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This Meditation Class Will Transform You

1 Comment/in Online Yoga Meditation Classes, Spiritual Enlightenment/by Anmol Mehta

We all know meditation has the power to completely transform you and your life, and I would like the share the video from this morning’s online meditation class with you, as I feel this class specifically can bring about this transformation.

Sometimes everything comes together and makes a class which is truly inspiring, uplifting and transformative, and the energy in today’s gentle yoga and meditation class I feel made this class all that and more. So I would really like to share the class and techniques we practiced with you.

These free classes are held every Saturday from 11am – noon. I am also providing the links to the yoga poses, breathing exercises and meditation techniques that were taught so you can learn them in detail and extract their full benefit.

Here is the video of the entire class, which I have broken down below and provided links to all the wonderful techniques we practiced:

Meditation Class To Transform You

Direct YouTube Link –> https://youtube.com/live/VGfigPCvQRI

Complete Structure for Meditation Class to Transform You

Beginning Pranayama:

Powerful Pranayama to Transform Consciousness: Although both these techniques were used in this class, the first pranayama is what we started the class with to charge up and energize.

Warm-up Set:

We following up with the Spinal Warm-up series which is excellent for your back and spine. This set also warms up the entire body and charges up the central energy channel essential to drive energy up the spine into the brain and higher centers.

The other great benefit of the Spinal warm-up series is that it helps you sit straight in meditation. You might have noticed your posture being impacted by long hours on the computer or phone, so working on your back will help reverse some of the damage done by this behavior.

Yoga Stretches for Meditation:

As the focus of this class is meditation, the next set we did was yoga stretches for meditation. This set has excellent poses for stretching your groin, hips, hamstrings, glutes and thighs. Stretching these muscles and joints really help in sitting in meditation for long periods of time and is a must for serious meditators.

Pranayama for Meditative Mind:

We then went back to using the power of pranayama to help settle the mind down and prepare for meditation. The combination we used here was Kapalbhati Pranayama and then followed it up with Step Breathing which is the second breathing technique from the Transformative Pranayama Set above.

Beginner Meditation:

Don’t be fooled by the fact that I am calling this a Beginner Meditation. Zazen or Zen Meditation has been proven to have a boat load of benefits and consistent practice will most definitely bring enormous changes in you and to your life. Just work towards doing 20 minutes 2/day as that is the magic number for this meditation to transform you.

Intermediate Meditation:

Once you get comfortable with Zazen, then begin to really develop your witnessing consciousness and brain power by practicing Drift Awareness Technique which is explained in detail in this article: Amazing Meditation for Increasing Brain Power.

Advanced Transformative Meditation:

We also introduced Advanced Meditation in this class, which is the highest form of meditation and is the key for those looking for transformation and Enlightenment. The technique is described in the following article: Silent Mind Meditation Technique. You will find videos of how to do these advanced meditation in the following article: Free Advanced Meditation Videos.

Summary:

So there you have the entire script for this wonderful class. If you are interested in meditation and spirituality, then utilize the techniques in this article to create a program which will completely transform you and your life. It does not matter with what name you call Enlightenment; Samadhi, Nirvana, God, Non-Duality, Oneness, Kundalini Awakening, Heaven, Self, Consciousness, Reality, Otherness, Shunya, Is-ness, Silence, etc., the key is to apply your full potential and learn to comprehend your thoughts from moment to moment via direct perception.

When you awaken this level of intelligence and awareness, then the mind is able to realize that it is the obstacle itself and therefore ceases itself. When this happens that which lies beyond the projected mind comes into being. That is real transformation as now you find a new way to exist and live. Now you have discovered the Truth, and with it Love, Beauty, Divinity and all else that comes with it.

Do join us for these classes and let’s journey together. Here is my YouTube live link:

https://www.youtube.com/user/AnmolMehtaCom/Live

See you there :-).

Top 5 Meditation Myths Busted

0 Comments/in Meditation/by Anmol Mehta

Meditation Myth #1

Meditation Requires the Mind to be Still

This is the number #1 Meditation Myth.

Although it is indeed the most incredible state which reveals the True Unfragmented Reality that lies beyond thoughts, meditation does not require the mind to be still. This is one of the biggest myths of meditation. In fact it is our very thoughts which provide the atmosphere where the ever-present activity of moment to moment learning takes place.

This learning, born out of intelligence and awareness, is the core of meditation. Thus you can now understand when we say meditation is not just the formal practice done while being seated, but is a practice which can continue throughout the day and night.

If thoughts are moving, as is the nature of the mind, then meditation can bring awareness to them. So is a still mind then a possibility and where does it fit in, given that it is such an exalted state?

Stillness comes in one of the following ways. At night, especially if awareness throughout the day has been maintained, after the day’s work is done, if one’s practice is strong, or immediately when the mind sees itself as the root cause of suffering during an intense meditation session.

So the lesson here is not to be disappointed if your mind is moving during meditation, just keep watch. Which means keep understanding the mind and thoughts from moment to moment. The benedictions that come from holy silence will descend on their own.

Here is a comprehensive meditation program for looking to explore this wonderful topic further. Silent Mind Meditation Program

Meditation Myth #2 and #3

Meditation is Complicated and Hard

I will address Meditation Myth #2 and Meditation Myth #3 together.

These are both myths. Meditation has been complicated by those who do not understand what it is. They have created all kinds of activities under the banner of meditation, mostly so they can package and sell it.

Fundamentally meditation is your capability to be a light unto yourself. It is the potential of the mind to observe and understand itself in action. That is the core of meditation.

So it need not be made complicated. It requires your interest and your application. Find a quiet moment and witness the thoughts taking place within. Neither indulge them not condemn them, just watch and understand their stories.

