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301

The Secret on How to Become an Early Riser

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Tips to Become an Early Riser

One of my grandfather’s favorite quotes was, “The heights of great men reached and kept, Were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, Were toiling upwards in the night.”  Well at least toiling upwards in the early morning would be a good start for some of us :-).  So how is this to be done?  How is one to wake up early and thus make full use of that most beautiful time of the day?  The answer does not lie in taping an alarm clock to your head, or in using electric shocks, or in hiring a drill sergeant as a personal trainer – the answer is simpler than that – the answer is to figure out what you are most passionate about in life.  Those great men above, I am certain, had one thing in common.  They all had a burning passion for something in life.  That is the key.  The secret to not only becoming an early riser, but also for living a fulfilling life.  That passion, that love, will give you the energy to spring out of bed at the break of dawn so you can give yourself to that which you love most.

Early Riser

Here is a simple experiment that you can do to validate the above argument.  Think about what you really enjoy doing and plan to do that early in the morning.  Here are a few simple examples of such an experiment.  If you really love a particular TV show and have a DVR (or VCR), tape that show instead of watching it when you normally do.  Now wait for a day when you don’t have to rush off to work and plan to watch that show on that day early in the morning.  See what happens.  You may be surprised at the energy available to you to get out of bed that morning.  When there is something that needs to be done, observe carefully within yourself and you will notice that the energy is there at that time for you to do it.  Try to never delay or procrastinate the necessary response to a requirement of life in a given moment (this is actually a very interesting topic in and of itself but I will leave that for another article).  Here are a few more examples.  If you are an avid gamer, lets say playing World of Warcraft.  Well, stop right before you level up or before you get your reward for a completed quest and see how quickly you get out of bed the next day and run to the computer.  Or leave the book you are reading at an interesting juncture and observe your ability to wake up the next day early to continue.  I think the point has been made.  Getting up and out of bed early has to do with your enthusiasm for starting the next day.

One problem that comes up of course is that many people do not know what their true passion is and so are not living an inspired life.  The article Stop the Madness of Self-Discipline goes into this more but here I will paste one portion of that post which presents the following questions to ask yourself to help you figure out what you love to do.  Here are those 6 questions….

  1. What is it that you like to do for its own sake, without any concern for reward or compliment? Do you like the joy of building things? 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?

Hopefully these questions will start to reveal to you your real interests in life.  Once that happens, and you start to live according to your passions, trying to wake up early will be a non-issue.

There is another problem that sometimes comes up with regard to becoming an early riser and that has to do with health and energy.  Having good physical, emotional and mental health will go a long way in helping you, not only sleep better, but also in providing the necessary energy to kick-start the day bright and early.  If you find yourself lacking energy and feeling depleted there is no better cure for that than exercise and Yoga.  Here is a nice beginner Kundalini Yoga Kriya (set) that covers many aspects of your being and will help build your energy and health.  The kriya is actually called Morning Wakeup Series and ironically should be done in the morning when you wake up. This Kundalini Kriya, in a short time with regular practice, will help you overcome any energy issues that were hampering you from getting up early.

One last item that I think is worth touching upon while I am on this topic is the motivation for those who practice meditation, kundalini, chakra yoga, pranayama or other spiritual work to wake up early.  Here is a list of reasons why it is advantageous to practice sadhana in the early morning if possible…

  1. Early morning is called brahmamuhurta in Sanskrit.  It literally means “The Divine Time.” This is the time of the day when the spiritual energy on our lovely planet is at its highest.
  2. The air at this time is fresh and contains the greatest amount of prana (cosmic life force).
  3. The mind is also fresh and unburdened with the worries of everyday life.  This will help in the practice of concentration and meditation.
  4. This is the time of day when you are least likely to be distracted by the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
  5. The stomach is empty, which is necessary before practicing many of the Yoga asanas and pranayamas.

