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51

Top YouTube Yoga Video Channel – The Story Behind AnmolMehtaCom

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YouTube Yoga Channel

My Best YouTube Yoga Videos

Let me tell you the story about how AnmolMehtaCom, my YouTube Yoga and Meditation channel, has unintentionally become one of the top channels on YouTube for yoga videos.  But, before I jump into this interesting tale, let me give you the more important reason for sharing this channel information with you.  Some readers, especially those from India or other far away lands , sometimes have difficulty viewing the yoga videos directly on AnmolMehta.Com, and my advise to them is to go to my YouTube channel and view them directly from there instead.  This almost always works and resolves the issue for them.  So, if you are having such problems please go directly to my YouTube channel, where you will find almost all my videos available to you for easy viewing.  Link is below. 

The Story Behind AnmolMehtaCom

The one added benefit that the YouTube channel offers is that you will be able to see all the yoga, meditation, mantra and pranayama videos I have created in one place, so you can view any that you may have missed and easily bookmark/favorite those you love most.  In addition, any new yoga videos I create will be uploaded there as well, along with being added to this website of course.  Here is my YouTube channel link.  Please do subscribe, feel free to leave comments and/or send a friend request.


Link—>  Anmol’s YouTube Top Yoga Channel

 

How AnmolMehtaCom Became a Top Yoga YouTube Video Channel:

So here is how this all happened.  Initially, when I launched the free yoga and meditation video series, I had no clue on how to go about embedding the videos into the blog.  So like all WordPress users, I hunted for a plugin and got it to work after some normal initial hair pulling .  I uploaded the videos directly to my website and was happy to see it all working as I had hoped.  Then I started creating more videos and soon realized that with the increasing traffic and video views, I would quickly burn through my available bandwidth and have issues with my site performance as well.  So I began searching for alternate solutions and soon discovered Google Videos.

Essentially, I understood and began the process of uploading my videos to a third party site and then embedding them in my blog.  This solved my bandwidth and performance concerns and I was happily creating vidoes, uploading to Google Videos and embedding them in the blog for you all to enjoy.

It was then that I discovered that YouTube was the best place for doing my uploads to, as it was the premier site for video hosting and video publishing.  So I moved everything over to YouTube, got rid of the plugins, recoded everything and began to embed using the code YouTube provided.  This is how it is all set-up now, and all the videos you find in the Free Yoga Video Series, Free Online Meditation Video Series and Yoga Pranayama Video Series are coming from my YouTube channel.  As you will notice, at no time was I looking to have my videos go viral on YouTube itself!  I was simply interested in getting them uploaded there, to allow me to embed them in my blog.  

So time passed.  I would get constant emails from YouTube that people are subscribing to my channel.  I was aware that the videos were getting thousands and thousands of views, but figured that was due to my site and you guys , and so I continued on my merry way creating, uploading, embedding, enjoying.  Well all that changed recently when I started receiving request from YouTube to join in some partner program.  I basically ignored the first few requests, until finally deciding to check out what the hupla was all about.  What I discovered is that essentially my YouTube channel had grown huge and was now one of the top yoga video channels on YouTube!  What a nice surprise .

The moral of the story is of course, just do what you love to do and results will follow.  This is the foundation of Karma Yoga and how you should approach life.  Just worry about doing your part and leave the rest up to life to take care of.  The good news is that although, I was planning a whole new video series anyway for the Mantra videos I promised yesterday, I have some extra motivation now knowing that the videos are also very popular with all my YouTube viewers and subscribers.  Below are the my top 5 yoga, meditation and breathing exercises videos from YouTube.

#1 YouTube Yoga Video:

 

Yoga Exercises to Burn Fat and Lose Weight

 

#2 YouTube Yoga Meditation Video:

 

#3 YouTube Yoga Pranayama Video:

Kapalbhati Yoga Pranayama for Weight Loss

 

#4 YouTube Yoga Breathing Exercises Video:

 

Breath of Fire Yoga Pranayama

 

#5 YouTube Yoga Video:

 

Core Abdominal Workout Yoga Workout

 

Stay tuned for the new mantra and yoga video series that is in the works and I hope you continue to enjoy and benefit from the website AND the YouTube channel .