So why is this hard to do? I say it is not. Thinking meditation is hard, is just a way for the mind to make excuses and continue on its lazy way. Yes, watching each thought, very closely, and instantly digesting it, requires energy and intensity, but it is also great fun.

You have to try it to find out for yourself, but certainly don’t let the Myth that meditation is complicated and hard stop you from embarking on this transformative journey.

Here is where you can get started in your meditation journey: Free Online Beginners Meditation Program

Meditation Myth #4

You need a Guru to Practice Meditation

If you understand the horror which authority creates for the mind and realize authority is the root cause of your misery you will completely reject the idea of a guru immediately. I think it is essential to understand this topic in order to make progress in your spiritual journey.

Authority establishes the ideal and the ideal, which is unachievable, creates the seeking, which prevents us from seeing the absolute perfection of the moment. There are many article and videos on this site which deep dive into this very important subject, so I encourage you to explore those…

Realizing Perfection Through Meditation

How to Find Your True Guru

How to End Endless Desire

The basic fact is that you have all the necessary tools in order to discover the Truth. You do not need another and in fact, if the other is placed in a position of authority, it will actually make it harder for you to find the Truth. Yes, you can be inspired and guided by others, but Enlightenment requires you to make the journey yourself.

Have confidence in yourself and follow you inner guidance. And, don’t worry, if you put your trust in life, she will be there to help you whenever you need.

Meditation Myth #5

Meditation’s Goal is Stress Relief

What!? You really think men and women who have dedicated their entire lives to meditation were just trying to get stress relief? Meditation is the greatest gift humans have been given and yes stress relief is one of the side benefits of meditation, but the true purpose of meditation is Enlightenment.

It is absolutely fine if you take up meditation in order to reduce stress, in fact, no matter what the reason for your taking up meditation, I am just delighted that you started. Once meditation enters your life, basically then you enter life. Until then you are simply living in your reactive mind. In order to touch life directly, you need to discover meditation, and if you end up spending your life only in your mind, never touching life, that then is the greatest of tragedies.

To explore all the various side benefits of meditation, you can explore the following articles:

Top 10 Profound Benefits of Meditation

Vipassana Meditation Benefits

Top 5 Meditation Myths Conclusion:

Meditation is the key to achieving the highest purpose of human birth. It is very important to not be dissuaded from taking up this wonderful art due to the many myths that surround the practice.

Don’t get deterred because you have been told it is too hard or because you feel your mind is too active. And most certainly don’t fall for the myth that you need to have a Guru. That is the most dangerous of all the myths as it allows you to be taken advantage of by fake Gurus. In fact, these days I am seeing even dead “Gurus” being used to steal money from vulnerable people.

Finally, understand that meditation is more than just for relaxation. You will get all the side benefits of meditation if you practice seriously, but most importantly you will realize Oneness and discover the bliss of Divinity.

So go forth and Meditate !!

Strange Reason Meditation Leads to a Happy Life

0 Comments/in Emotional Mastery, Meditation, Stress, Anxiety & Depression/by Anmol Mehta

Why Meditation Leads to Happiness

There is lots of research which supports that meditation leads to happiness and helps one live a life full or joy and peace, but in this video I will present a very different view of why meditation leads to an end of suffering.

Although this reason for Meditation leading to a happy life is certainly a bit unusual, for those of us who have devoted our lives to meditation, it is validated through our years of experience and practice.

Studies and research have shown that meditation helps calm the mind, improve health and reduce stress, and there is no doubt that these benefits lead to happiness and well-being, but it is not the full story. The reason meditation leads to an end of suffering is because how life sees meditation and how she uses suffering in our journey to reaching our Highest Human Potential.

Enjoy the video below that explores this idea in greater detail. Below that I have provided a full transcript of the video for those who prefer to read than watch. And, of course, as we all want to be happy, we should all embrace meditation, so below are 2 links to help you get started on your own meditation journey:

Beginner’s Meditation Class

Free Online Meditation Techniques

Also, do check out our Facebook Mastery of Meditation and Yoga page for more great meditation tips and techniques:

Mastery of Meditation Facebook Page

STRANGE REASON MEDITATION LEADS TO HAPPY LIFE

YouTube Direct Link –> https://youtu.be/t7AbtfaeYtg

Full Transcript of Why Meditation Makes You Happy

Namaste My Friends,

So we all know, and there’s been plenty of research that shows that meditation leads to greater happiness, less stress, greater joy, and a more peaceful life. And there’s been research that looks into the biochemical reasons behind all of this and has definitively shown that, yes, there’s a strong correlation between meditation and a happy life.

Now, why is it that meditation leads to this state of happiness? There is all of the theory behind the mind being more quiet, the ability to live or deal with situations that are more difficult. There is the self healing that takes place when one is in a state of passive awareness, et cetera, et cetera. But I’m going to give you a different view of why when you are living a meditative life, you are living a happy life. And this stems from the true purpose of what life is, which is to help you realize your Divine Nature and to help you realize the non dual nature of reality.

Now, in order for this kind of realization to take place, meditation is essential. So we have life trying to assist you achieve the highest purpose of your birth, which requires meditation in order for it to be accomplished.

Now, what also happens to be true is that people turn to meditation or a meditative life when they are faced with suffering or difficulties or challenges or shocks. That’s when all of a sudden people are awakened to their higher path that they need to follow. So they turn to a better diet. They turned to better exercise. They turn to yoga and they turn to spirituality and they turn to meditation. Whenever it seems that life is overwhelming them, whenever it seems that life has really brought onto them a very difficult situation, a great deal of suffering.

And then over time that suffering diminishes as one meditates. And then again, life starts to take on this usual pattern. And for the most part, the meditative life, that spiritual living that a healthy living starts to fade into the background again. And one is back in their old patterns and habits. So what does life do? Because it needs you to meditate in order to achieve your highest potential and life has figured out that she needs to send you another shock in the form of suffering, because it is the pressure of suffering that life has realized that motivates mankind or womankind to meditate.