Other articles that also touch upon this topic are Silent Mind Meditation Program: Practical Hints and Tips: Chapter 18 and How to Meditate by Yourself (Zazen Practice).

It is said that one of the things that we human beings waste our lives doing is sleeping (too much).  So let that not be the case for you.  Search inwards, experiment, figure out what you love to do in life and then muster up the courage to go after it.  There is a story of a Yogi high up in the Himalayan mountains and what he does early every morning is get up, stand and applaud.  He is applauding creation for the wonder of a new dawn, for the beauty of the sunrise and for the opportunity each new day provides.  Let us join him bright and early tomorrow morning.

Internet Resources, Recognitions and Links: 

This article is part of the Feature Selections of the Carnival of Powerful living.  Head on over there to read other great stuff on personal development and self-improvement.

This article was hand picked by the organizer to be featured in the Carnival of Healing. 

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Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation

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Brain Development & Enlightenment Series: Insight Meditation

Art of Meditation: Brain Development & Enlightenment Part 3 of 3

To bring about the molecular/cellular change to the brain and have it work par excellence is the secret to having the organism function at its highest potential and return to its natural, completed state.  The first 2 parts of this series provided; meditations for honing the senses and a master pranayama set for refining and vitalizing Kundalini energy. We now come to the part that works to ignite insight which brings the profound changes to the brain.  The pranayama set, of part 2, begins this work as well but the real catalyst for transformation is insight.  So how can we set the stage for the explosion of insight and cellular change to occur?  Let us find out…          

Brain Development

Let’s first clarify what we mean by insight.  Insight is not understanding reached using logic and reason.  It is not the product of analysis and thinking.  By insight, we mean instant comprehension via direct perception.  You see it and you realize.  The realization may be framed by thoughts and words concurrent to its occurrence, but is not a product of that.  It is objective and impersonal.  It is immediate and not a function of time.  It is clear and free of doubt as it is not an argument or other conclusion requiring evidence to support.  Below are some famous examples given to illustrate these points.          

In eastern philosophy the example often cited to describe insight is one of the stick, which looks like a snake.  If you were walking along a path and were to see a snake you would be alarmed and fearful.  If, upon closer inspection you saw that it was actually a stick, all tension would evaporate and you would probably have a big laugh.  The seeing and understanding of the false (snake) in the fact (stick) and the immediate relief is insight and its action.  Similarly, the example of a cliff is given.  If you were walking along and suddenly came to the edge of a cliff, you would not hesitate and just stop dead in your tracks. Seeing the danger would be immediate and the action too would follow spontaneously.  From these two examples one more component of insight is revealed – that the resultant action it has is coupled directly with its occurrence.  There is insight and immediate action resulting from it.  Let us now explore insight and its action with regard to the brain and thinking.           

In Part 1 we said that the continuous self-centered activity was the root cause preventing the organism from reaching its full potential.  This continuous struggle is due to unending desire.  As long as desire is functioning the organism is under stress to achieve some future state.  With desire always comes suffering.  If desire is there, there is discontentment, as desire means something is lacking, missing- yet to be attained.  The problem is that desire is not extinguished even if we achieve the goal, as instead it just finds a new goal to pursue.  Thus the sense of incompleteness never ends and we remain trapped in endless effort.  In turn, this effort drains our energy, which would otherwise be harnessed by the brain to complete itself and reach its full potential.  What can be done about this?  Nothing.  For to try to do something is still within the pattern of motivated action and keeps the energy trapped.  Insight is seeing this whole thing clearly, like seeing the edge of the cliff.  So the mind/thought, upon inspecting itself closely, sees that any willful action on its part perpetuates desire and thus suffering, so like seeing the danger at the cliff, which spontaneously acts on one to stop, the mind upon seeing the danger of ambition stops itself.  This then frees ones energy, which was so far being lost in the conflict between what is and what should be.  This energy then goes on to work on completing and unleashing the full capacity of the brain.  