52

Simple Chair Yoga for Energy and Stress Relief

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Chair Yoga

Clever Yoga Tips Series

As you can see from the popular series, Clever Yoga Tips for Busy People, yoga can be done while walking, driving and even taking a shower, and yes, there is also something called Chair Yoga, which you can do while sitting comfortably in your office or cubical as well .  The credit for the inspiration for this article goes to my cousin and close buddy Ashim.  He emailed me this morning and said he was enjoying Chair Yoga using the pranayama techniques taught in the Free Online Yoga Breathing Exercises Video series.  This is really a great way to incorporate some excellent breathing techniques into your busy life, and in this article I will give you a nice condensed set of pranayamas to get you started with your own Chair Yoga program.

Simple-Chair-Yoga

This Chair Yoga Pranayama set is going to become part of our ongoing Free Online Yoga Breathing Exercise (Pranayama) e-book here on Mastery of Meditation.

Chair Yoga Set Benefits:

This set consists of 4 of the very best yoga breathing exercises and although you will be doing the entire set in 5 minutes, you will find this set to still be remarkably effective in bestowing the benefits of each of these exercise onto you.  Here are some highlights of what this set will do for you:

  • Energize and refresh you.
  • Remove stress and tension.
  • Help you focus and concentrate.
  • Help you develop intuition and unleash creativity.
  • Help you to connect to your Higher Consciousness.
  • Help you stay healthy.

Chair Yoga Breathing Exercises Set:

Follow the step-by-step instructions below to do the Chair Yoga Pranayama set:

  • Sit up nice and straight and have your feet flat on the floor.  Try not to use the back support of your chair. 
  • Elongate your spine upwards and bring your neck back slightly, like a soldier at attention.
  • Place your hands on your knees, relax your shoulders and let your stomach become soft and relaxed as well.  Let your eyes relax as well and just keep an unfocused gaze, angling down in front of you.
  • Now begin the beginner’s version of Bhastrika Pranayama.  Here all I want you to do is breathe deeply.  Let your abdomen and chest expand fully on the inhalation, and let them contract completely on the exhalation.  Continue to do this long deep breathing for 1 full minute.  This exercise will relax you and help your entire respiratory system.
  • Next begin Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga style for 1 full minute.  Keep in mind that if at any time you start to feel dizzy or feel you are overdoing it, either slow down or switch to normal breathing till you feel ready to continue again.  Breath of Fire is going to wake you up, get your energy flowing and harmonize your entire system.
  • Next do 1 minute of the wonderful Kapalbhati Yoga Pranayama.  This is a great exercise to optimize your health and help your body heal.  While doing this exercise make sure you visualize any negativity leaving your system with each exhalation.
  • Finally, do the following breathing pattern for the last 2 minutes to really soothe your system, focus your mind and help you feel integrated, centered and connected.  This is called Step Breathing.  Inhale slowly taking 5 seconds to complete the inhalation, hold your breath in for 5 seconds, exhale slowly taking 5 seconds to complete the exhalation and then hold your breath out for 5 seconds.  So 1 entire cycle will take 20 seconds, and you will be able to do 6 full rounds of this breathing in the 2 minutes.  If the 5 second intervals are too much initially, just start with 3 seconds or 4 seconds and work your way up.
  • After you are done with your set.  Close your eyes, take a deep breath, hold it in, smile, exhale and then get back to work .

Chair Yoga Summary:

The set above may be short, but since it consists of breathing exercises that require breath retention and rapid breathing, so it is important to observe the guidelines I have laid out in the article, Beginner’s Guide to Yoga Pranayama.  Of course, Chair Yoga does not have to be done in the office alone, and you can practice this set anywhere at anytime.  Also, if you are looking to boost energy, you can do more of Breath of Fire, while if you are looking for more stress relief you can do more of the Step Breathing exercise.  If you are looking for a full length pranayama video, you can check out the Best Beginner’s Yoga Breathing Exercise product that is available on the website.