So if you are meditating, there was no reason for life to shock you. There’s no reason for life to make you suffer because you are on the path. She wants you to be on to recognize your true nature and the true nature of reality.

This is why I think those of us who meditate have happy lives because we avoid the shock treatment from life. So yes, there’s all that scientific evidence. I know… read it. It helps motivate you for God’s sake. Motivation is needed to keep up with your practice and it’s wonderful research and it’s absolutely well-proven that meditation has a wonderful long list of benefits, right? But if you want to avoid getting tasered from time to time and having life wipe you out from time to time to get you back on the path, then don’t stray.

Don’t stray, stay on it, and you will not just live a happier life, but you will achieve its highest purpose, which is divinity.

Thank you everybody. Wishing you all the Happiness in the world :-). God bless you all.

How Nature Helps Us Overcome Loneliness and Find Happiness

3 Comments/in Emotional Mastery, Health and Wellbeing, Love and Relationships, Stress, Anxiety & Depression/by Anmol Mehta

Importance of Nature in Ending Isolation

Loneliness is not the same as Aloneness. Aloneness is the power to stand apart and have a direct connection with life, while Loneliness is feeling disconnected and depressed.

Loneliness is the result of a life spent endlessly caught in the web of egocentric thinking. Eventually these ever isolating thought patterns leave us so completely cut off from the whole that even in the midst of crowds we feel like we are not a part of anything. It’s very sad.

So how is one to overcome this Loneliness and begin to feel part of the world again? The key to starting the journey back to wholeness, is through developing a connection with Nature.

Nature has created you. It is the original Mother and she will always take care of you. You may have forgotten her, but she has not forgotten you. Re-establishing your relationship with Nature has enormous benefits. Not just for your physical health and well-being, but also for your psychological well-being and ultimately for your Spiritual Growth.

So to get over isolation and loneliness, to improve your health and well-being and find your place in the Universe, get back to Nature. This video delves into this important topic and discusses in details the role Nature plays in uplifting your life.

The Power of Nature for Health and Happiness

Direct Youtube Link –> https://youtu.be/LkeSESZZXBQ

Transcript of the Power of Nature for Getting Connected

Below I am providing the transcript of the entire video for those who may still prefer to read over watch :-)

Namaste My friends,

Today we are going to discuss a very interesting subject. We’re going to discuss the importance of nature both in your life and how nature can contribute to your spiritual growth.

So there are three ways distinctly in which nature plays a very important role in your life, health and wellbeing. First, when you spend time in nature, it has been proven that it helps your mood, that it prevents depression, it elevates your sense of wellbeing. In addition, being out in nature, doing some gardening, doing some hiking are all activities that will be beneficial to your health. So at the very least it’s going to bring you more joy, happiness, and better health.

Getting Back to Nature Now the second more subtle benefit of being with nature is that it helps you stay connected. It gives you a sense of being connected with something larger than yourself all the time. Our egocentric thoughts are keeping us trapped in a very small room and those walls keep closing in more and more over time as we form stronger and stronger patterns of self oriented thinking.

This self oriented thinking is that ever isolating process. It is the heart of loneliness. It’s important to understand that the more time you spend just thinking about your ego and your life, the more isolated you keep becoming from the whole. This leads to loneliness.

So the first step in breaking this isolating pattern is to feel your connection to nature, to the rivers, the trees, the starry nights, the summer breeze, to feel that connection with the animals and all of the wonders that are out there. Once you start to rebuild your connection with nature, you will start then to have the possibility of building your connection with other human beings. Because if you stay self obsessed, you can’t be connected with another. You can’t overcome loneliness and depression.

They are obsessed with their goals and you’re obsessed with your goals. You’re running on parallel lines. You’re not meeting. In order to be connected, you need to meet. You need to not be self obsessed. So you can be open, you can be a listener, you can be on the giving end of the spectrum. And this begins with establishing your connection with nature first.

And the third important benefit of connecting with nature is that it gives you perspective of your life. Nature. The universe is enormous. There are stars out there that are a billion times bigger than our sun. Think about that. The vastness of nature and in this fast universe with billions of galaxies, with billions of stars, there are billions and trillions of solar systems and all of this occurring over billions of years and there is your life. It’s, it’s just not even a flicker in comparison to time and space that exists.

And yet our perspective is so small, so petty, so limited that we remain anxious and concerned simply about this very, very, very small, tiny existence that we are in comparison to everything else. And in doing so, what we lose is our sense of wonder. What we use is our sense of peace.

Well, what doesn’t happen as a result of our over concern with our tiny lives is that love and joy have no space to blossom for love and joy, to blossom. Self-centered egotistical activity has to take a back seat and nature gives you this perspective of how insignificant your personal gains are. You are part of the whole, you’re unique. We’re not saying you are insignificant. We’re saying that this whole personal perspective, the whole personal orientation and trying to gain small, tiny things for yourself, such as a promotion or a bonus, or did my child get an A or B, or what kind of house or car do I have, et cetera.

These, these are insignificant in the grand scheme of things and yet we spend our whole lives worrying about them and chasing after them. Thus our whole lives are petty and we miss the wonder and we miss the magnificence of love and joy.

So again, include nature into your life, plays a very, very critical role in your growth by not only providing wellbeing, a sense of happiness and good health, but also by making you feel connected to the whole and then giving new perspective so you can drop your worries and anxieties, relax and truly enjoy and extract the maximum juice out of every moment that you have been gifted.

Thank you everybody. God bless you all.

Conclusion of Overcoming Loneliness with Nature

If you are feeling lonely, depressed and disconnected, start by including Nature into your life and daily routine. Nature will not just improve your health and level of happiness, but will also be the doorway through which you again find your connection to life, nature and Divinity.