The details of this meditation, the igniting of insight, is described in “The Silent Mind Meditation Program: Chapter 12 Silent Mind Meditations” but I am going to summarize the essence of it here as well.  I suggest though that you read that chapter, as it provides much more detail, which will be helpful to you in your practice.            

To do this meditation, sit or lie absolutely still with your eyes closed.  Then begin the meditation of listening to sounds as described in part 1.  Once you feel thoughts have lost some of their momentum and the mind is a little quieter, gather up all your energy and start to watch your thoughts as best you can.  The objective is to see and understand the entire story behind each thought as it occurs.  Understand the hidden or obvious motive, the goal you are being seduced by, the implication of time and self-centeredness, etc.  Initially you may find this difficult, as thoughts are very quick and you will be missing most and grasping just a few, but don’t worry keep at it.  To grasp and comprehend swiftly will require acute attention and sharp intelligence.  Remember we are not analyzing thoughts here; we are seeing thoughts and trying to comprehend them entirely as they occur.  As you keep at it, the intensity of your demand to comprehend, will slow the mind down bit by bit and by and by thoughts will start of reveal themselves.  Concurrently, this practice will also greatly improve your awareness and intelligence.  Thus, the mind will slow, awareness and intelligence will be honed, and more and more energy will be harnessed, as instead of participating in psychological effort you will be taking a position of a keen, passive witness.  Keeping at it, will bring you to the remarkable occurrence of insight as suggested previously, where the mind will see itself as the root cause of its own suffering and stop.          

Let me tell you this is not easy.  It is arduous.  Not complex, but arduous.  Sometimes when I sit and am fully zoned in, fully integrated and applied, I wonder who the hell is going to do this.  I wonder if there is any point in telling others about it, for the requirement is stiff.  I think, no way others would be able to devote themselves in this manner.  Fall repeatedly back into their thoughts and get up again to fight the next day with the same passion and zeal.  No way others have the fortitude and abiding passion.  I hope you prove me wrong.  I hope you sit your butt down on a pillow and wage war like there is no tomorrow.  I hope to hear from you, that you went after it with all that you are, you threw everything and the kitchen sink at it, maybe the explosion of insight occurred or maybe it didn’t, but you were up the next day fully armored with the sword of intelligence drawn and ready.  If you do that much I would be so proud to call you my friend.

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Internet Resources for Brain Development, Meditation, Kundalini Yoga and Personal Development:

The Urban Monk has included this article (Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation) in the Personal Development Carnival Edition 3 on March 25, 2007.  Furthermore he says, “My favorite would have to be the Meditation article by Anmol Mehta.” :-D.  Thanks to the Urban Monk for his kind words.  You can see it and find other great articles on his website The Teaching of the Urban Monk.

This article (Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation) has been selected to be a part of the Carnival of Powerful Living edition which is hosted by Verve Coaching.  Head over there to read more great stuff on Powerful Living.

Thanks to Shaheen for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation to be a part of the Brain Blogging Carnival Edition 3. Head on over to Brain Blogger to read more great articles related to the brain and mind. 

Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation has been selected to be a part of the Esanga Newsletter which can be found on The Middle Way blog.  Head on over there to read more great stuff on Zen and Buddhist teachings.

Thanks to the Laura for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation to be a part of the March 25th Edition of the Personal Development Carnival. Head on over to The Dragon Slayer’s Guide to Life to read more great stuff on personal development.

Thanks to Lynn for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation to be a part of the April 1 Edition of the Carnival of Metaphysics.  Head on over to The Mystical Realm to read more great stuff on Mysticism and Spirituality.

Thanks for Ainslee for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part III: Insight Meditation to be a part of the Philosophers’ Carnival.  She has done a great job in presenting this edition.  Head on over to Ainsleehooper.Blog to read this edition and other great stuff on philosophy and self knowledge.