I hope you enjoy the Chair Yoga set above, and find it useful in your personal and spiritual evolution.

PS: For those who were searching for Chair Yoga Pose, but ended up here instead, here is the link to that pose: Chair Yoga Pose for Sexual Health.

53

Yoga Exercise to Tone Thighs and Buttocks

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Workout for Thighs

How to Tone Thighs and Butt

One of the best yoga exercises for strengthening your legs is Frog Pose for Toned Legs, but not far behind is another superb and simple exercise for firming and toning your thighs and buttocks, and today I would like to detail this excellent exercise for you.  It is simply called Yoga Deep Knee Bends or Deep Squats Yoga Exercise, and for those familiar with my free yoga videos, you will have already encountered it in the popular Rapid Weight Loss Yoga Exercises Set.

As kids there was a famous exercise that we all used to have fun doing, which was called “Uttack Battack”, which is essentially standing up and squatting back down repeatedly, and Deep Knee Bends is pretty much this same exercise with a small variation for the arms.  For those of you familiar with Indian Bollywood Actresses, Shilpa Shetty, who is known for having a slim, fit and firm body, confessed that this very exercise was instrumental in helping her shape and tone her thighs and buttocks early in her career as well.  So for those of you looking to get your legs and butt toned and shapely, it’s time to revisit this favorite exercise from the days past.

Thighs and Buttocks

Of course, there are more important benefits to having your lower body strong and fit, than just sexy looks, and a workout including Deep Knee Bends is sure to help you enjoy those many benefits as well.  These I have detailed below in the practice section for this exercise.  In addition, you will find cautions, modifications and illustration of this exercise in that section as well.  Deep Squats Yoga Exercise will be part of the following 2 free online e-books here on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga: Free Hatha Yoga Poses and Online Kundalini Yoga Exercises, where you will find a huge collection of other yoga poses and exercises, fully illustrated and detailed.

Please also follow the guidelines on how to practice yoga, which I have detailed in the following 2 articles, Beginner’s Guide to Yoga Practice and Guidelines for Kundalini Yoga Practice.

 

Yoga Exercise to Firm and Tone Thighs and Buttocks

 

Illustration #1 Deep Knee Bends Starting Position

yoga exercise tone thighs and buttocks illustration

 

Illustration #2 Deep Knee Bends Ending Position

yoga work tone thighs and buttocks picture
 

 

Illustration #3 Deep Knee Bends Ending Position – Side View

exercise


Deep Squats Yoga Exercise for Toned Thighs and Buttocks:

a. Instructions for Deep Squats Yoga Exercise: 

  • Stand with your feet shoulder width apart.
  • Extend both arms straight out in front of you, with fingers extended and palms facing down.  Illustration #1.
  • Find a point in front of you to concentrate on, this will help you with your balance and focus.
  • Inhale through the nose as you squat down slowly.  You should try to squat down to where you are making a ninety degree angle at your knees as I have shown above in Illustrations 2 and 3.
  • Exhale as you slowly stand back up.
  • Continue at a smooth, steady pace for the duration of the workout.

b. Duration for Deep Squats Yoga Exercise: 1-5 mins

c. Benefits of Deep Squats Yoga Exercise:  

  • Excellent for firming and toning your thighs and buttocks.
  • Increases energy and builds vitality.
  • Helps burn fat and calories to promote healthy weight loss.
  • Works on your fitness level by increasing your heart rate and circulation.
  • Increases virility and improves sexual fitness.
  • Strengthens your shoulders.

d. Practice Tips for Deep Squats Yoga Exercise :

  • If you have bad knees you need to careful with this exercise.  Only go as far down as you are comfortable.
  • If you feel your thighs burning too much, stop and take a short break.  Then begin again once you have recovered.
  • If your shoulder tiers, but your legs feel strong, you can lower your hands and continue with the squats.

