreats.  This article might be just what someone needs in order to start their meditation practice or deepen their work.  It is always great to learn about all the different types of meditation that people practice around the globe and you will find much more of such information on Axel’s great meditation site Axel G.

If you would like to be a guest author on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga, please email me at anmol@anmolmehta.com.

Mahasi Meditation Retreat

By

Axel Gjertsen

This is the second part in a series of two posts about popular retreat centers around the world. Here is a link to the first article called Goenka Meditation Retreat Centers.

In this post, we’ll take a look at Mahasi meditation retreats, which not unlike Goenka meditation stems from a Burmese tradition of vipassana. As you already know, vipassana is a Pali word for insight meditation (more information on vipassana in the following article – Vipassana Meditation Technique and Benefits).

There are Mahasi centers and monasteries in many countries around the world. In addition, several vipassana centers invite Mahasi teachers to lead retreats on their premises. So, you shouldn’t have any problem to locate a retreat within a reasonable distance from your home.

The Founder Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana

Burma is a Buddhist country in Southeast Asia with a long tradition of meditation practice. The founder of the Mahasi tradition was called Mahasi Sayadaw U Sobhana.

It’s still quite common that young boys in Buddhist countries ordain as junior monks. Mahasi Sayadaw became a monk at 12 and remained in robes until he passed away in 1982, at the age of 78.

He developed his own style of insight meditation and established centers in a number of countries, especially round Southeast Asia. Mahasi Sayadaw was a respected meditation master who’s clear teachings have inspired millions of meditators around the world.

About Mahasi Meditation Technique

The Mahasi meditation technique is quite unique. In all forms of vipassana, the meditator gives attention to the five senses and thinking.  For example, the sensation of hunger.

Mahasi Sayadaw developed a system of noting that supports awareness. So, in addition to giving attention to the sensation of hunger, the meditator thinks, “Hunger, hunger.”

The noting makes it easier, especially for a beginner, to be aware of the present moment.

The meditation practice is a combination of walking and sitting meditation. Where the walking generates a lot of mental energy while the sitting meditation boosts concentration.

In the Mahasi tradition, meditators are encouraged to start with walking and alternate with sitting meditation every 30-60 minutes.

About Mahasi Meditation Retreats

The retreats are quite strict, so the meditators have to wake up round 3.30-4.30 in the mornings. Moreover, men and women live in separate parts of the center or monastery.

There is some Buddhist chanting in the mornings and evenings. However, the retreats are open to everyone, regardless of faith.

If you do a Mahasi retreat at a meditation center, they may only have retreats every so often. However, at many monasteries they have so called ongoing retreats where you can join at any time and stay on for as long as you like.

It’s not unusual that dedicated meditators do 90-day Mahasi retreats. The flexible schedule has definitely contributed to its popularity.

There are usually three lectures or talks per week where the teacher elaborates on the meditation techniques and the Buddha’s teachings. At the end of the talks, there is plenty of time to ask questions.

The meditators are also offered three personal interviews with the teacher a week, where you can ask questions and discuss any difficulties you may have.

There is a strong emphasis of mindfulness practice at Mahasi retreats. The meditators are asked to note every sense impression and thought while eating, resting and doing laundry etc.

Mindfulness practice is a powerful form of meditation that has a most positive effect on your everyday life. The idea is to be mindful from the moment you wake up in the morning until you fall asleep at night.

With practice you will be able to be mindful all the time, even while at home. Mahasi retreats are really good for getting established in mindfulness practice.

During retreats the meditators follow 8 precepts or rules. The precepts support wholesome meditation practice:

Not to kill
Not to steal
Not to lie
Not to masturbate
Not to take alcohol or recreational drugs
Not to eat after midday
Not to listen to music or watch tv
Not to sleep on a comfortable bed

About Mahasi Meditation Teachers

The meditation teachers are monks with at least 10 years in robes. Not only are they experienced meditators, they also have a good grasp of the Buddha’s teachings.  Keep in mind that the Buddha developed vipassana meditation, so his teachings form the very foundation.

Mahasi monks dress in dark-red robes and have a reputation for being both knowledgeable and disciplined.

My Mahasi teacher was exceptionally helpful and always encouraged me to practice well. Every time I told him about a new insight, he looked focused and said, ”Very good!”

Retreat Costs And Meals

The retreats are not free but affordable. The funds are used to pay for food and general maintenance. If you do a Mahasi retreat at a center as opposed to a monastery, it may cost substantially more.

I have done all of my Mahasi training in a monastery in Malaysia, where devotees bring food to offer to the monks and retreatants. There, the food is not vegetarian.

But most meditation centers try to keep the food vegetarian if not strictly vegan. The two meals are served round 6.30 in the morning and just before noon.

I recommend Goenka And Mahasi retreats to novice and advanced meditators alike. Try both and see what works best for you…

Good luck with your practice!

Axel Gjertsen is a former Buddhist monk and lives in Thailand. He runs axel g which is a personal development site with a focus on meditation.  Visit his website to learn more about Mahasi meditation retreats.

Connect w/ Anmol

Related posts:

1. Goenka Meditation Retreats and Information
2. Silent Meditation Retreats | Must Read Tips
3. Free Guide to Meditation Retreats
4. Thai Buddhism Forest Meditation Tradition
5. Vipassana Meditation Technique and Benefits