Why Spiritual Seeking Involves Walking the Razor’s Edge with Awareness

3 Comments/in Spiritual Enlightenment/by Guest Author

Welcome to an article by our new guest contributor, Dr. Bina Nangia. Dr. Nangia is a long-time spiritual seeker who works with children. This week she looks at how spiritual seeking is about dancing the razor’s edge.

by Dr. Bina Nangia

Image by Pau Molas

Spiritual seeking happens when it is meant to happen.

It definitely depended on thousands of things to co-ordinate in my life. When there is intense longing to ‘know what you don’t know’ the path begins to unfold.

With receptivity, every person, object, situation points to the direction of your seeking. Once on this path, the journey begins.

In the beginning it seems fast track, since you start experiencing things which you were not even aware of.

Then it’s a ‘razor’s edge’ In fact, the true journey begins only now.

Every moment of your existence, it seems as if the universe is conspiring to teach you the many lessons you have to learn. It is in this allowing that the razor’s edge is experienced.

The journey is continuous, ongoing and flowing. Every interaction with others is the ground for further growth. If the understanding of ‘reality’ is weak, then you can slip on either side of the razor. The balancing act is the key to remain stable and have the conviction to move further on the path. The practise has to be ongoing and regular. There is danger of slipping from the razor’s edge and not being able to get back.

Here is when ‘awareness’ happens – the big picture, with the awareness of our role as a part of the totality.

Our interactions with others, as an exchange of role play with awareness, reduces our chances of slipping from the razor’s edge.

At every moment, we have to be fully aware of the role of divinity, placing us at the right place at the right time. Thousands of things have to go right in order for us to be and do what we are doing in the present situation.

This constant awareness helps me to be mindful, in every moment and live it to the fullest.

I try and find the perfect balance on the razor.

Can the wave independently try and balance itself? Its base is the ocean. The wave can try to be a wave or allow the ocean to express itself as a wave. The balance is in the allowing.

In the allowing, there is awareness of being a part of the ocean, yet not independent.

Then there is complete freedom, as the ocean’s job, you just allow with awareness.

This freedom is liberating and you are free of the bondage of believing that you are bound.

Then it’s a ‘wow’ moment. Then you are in balance with awareness.

The razor’s edge is a reminder to keep getting back to awareness, till it becomes you. Then you are awareness itself.

It is a wonderful exercise to be on the razor’s edge, mindfully and then balance with awareness.

About Dr. Bina Nangia

Dr. Nangia currently works with special kids. This is her calling and she has been working in this field for 20 years.

A grandmother of two boys, Dr. Nangia has been practising yoga since her younger days. Her keen interest in spirituality over many years has got her in touch with many masters. They have contributed to her growth tremendously. She shares her thoughts in magazines and newspaper articles.

Dr. Nangia is the author of Dyslexia Decoded, a handbook for special educators, which was recently published by Penguin and Hayhouse.

She shares her experiences about special education on various social networking sites, and is a trained therapist and family networker.

Dr. Nangia lives in Delhi, India.

What do Yoga and Physics Have in Common?

0 Comments/in Yoga/by Kara-Leah Grant

Our popular contributor Kara-Leah shifts focus this week, looking at how yoga and physics have more in common than you might think.

by Kara-Leah Grant, Forty Days of Yoga – Breaking down the barriers to a home yoga practice.

Both yogis and physicists both seek to understand the true nature of reality – one looks outward and one looks inward but in the end, always the twain shall meet.

In his book, The Elements of Yoga, Godfrey Devereux uses physics to explain how our perspective can limit our understanding of ‘reality’.

He says:

“While we perceive a tree as solid, if we change our frame of reference and perceive a tree from the viewpoint of an electron, a neutrino or any of the elusive sub-atomic particles which populate the Universe of quantum physicists, it melts into a vortex of dancing, scintillating energy. …

Material objects, viewed as fields of energy, do not have the limitation they appear to have when experienced as solid objects planted firmly in the three dimensions of space. We see a solid object in isolation from it’s background. But when we experience it as a vortex of energy we can no longer make this separation.

While there may appear to be many, different, separate objects, they are ACTUALLY all particular momentary concentrations of a single vast energy field.”

Read that last sentence again, slowly, because you gotta give it time to sink in. Change what he’s saying from objects to people.

“While there may appear to be many, different, separate people, they are ACTUALLY all particular momentary concentrations of a single vast energy field.”

What is a “particular momentary concentration”?

Particular – Separate and Distinct
Momentary – Of this instant only
Concentration – Converging at a common center

Let’s try an experiment right now.

Let’s consciously shift our perception of the world – something we usually see in terms of material and solid – to moving and energetic.

Like a physicist would do when studying sub-atomic particles, or a yogi would do when tuning into prana.

Pick up an object close at hand, something solid and real.

Look at it closely. Study it’s physical outline.

What do you see?

I’ve picked a ceramic sake cup, and I see solid, straight lines and a vessel capable of holding liquid.

Now ponder:

Is this true?
Is this what the sake cup really is?

Well… yes and no.

From our limited human perspective it IS true. We experience reality through our central nervous system, which perceives MATTER as REALITY.

But if I were an electron, and I was observing that sake cup, what I would see is something completely different.

What does an electron perceive?

Energy.

It sees all the other electrons inside that sake cup shooting around left, right and centre.

We all know that the basic building blocks of life are predominantly space (emptiness) and energy. That’s all an atom actually is – with a smudge of matter thrown in.

So collectively, the many millions of atoms that make up that sake cup contain mostly energy. And that energy is not confined to our perception of the material outline of the cup either… it spills out slightly into the surrounding air.

And what is that air?

Is it just empty space as we perceive it?