Another great exercise that I would like to mention for shaping and toning your thighs and butt is Yoga Chair Pose and you will find details for that exercise in the following article: Yoga Chair Pose for Sexual Health.

54

Yoga for Full Body Fitness

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Yoga for Fitness

Full Body Yoga Workout

Yoga, as I have mentioned previously, is not just for stretching and flexibility, but is perfectly capable of giving you a complete full body workout.  Thus, if you are looking for fitness, strength and muscle tone, along with the added benefits of mental and emotional balance, yoga is an excellent solution for you.

In this article today, I will combine for you several key exercises and sets, which when put together give you a complete fitness routine.  This workout will target your upper body, stomach and abs, as well as help you tone and strengthen your lower body.  On the way to doing this, it will even give your important heart muscle a bit of a workout.

Body Fitness

The techniques and exercises in this comprehensive set come of the school of Kundalini Yoga.  I have found that Kundalini Yoga, because it uses so much dynamic movement, is especially good for routines geared towards fitness and dynamic strength.  Don’t get me wrong, other types of yoga also use flow and movement, and will deliver quite a workout as well, but in general, Kundalini Yoga fits the needs of a full body fitness routine very well.

Your will find the exercises, poses and postures used in this Yoga for Full Body Fitness Set in the  Free Online Kundalini Yoga Exercises E-book and the Free Illustrated Hatha Yoga Poses E-book.  In addition, this set will make up Chapter 17 of our popular Free Online Kundalini Yoga Sets E-book.  Soon it will also be a part of a even more complete yoga fitness program via the Free Online Yoga & Meditation Classes held here on Mastery of Meditation & Yoga.

Benefits of Yoga for Full Body Fitness:

I suggest visiting the exercises and sets in particular to see all the benefits and other details for these exercises, there are too many to list here.  Below I will just give the highlights of what this delivers:

  • Helps you achieve full body fitness and health.
  • Good for the digestive system, nervous system, circulatory system, immune system and nervous system.
  • Increases your level or energy and vitality.
  • Helps tone your abdominal muscles, shape your stomach and gives you core strength and power.
  • Helps with weight loss. 
  • Significantly develops full body strength and flexibility.
  • Tones legs, arms, chest, shoulders, abs and buttocks.
  • Helps improve health and well being.
  • Helps develop sexual fitness and virility.

Yoga Exercises for Fitness Preparation:

The following two articles are important to read as they provide guidelines on how to practice yoga intelligently and safely:

Essential Beginners Guide to Yoga Practice

10 Important Guidelines for Kundalini Yoga Practice

Remember the golden rule is please do not overdo or over strain.  Especially if you are new to yoga, please use the beginner’s version for the difficult exercises and back off if you feel uncomfortable or dizzy.  For all the poses in this set illustrations have also been provided.

You will also need to learn the Breath of Fire breathing exercise, which is taught in the following video:  Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama.   This breathing exercise is a fundamental breathing technique in Kundalini Yoga and is used in conjunction with the yoga poses in the set below.  If at any time you feel it is difficult to keep up with breath of fire during the exercise, please switch to long deep breathing or normal breathing instead.  Breath of Fire will play an important role in helping you achieve the level of fitness you seek, by adding an important respiratory and circulatory component to the workout.

Yoga Set for Full Body Fitness:

To meet the requirements of full body fitness, this set obviously utilizes a wide range of exercises and sequences.  All these are illustrated and detailed below, but I want to give you a quick summary of them here first for easy reference.  To get more details, you can scroll down to the particular section or head over to the article for that particular technique or pose.

Do each exercise as per your strengths and weaknesses of your body regions.  If your abs are already fit and strong, you can do more repetitions of the abdominal exercises, while if your legs are strong already you can do more Kundalini Yoga Froggies.  If you are new to yoga or just getting started with your fitness program, do the beginner times for the exercises as I have detailed below.