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303

Brain Development and Enlightenment Part II: Vitalize Energy (Kundalini)

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Brain Development & Enlightenment Series: Vitalize Energy (Kundalini)

Art of Meditation: Brain Development & Enlightenment Part 2 of 3:

In Part 1 of this series we indicated that the natural state of the organism is one where all the internal systems were working at peak capacity. We spoke of how refining the senses, vitalizing energy and sharpening awareness and intelligence were the keys to the completion of this process. In Part I we also provided some specific meditations to help develop the most important (meditation related) senses of hearing and seeing. In this article we will delve into vitalizing energy (kundalini).

Brain Development

Vital energy is required for, not only optimal health, but also for doing the meditations that finally hone intelligence and awareness (discussed in Part 3 of this series). There are two primary sciences for building this energy, yoga (the use of physical postures (asanas), body locks (bandhas) and motion), and pranayama (the science of breath). In this article we will provide a very powerful and complete pranayama set which, when done consistently, can remarkably increase and awaken energy. For those familiar with Kundalini and the Chakra system I will provide the details of how each pranayama exercise works with regard to the charkas. If you are not familiar with this framework not to worry, the set will work for you just the same (and you can familiarize yourself with this topic, if you like, by visiting the Kundalini Yoga category). For this article it is sufficient to think of Kundalini as the total energy of man. Kinetic Energy, which is already active and flowing and Potential Energy that lies within waiting to be awakened.

More information on this set and 3SRB is available on the website www.3srb.org and this work has been transmitted to us by the great modern Yoga master S. N. Tavaria. 

Below is the detailed description to channel & release these energies:–

Preparation:

  1. The sitting positions for the set can be cross legged (Sukn Asana) or on a chair (refer to the Silent Mind Meditation Program Chapter 4: Yoga for Meditation for more details on these postures if required)
  2. Starting time for each pranayama exercise is 15 seconds; build up to 3 minutes per exercise.
  3. All the pranayamas should be done one after the other with no rest in between if possible.
  4. The rhythm for the breathing is 36 cycles per minute where specified. The exercises normally are done to music, which provides this correct rhythm of 36 cycles per minute. In the event you do not have this music, use a stopwatch or other time device to set the pace of your breathing correctly.  If you are using a time device it helps to break it down to 18 cycles / 30 seconds to help keep the correct pace.

Pranayama Set For Vitalizing Kundalini

Begin:

Exercise 1: Chest Pump Pranayama: Place both hands on the center of the chest one on top of the other palms facing in; relax the elbows. Begin breathing deep and fast limiting the breath to the chest area only. The breath should be in rhythm and at a pace of 36 cycles / minute.

Benefits: Works on the Lungs and Heart. The pranayama improves lung capacity thus allowing intake of more of that magical ingredient prana (the life giving and vital aspect of air). It also helps blood flow and circulation by working on and improving the heart. This is also the region of the energy vortex (charka) called the Anahat Chakra, which is responsible for the flow of that divine energy called Love.

Exercise 2: Navel Pump Pranayama: Place both hands above the navel one of top of the other palms facing in. Begin breathing deep and fast limiting the breath to the abdominal area. The breath should be in rhythm and at a pace of 36 cycles / minute.

Benefits: The pranayama works on optimizing the digestive system and all associated organs in that region. Both absorption and excretion are improved. The Nabhi or Manipura Chakra governs this region, which is the seat of Willpower. Work on this region balances the organism providing it a calm strength and ability to sustain difficult activity over time.

Exercise 3: Full Pump Pranayama: Sit with legs extended, keeping knees straight and hold as far down the legs as possible while keeping the back straight. Holding the toes is ideal. Begin breathing deep and fast allowing it fill both the chest and abdominal cavity. The breath should be in rhythm and at a pace of 36 cycles / minute.

Benefits: This posture along with the pranayama promotes healing, longevity and flow. It stretches the longest nerve in the body (the sciatic nerve) along with stretching the entire backside of the body. It elongates the spine and frees it of blockages and insures proper flow of energy up and down the vital channels that run in and along the spine (sushumna, ida and pingla). The lower 2 chakras (Muladhara and Swadisthan) are activated and balanced by this exercise, which relate to our grounded and creative natures respectively.