No, it too is made up of energy – energy that comes from all the matter-bound objects in the near vicinity, plus the chemicals that reside in air – oxygen and carbon dioxide (and who knows what other chemicals are leeching into the air from our cleaning products and man-made materials…)

Shifting perspective from a limited human vision of matter to an electron’s view of energy is like shifting from seeing a photo to seeing a negative.

Both are ‘true’ representations of what is… but they are the opposite of each other.

That sake cup is not solid at all… it just appears to be. Yet it is also solid.

All of the atoms that make up that sake cup have a tendency to exist in the same locale, in the same shape. The exact properties of the cup depend on the substance with which it is made. The sake cup has a particular momentary concentration.

It’s moving. It’s still.

It’s confined to it’s borders. It’s leeching out beyond into the air.

Now bang your object on the table. What happens?

When you banged it, did you perceive the flow of energy that followed the matter like the tail of a comet? Did you see the bounce of the energy as the matter constraining it came to an abrupt halt on the table?

Now throw that cup against a concrete floor and watch it smash.

Ever wondered WHY?

Because when the matter of the cup hits the matter of the concrete, matter stops matter… but the energy of the cup keeps going and explodes out skidding along the surface of the concrete… taking it’s particles of matter with it and suddenly the cup is broken. Yet the cup still exists – just in many pieces.

Today, experiment with being an electron. Stop seeing matter and space (emptiness), and instead see only ENERGY.

Remember – it’s like taking a black and white photo and staring at the negative version… suddenly the familiar looks completely different.

This shift of perspective will help you to understand the energetic nature of life… and then with this understanding will come greater knowing and belief about the way the world really works.

Because when you truly start to see everything as energy… that sake cup, the table, the computer, the plants, and mountains, the lake, the people…

You start to see how the energy of each perceived fixed-space entity actually leeches out and mingles with the energy of every other perceived fixed-space entity…

When you and I sit and talk… the energy that makes us up is mixing and intermingling… we are feeling each other on an energetic level.

My consciousness is bounded largely by the matter that makes me up – my body. Yet my field of consciousness of awareness also leeches out beyond my body.

The practice of yoga teaches us to look within to discover the truth of life. We look within at the physical sensations we experience, at the emotions we experience, at the thoughts we experience… and in witnessing all that we experience within… we realise the We are something else. We are the eternal unchanging awareness.

Once this concept is experienced, the yogi can then stay with themselves as Awareness and shift their focus to the external world. In doing so, he or she perceives the Awareness that permeates every other living thing on this planet. In the perceiving of this Awareness, a great truth becomes clear – none of it is separate.

Awareness, or Consciousness is one giant field containing many seemingly separate objects all connected via this awareness.

Which takes us right back to:

“While there may appear to be many, different, separate objects, they are ACTUALLY all particular momentary concentrations of a single vast energy field.”

This is what is means when it is said that All is One.

Energy/awareness/consciousness/divinity knows no boundaries. All IS connected to ALL. And by practicing yoga and meditation, we can actually experience this. We can feel it, see it, understand it, know it.

See – yoga and physics aren’t so different after all :-)

About Kara-Leah

Kara-Leah is a writer and yoga teacher who has always been infinitely curious about the make-up of the human psyche and body. Regular yoga helped her heal and recover from chronic back issues, including a spinal fusion at age 16, and two episodes of psychosis at age 29.

Her daily home yoga practice began in earnest when people kept asking her to teach them yoga. She’s since trained as a teacher with Shiva Rea, and immersed herself in practicing, teaching yoga and writing about yoga. Kara-Leah lives just outside of Queenstown, New Zealand with her son Samuel.

She’s the publisher of The Yoga Lunchbox and has just published her first book, Forty Days of Yoga – Breaking down the barriers to a home yoga practice. She’s also a regular contributor to the Elephant Journal.

3 Great Buddhist Meditation Techniques

3 Comments/in Meditation, Spiritual Enlightenment, Zen Buddhism/by Anmol Mehta

Previously, guest author, Richard wrote popular articles about Om Mantra Chanting, The Awakening of Kundalini and Energy Centers, Yoga Pranayama for Beginners and So Hum Mantra Meditation. Today he teaches us 3 wonderful Buddhist Meditation Techniques. Each of these techniques is time tested and will suit different aspirants depending on their personality and preferences. Read on below and find one that is right for you.

Richard is a meditation teacher and author, and you will find more information on the courses he offers on his website How to Meditate n Heal.

How to Meditate — Three Different Buddhist Meditation Techniques

By Richard Crown

Buddhist Meditation Form

Discover how to meditate using the path that best suits your personality. You can successfully practice meditation many different ways. Choose the method below that best suits you, or combine the practices.

Buddhist Meditation Technique One: Empty Mind

Vipassana, or Anapanasati, is the classical Theraveda Buddhist meditation technique. Buddha reached Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in North India using this empty mind meditation practice.

The method is very simple. There are only three basic components. The actual practice is very difficult.

Sit in a meditation posture. Full lotus is best if you can do it without discomfort. Other postures that work well are the half lotus and Burmese postures. If you’re uncomfortable on the floor, sitting comfortably erect on a chair with both feet flat on the ground will work better for you.
Use diaphragmatic (abdominal) breathing. Observe the feel of your breath coming in through your nose and going out through your mouth. Breathe deeply, gently and regularly. This will soon become an effortless habit.
Observe your thoughts without following them. Simply watch each thought arise in your mind and then disappear.

After some time, your thoughts will slow. You’ll notice a small gap between thoughts. Rest your mind in these gaps of ‘no thought’ as long as possible, making them longer and longer, until no more thoughts arise. Your mind becomes empty and calm.

Buddhists liken the untrained mind to a drunken monkey leaping about. There’s absolutely no way to predict or control a drunken monkey’s next wild antic. The same is true of your mind. Wild, crazy thoughts leap about in an ever shifting landscape of stories that continually stir up your emotions.