Fitness Yoga Sequence:

– Cobra Push-ups – Upper Body Fitness

– Yoga Ab Exercises Set – Core Fitness

– Yoga Chair Pose – Lower Body Fitness

– Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose – Lower Body Fitness

– Rest & Rejuvenation

I have broken down this routine into 4 sections.  First is upper body training, second is core abdominal fitness, the third is lower body strength and toning, and finally a relaxation section at the end.

Fitness Yoga Section 1: Upper Body Training:

Cobra Push-ups for Upper Body Fitness

Illustration #A Starting Position

 

Illustration #B Yoga Cobra Pose

 

Illustration #C Yoga Plank Pose


 

Cobra Push-Ups:

a. Instructions for practicing Cobra Push Ups:

  • Start in the position as indicated by Illustration #A.  Essentially this is the down position when doing simple push-ups (except toes are extended).  You are lying flat on your stomach with your hands near your shoulders.
  • Now come up into cobra pose and inhale deeply as you do so (Illustration #B).
  • Next exhale as you bring yourself up into Plank Pose as indicated in Illustration #C.
  • Then lower yourself back down to Illustration #A down as you Inhale.  Finally, exhale in this down position and then repeat by coming back into Cobra pose and inhaling deeply.

Cobra Push-Ups Variation #2:

  • In this variation you will essentially skip Plank Pose, or Illustration #C.  So come into the pose as per Illustration #A, exhale, then come into Cobra Pose (Illustration #B) as you inhale deeply.  Continue to move between these 2 positions.  Even though this is a simple movement, I guarantee you will feel this in your arms and chest very soon .

Cobra Push-ups Variation #3:

  • A slightly different variation to this exercise, is that when you bring your body up into Cobra, have your thighs come up off the floor as well (Upward Facing Dog Pose).  The rest is the same. 

b. Duration for Cobra Push-ups:

  • 15 seconds – 7 minutes.

c. Benefits of Cobra Push-ups:

  • Excellent yoga exercise for upper body fitness.  Good for chest, arms and shoulders.
  • Good for training your back and abdominal muscles as well.  Essentially you enjoy all the many benefits that Cobra Pose and Plank Pose bestow.
  • Good for your digestive system and nervous system.

 

d. Practice Tips for Cobra Push-ups:

  • A smart way to build up your strength and train these important muscles is to use simple start stop tactics.  Do 30 seconds, then take a break in the down position, and then start again and do 30 seconds more.  Keep up this pattern, you will soon see marked improvement in your strength, muscle tone and upper body fitness.
  • Since the toes are kept extended as show in the illustrations above, be careful as this can put extra pressure on your lower back.

Fitness Yoga Section 2: Core Abdominal Training:

Yoga Ab Exercises & Workout for Core Fitness

1. Yoga Single Leg Lifts:

 

Illustration #1: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts – Starting Position

 

 

 

Illustration #2: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts – Left Leg Up

 

Illustration #3: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts – Right Leg Up

Description:

For this exercise lie on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back, as shown in Illustration #1.  Then lift your left leg up to 90 degrees and then back down (Illustration #2).  Follow that by lifting your right leg to 90 degrees and then down (Illustration #3).  Repeat with left leg and continue on.  You will feel your abdominal muscles working to raise each leg.

Breath:

Inhale as leg goes up, exhale down.

Duration:

1- 3 minutes.

2. Yoga Double Leg Lifts:

 

Illustration #4 – Yoga Ab Double Leg Life – Starting Position

 

 

Illustration #5 – Yoga Ab Double Leg Lifts – Ending Position

Description:

For this exercise remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back.  But now lift both legs smoothly up to 90 degree and then back down.  Try to keep your knees straight and keep the motion controlled and smooth (illustration #5).  This exercise work your ab muscles much harder than the single leg lifts, so be ready.