Exercise 4: Staccato Breathing Pranayama. In this pranayama you will partition the breath into 5 short, successive inhalations through the nose, filling the lungs completely, to make one complete inhalation, then release the breath forcefully via the mouth in one exhalation. In other words, one 5 part inhalation through the nose, followed by a single explosive exhalation through the mouth.

Benefits: This pranayama dramatically increases lung capacity and elasticity and improves blood circulation. The partitioned breathing is key in increasing lung capacity for we seldom use our full lungs when taking a single breath. This exercise is also very potent in increasing the overall strength of our nervous system.

Exercise 5: Segmented Breathing Pranamaya. In this pranayama you will inhale slowly for 5 seconds, hold breath for 5 second, exhale slowly for 5 seconds and hold again after exhalation for 5 seconds before repeating the cycle. In other words each portion inhalation, hold, exhalation, hold should take 5 seconds so 1 complete cycle takes 20 seconds.

Benefits: This pranayama works to calm the entire organism including brain function. It helps to break down the pattern of the constantly reactive mind and ignite insight by teaching the system to be still and behold.

Exercise 6: Neck Lock (modified Jalandhara Bandha). Sit up straight, take a deep breath hold, pinch the nose shut with thumb and index finger and apply Jalandhara Bandha (neck lock). Neck lock is applied by bringing the chin down to the hollow of the throat and with free hand pressing down gently on the top, back of the head. Once in the position swallow as in the act of drinking 5 times and then release, lower your hands and raise your head. Take another deep inhalation, hold and repeat exercise.

Benefits: The exercise works to sharpen all the senses. Also works on the thyroid, parathyroid and pituitary glands thus improving all the related functions for these critical glands. The throat is the seat of the Vishuddhi Charka, which is responsible for our communication as well as our thinking. Thus working on this chakra gives you power over speech and improves your brain function.

End: Pranayama Set for Vitalizing Energy Kundalini

This pranayama set above has its roots in Sage Pantajali’s Yoga Sutras and from the research I have done it has been revived and explained by S.N. Tavaria, a modern master of Yoga. This set is a rare gem. It is very complete, does not require all day to do and most importantly the pranayamas are very effective in refining and optimizing your critical physiological systems at many levels. It has numerous health benefits but for those interested in the science of enlightenment, this set helps turbo charge the entire system and prepare it for the next stage. Having vitalized Kundalini energy, we are now ready for the next and most important requirement, which is to sharpen awareness and intelligence to promote insight. In the next part of the series I will cover this work, but before that I would like to provide some comments and helpful hints regarding the above set.

Hints and Comments:

1. Do it regularly! I can’t emphasize that enough. This pranayama set is going to radically change you physically, but needs to be done consistently to bestow its affects. If you are doing 1-2 minutes / exercise you can do the set twice a day. If you are doing the full 3 minutes / exercise only do the set once a day.

2. Don’t try to do more than you are comfortable with. Take your time building up. If you push too hard you may find yourself resisting doing the set daily and that will be counter productive.

3. Drink plenty of water after doing the pranayamas as it helps wash out any toxins that were released into the blood stream.

4. Before doing the pranayamas stretch a little. Especially your hamstrings for exercise #3 and more so if you plan on practicing it in the morning, when the body tends to be stiffer.

5. Don’t eat at least 1-2 hours prior to doing the set.

6. While doing the pranayamas remain as attentive as possible of the present moment, try not to wander off mentally.

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Internet Resources for Brain Development, Meditation, Kundalini Yoga, Health and Wellbeing, and Personal Development:

Thanks to Lynn for selecting Brain Development and Enlightenment Part II: Vitalize Energy (Kundalini) to be a part of the Carnival of Natural Health.  Head on over to Medicinal Herbs for other great stuff on natural healing. 

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