Many years of dedicated, daily Vipassana practice can be necessary to tame your ‘monkey mind’. But the wise understand that the path is the goal.

Buddhist Meditation Technique Two: Loving Kindness

Buddhist have developed other methods that are also used by Gurus and Yogis.

Mahayana Buddhism advocates actively practicing loving kindness to work first for your own liberation, then for the liberation of all beings. A popular mehtta (loving kindness) meditation is:

Visualize Buddha directly in front of you. At his sides and behind him are all the many other Buddhas, Bodhisatvas and Daikinis.
See and feel their immense love pouring into your heart.
Visualize the people you love most directly behind you, then your friends behind them and then the rest of humanity behind them.
Send the love pouring into the front of your heart out of your back into all those behind you. This beautiful stream of love flowing through you cleanses and purifies you very quickly.

Notice that this method involves actively using your mind to visualize, observe and control subtle energy. This is quite easy to learn with a good teacher. He will give you the initiations to bring this type of mediation to life for you, saving you years of practice.

Buddhist Meditation Technique Three: Guru Puja

Vajrayana Buddhism, or the Diamond Path, is practiced by Tibetan Buddhists. Gurus and Yogis often use the same kinds of practices. These are very powerful methods. Sometimes realization occurs instantly if the student is ready.

The teacher, or Guru, uses his psychic abilities to place his own ability to meditate in deep states into his student’s minds. Students instantly become able to meditate in very profound states.
The student then diligently does the practice the Guru prescribes to anchor the state in himself.

There is another very important aspect of Guru Puja. The student actually worships the Divine aspect of his Guru’s nature, which has been completely purified and dissolved into the Divine by the Guru’s own devoted practice.

A strong personal connection between teacher and student is necessary to make this type of practice work best.

Meditate on your Guru, the Guru’s picture or an object that your Guru has impregnated with energy.
See/feel the Guru’s Divine essence entering your heart and mind. Expand the Divine luminescence out through your entire being until you become Divine, just like your teacher.

The Divine essence is a lovely luminescent energy that is the inherent, basic nature of all humans. Becoming enlightened is the process of stripping away everything in your mind that’s obscuring your luminescence. Your Divinity then shines forth to all.

A good teacher can guide you through the process of discovering your inner luminescence in a few weeks or months. It’s then up to you to continue your practice, going ever deeper into Divinity.

Please, choose your meditation technique and start meditating today. Liberation isn’t far away!

About Richard

You can find helpful meditation resources on Richard Crown’s site How to Meditate n Heal where he teaches all of the techniques above and more via Skype and Teleconference. Books, videos and the blog are all free for you. Meditation webinars, forum and personal courses are also available. Have a look now!

Gayatri Mantra Meaning, Benefits and Power

20 Comments/in Advaita Vedanta (Non-dualism), Mantra, Meditation/by Anmol Mehta

Previously, guest author, Richard wrote popular articles about Om Mantra Chanting, The Awakening of Kundalini and Energy Centers, Yoga Pranayama for Beginners and So Hum Mantra Meditation. Today he discusses with us the meaning, benefits and great power of the Gayatri Mantra . In the article below you will also find links to download a free MP3 of the Gayatri Mantra along with links to videos of Gayatri Mantra Meditation.

Richard is a meditation teacher and author, and you will find more information on the courses he offers on his website Shaktipat-meditation.org.

Gayatri – The Ancient, Supreme Mantra

The Gayatri practice was secret for thousands of years.

Today, it’s heard everywhere in India, Earth’s most Spiritual land.

Priests chant Gayatri Mantra in Temples.

Sai Baba taught Gayatri to his followers.

So did Sri Aurobindo. And Sri Swami Shivananda.

Cowherds seeking Divinity chant Gayatri from dawn till dusk as they follow their Holy cows.

House wives chant Gayatri Mantra as they sweep the pavement in front of their homes to create lovely chalk mandalas bringing great good fortune.

What’s the amazing attraction to Gayatri? How does the Gayatri Mantra work? Where did it come from? And, most important of all, what are the wonderful benefits of chanting the Gayatri Mantra?

Gayatri Mantra

First, let’s learn the mantra. Then, while you’re experiencing the energy Gayatri creates in you, we’ll discuss its meaning, history, and benefits. You may feel the blissful effects as you begin chanting the short, easy version of the supreme mantra right now with Anmol’s wife Trupti.

Free Gayatri Mantra MP3 Download

Om Bhur Buvaha Svaha
Tat Savithur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayath

You’ll find also find 3 excellent videos here.

TIP — Correct pronunciation is important to direct the energy to activate the proper centers inside yourself. V in Sanskrit is SOMETIMES enunciated W as in Svaha (Swaha).

Gayatri Mantra Meaning

The words Gayatri Mantra could be translated as meaning: prayer of praise that awakens and liberates. One of the reasons this mantra is so effective is that it combines both prayer and mantra techniques that take you very deep into meditation.

S. Krishnamurthy’s translation of the mantra works well with Anmol’s exercise for opening the Third Eye:

We meditate upon the radiant Divine Light
of that adorable Sun of Spiritual Consciousness;
May it awaken our intuitional consciousness.

Another translation could be:

Radiant Divine Soul from which we all came
Awaken the same brilliant Divine Light in me
So that inner radiance consumes all thought and emotion
Teaching and guiding me to realizing reality

You’ve attained a very high level of realization when the brilliant radiance inside you merges with the Divine Soul. You become the Divine Soul. It’s not that difficult. The power of Gayatri helps get you there faster.

Gayatri Mantra Origins

The Vedas are some of the earliest scriptures, going back 2,500 to 3,500 years. Gayatri is mentioned numerous times as being the supreme mantra. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna proclaims to Arjuna, “I am the Gayatri.” This means that all of Krishna’s attributes can be experienced by chanting Gayatri.

You become Divine.

For many centuries, Gayatri was kept secret by Gurus and Yogis because of its power. As with so many other secret, ancient practices, it’s only in recent times that this amazing mantra has become widely available to all.

Gayatri Mantra Benefits

Becoming radiant Divine light is the greatest benefit, but if that’s not enough for you, or you think it’s too far away, along the path to Divinity there are many other benefits that you can enjoy sooner.

Gayatri:

Removes obstacles from your life
Protects you from danger
Brightens you mind
Dispels ignorance
Improves communication abilities
Opens your psychic vision
Brings direct knowledge of the eternal truths

Full Version of Gayatri Mantra

For those of you who want a little more, chant the long version. The introduction invokes the power of Gayatri in all seven lokahs, or dimensions, purifying and empowering all areas of your life. Reciting all seven lokas before chanting Gayatri energizes all of your chakras, adding efficacy, clarity and power.

Om bhahu

Om bhuvaha

Om suvaha

Om mahaha

Om gahaha

Om tapaha

Om satyam

Tat Savithur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi
Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayath

Om apo jyotih rasamritan

Brahma bhur bhuvas suvar

You can listen to a rendition sung beautifully in Western style here Gâyatrî Mantra.

Meaning of the Full Version of Gayatri Mantra:

Bhuhu is the physical plane or Earth

Bhuvaha is the astral –the energy underlying the physical

Suvaha is the mental world of thought

Mahaha is emotions

Janaha is creative generation

Tapaha is intuition

Satyam is the absolute from which the true teachings come

By chanting the introduction, you’re telling the energy created by Gayatri to progressively work through from the grossest physical level of your being to the highest, most refined aspect of you, purifying all.

You become purer, more refined and more translucent –Divine in all aspects. Swiftly becoming Divine radiant light is the greatest benefit and is the goal of chanting Gayatri morning, noon and night.

Advanced Gayatri Mantra Meditation

Take this practice to a higher level by visualizing brilliant, luminous light appearing at one of two centers inside yourself while chanting.

Your pineal gland at the base of your brain. See a brilliant ball or crystal of luminous light form, expand and become permanent. It grows as you practice Gayatri regularly. Use this visualization in conjunction with Anmol’s Third Eye opening exercise.
Your Thymus gland high in the center of your chest. Do the same visualization as in number one above.

Tip: A good meditation teacher can give you an initiation that will open these Soul Centers for you, exploding this practice into life for you instantly.

Chanting Gayatri may bring immense, practical benefits into your life as well as grant you the ability to become eternal, luminous light.

Please, share your comments or questions below.

Gayatri Mantra Benefits - Chakra

You can quickly learn how to meditate in person, one-on-one Skype classes, and download Richard Crown’s free E-books, at Shaktipat-meditation.org.

5 Ways Meditation Promotes Good and Healthy Relationships

5 Comments/in Love and Relationships, Meditation/by Anmol Mehta

How to Have Healthy Relationships

Good Relationships

One of the benefits that is often cited by the students of my Free Online Meditation Classes and the Meditation Certification Program, is the significant improvements they see in their relationships as a result. To me this is no surprise, as the inner transformation that meditation bring about ends up affecting all aspects of one’s life, especially one’s relationships. So how exactly does meditation lead to healthier and happier relationships? Below is a list of 5 ways it helps.

How Meditation Helps Forge Healthy Relationships:

1. Reduces Anger and Irritation in Relationships:

One of the biggest and most destructive forces to a relationship’s health is ANGER. It can be the simmering type, just below the surface, that eats away at the relationship or it can be the volcanic type that erupts in a cascade of hurtful words, insults and even physical violence. Of course, no relationship is going to be completely immune to some irritation or anger, but certainly less the anger, better the relationship.

The root cause for anger is not getting what you want, or getting what you don’t want. So for example, getting angry at the husband for forgetting it’s your birthday, or getting angry at the wife for returning late from shopping, while leaving you to tend to the kids. So how can meditation help with this?

The great lesson meditation teaches is that no matter what the moment brings, it is ok. With this approach, difficult moments are seen as opportunities to practice composure and acceptance, and not blow one’s top. They are looked at as opportunities to watch and learn the ways of the ego and thus, go beyond the ego’s influence and control. When one approaches difficult and potentially upsetting situations with this attitude and meditative mind, then there is very little anger and the ensuing damage to the relationship is avoided.

Of course, this does not mean you don’t have a discussion with your partner about your grievances, it means you can do so with a calm, cool head instead of yelling and screaming.

2. Maintains Freshness and Spontaneity in Relationships:

As relationships age, the partners start to fall into patterns of repetitive behaviors and automatic reactionary responses. This is because couples form images of themselves and images of the other person, and then the “relationship” takes place between these two images. The real humans involved hardly encounter each other, and the “relationship” becomes stale, boring, unspontaneous and irritating.

With meditation, you learn to encounter the reality of “what is” and approach life without images. This keeps the relationship ever alive, as you are dealing with who your partner is at that moment, and as people are always changing and growing, you are then encountering a new person constantly. I have written about this topic more extensively in the following article:

Relationship Help and Advise | Special Technique to Have Fun Relationships

3. Improves Relationship Communication:

The key to communication in relationships is honesty, openness and being a good listener, and these very qualities you will find overflowing in those who meditate regularly.

Meditation can in fact be defined as listening with great care. In meditation, one pays close attention to various objects of meditation, especially one’s thoughts and feelings. Such practice makes meditators excellent listeners, for that is what they have trained themselves to do. In addition, the mind’s of meditators are also more quiet and less dominated by the endless inner chatter, and this too helps them to be better listeners.

In addition to being great listeners, meditators invariably realize that honesty is an essential ingredient for spiritual progress. Without honesty one cannot face the ugly state one’s heart and mind is in, and without facing the ugliness, there is no chance of transformation. This honesty in meditation, translates to honesty in all things. For relationships, honesty can be quite difficult, as bitter truths and criticisms have to be said and heard. Fortunately meditations helps with openness, which then allows such open conversation to take place.

So with openness, honesty and the ability to be a good listener, communication in a relationship becomes possible and communication is the foundation of a close and healthy relationship.

4. Removes Fear from Relationships:

As one meditates, one starts to eradicate all the secondhand beliefs and superstitions one has gathered, and starts to see the world with their own eyes. As one’s meditation practice deepens, this leads to a certain quiet self-confidence and self-sufficiency. Seeing the Truth of non-duality and Divinity for oneself gives one great independence from the entanglements of society and the ego. It helps one stand alone.

This independence means that one’s relationships are not just based on dependency and attachments. Relationships that are bound together by need and dependency only, inevitably give rise to fear, jealousy, hatred and conflict, but those relationships between 2 independent people who actually enjoy and love each other, has a very different quality to it. This kind of relationship can really flourish and blossom into something strong and special.

5. Allows for Forgiveness and Compassion in Relationships:

Without a doubt meditation will make you a kinder, gentler and more compassionate person. This is because you will start to see the falseness of the egocentric reality and start to see the underlying Oneness of everything. This realization along with the deepening understanding that as humans we all face the same problems of suffering and discontent, brings forth great compassion for all.

In addition, meditation is the process of negating the false and as the false, the darkness lifts, goodness automatically starts to flower. Such goodness is of course the key to any good and healthy relationship. With meditation comes love and compassion, and relationships full of love are the truest relationships possible.

How to Have Good and Healthy Relationships Summary:

For a relationship to really reap the benefits that meditation brings, it is of course best if both partners meditate, but even if just one meditates, the relationship will gain immensely. Then seeing one partner as happier, calmer, more natural, loving, open and joyful, hopefully the other will be inspired and embrace meditation as well. This combination will allow for something really beautiful to then flourish.

So in the long list of the benefits of meditation, you can now add healthy, strong and heartfelt relationships.

If you are new to meditation and interested in starting your practice, below are a few good resources for you…

Learn How to Meditate Class

How to Meditate

Learn Meditation Online Course

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

How to Sleep Correctly | Advise from the Enlightened

1 Comment/in Meditation, Spiritual Giants, Stress, Anxiety & Depression/by Anmol Mehta

How to Sleep

The Right Way to Fall Sleep

Sleep and the nighttime are a very important and interesting part of spiritual evolution and in this two part series I am going to go into some of the more fascinating and unusual suggestions of how to get the most out of sleep time. This series will be helpful to both, those who are suffering from insomnia or disturbed sleep and those who are interested in maximizing spiritual growth during sleep time.

In previous articles I have revealed that many enlightenment, transcendental and non-dual experiences take place during sleep or nighttime, and I have shared several such personal experiences as well. Some of these articles are 3 Simple Tips for Inviting Enlightenment, Interpreting Spiritual Dreams and Higher Consciousness and Sheer Bliss). So I am quite aware of the power of meditation during sleep and it is something I strongly suggest you explore if you are interested in Awakening, or even if you are just interested in having sound sleep and great energy.

For those of you who suffer specifically from insomnia, you will find many yoga and meditation techniques to help you combat that on the website, just search the website for the term insomnia using the search box in the top right corner of the website. For you convenience I have listed a few of the popular techniques at the end of this article as well.

Below is an excerpt from the book, Health and Healing in Yoga, by the Mother (Mirra Alfassa who was a student of Sri Aurobindo), which guides you on how best to approach sleep in order to get the most rest out of this activity. In the next part of this series, I will provide more wisdom from her on how to sleep in order to merge with Divine Consciousness.

Book: Health and Healing in Yoga

Author: Mother

To sleep well one must learn how to sleep.

If one is physically very tired, it is better not to go to sleep immediately, otherwise one falls into the inconsistent. It one is very tired, one must stretch out on the bed, relax, loosen all the nerves one after another until one becomes like a rumpled cloth in one’s bed, as though one had neither bones nor muscles.

When one has done that, the same thing must be done in the mind. Relax, do not concentrate on any ideas or try to solve a problem or ruminate on impressions, sensations or emotions you had during the day. All that must be allowed to drop off quietly; one gives oneself up, one is indeed like a rag.

When you have succeeded in doing this, there is always a little flame, there – that flame never goes out and you become conscious of it when you have managed this relaxation. And all of a sudden this little flame rises slowly into an aspiration for the divine life, the truth, the consciousness of the Divine, the union with the inner being, it goes higher and higher, it rises, rises, like that, very gently. Then everything gathers there, and if at that moment you fall asleep, you have the best sleep you could possible have.

I guarantee that if you do this carefully, you are sure to sleep, and also sure that instead of falling into a dark hole you will sleep in light, and when you get up in the morning you will be fresh, fit, content, happy and full of energy for the day.

How to Sleep Summary:

The importance of relaxing before sleep really should not be underestimated. Many techniques help you do this, including the advise to let go completely from the Mother above, but the part of this excerpt that I think one should really explore is the aspect that speaks about finding that flame, that passion in Divinity, and giving it one’s attention prior to sleep. Finding that flame and riding it into sleep is a key aspect of spiritual evolution and in the next part of the series I will go into that in more detail.

For those suffering from insomnia and exploring techniques which help them sleep and guide them on how to sleep, the articles below can be quite helpful.

5 Natural Cures for Insomnia

Yoga Breathing for Those who Can’t Sleep

Meditation to Cure Insomnia

Easy Meditation Technique for Total Stress Relief