Make sure to take a break between exercises to let the abdominal muscles recover a little before moving on.

Breath:

Inhale as legs goes up, exhale down.

Duration:

1- 3 minutes.

3. Yoga Criss-Cross Legs:

 

Illustration #6 – Yoga Ab Criss Cross Legs

 

 

Illustration #7 – Yoga Ab Criss Cross Legs

Description:

Again for this exercise remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back.  Now lift both legs up about 12-18 inches off the floor and have your toes pointing forward.  Now begin to criss-cross your legs at ankle level rapidly (Illustrations 6 & 7).  At first one leg will be on top, and then when you cross back have the other leg be on top. 

This exercise will give the side ab muscles (obleques) a workout,and is excellent for shaping your stomach region.  Energy for fitness comes from your core, so when this gets tough remember all the good you are doing for yourself.

Breath:

Do the Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise as you criss-cross your legs.

Duration:

1- 3 minutes.

4. Yoga  Piston Legs:

 

Illustration #8 – Yoga Ab Piston Legs

 

 

 

Illustration #9 – Yoga Ab Piston Legs

Description:

Remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back.  Again lift both legs up about 12-18 inches off the floor and have your toes pointing forward.  Now begin to piston your legs back and forth rapidly (Illustrations 8 & 9).  As one leg bends in (knee coming towards the chest), the other goes straight out and the motions reverse. 

Be sure to not bicycle the legs, the legs should move parallel to the floor for this exercise.  This exercise will ensure that if any parts of your stomach muscles were left out of the workout, that they get a chance to now participate .  Six-pack abs here we come…

Breath:

Breath out as you fire each leg out.

Duration:

1- 5 minutes.

5. Add Stretch Pose or Boat Post (Optional).

The above 4 ab exercises provide a great workout to tone and develop your stomach, but if you feel ready to take it to the next level, then add Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose to this set.  If you feel really strong and would like to set the bar even higher, then add Kundalini Yoga Boat Pose to enhance this set further.  You will find me demonstrating Yoga Boat Pose in the Core Abdominal Power Yoga Set Video and description also in that article.

 

Illustration #10 – Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose

Fitness Yoga Section 3: Lower Body Training:

Illustrations of Yoga Chair Pose

Side View Picture of Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose
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Front View Picture of Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose
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Hands Position Picture of Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose

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Picture of Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose Hands Close-up

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Side View of Modified Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose
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Front View of Modified Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose
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Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose Practice Details:

a. Step-by-Step Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:

  • Stand and place your feet shoulder width apart, with toes pointing outward.
  • Lean forward till your back in parallel to the ground.
  • Reach down and grasp your ankles, such that the elbows are passing from the inside of your knees.
  • Keep your head up and begin Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise.

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:

  • 15 Seconds – 3 minutes.
  • Start slowly and build up your time steadily from there.

c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:

  • Great for lower body fitness.
  • Excellent yoga posture for toning your thighs and buttocks.
  • Improves sexual health and builds sexual virility and vitality.
  • Helps the body burn fat to promote healthy weight loss.

 

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:

  • Use the modified versions illustrated above.
  • Take a break, if the legs start to burn too much and then restart the exercise again once ready.
  • Be careful with your knees and only go as far down as comfortable, regardless of whether you are doing the modified posture or the full pose.
  • If Breath of Fire is too much, then switch to long deep breathing or normal breathing which continuing to hold the pose.
  • You can also do the modified version of chair pose by standing against a wall and working your way lower as your legs get stronger.  This is the technique used in physiotherapy in general.

Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose for Fit Legs

Picture of Starting Position of Yoga Frog Pose (Eyes Closed)

 

 

Picture of Starting Position of Yoga Frog Pose (Eyes Open)


Picture of Ending Position for Yoga Frog Pose

Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose Practice Details:

a. Step-by-Step Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

  • Squat on the floor on your toes, with your feet apart and your heels either touching or very close together.
  • Have your knees spread out and your arms inside your knees with your finger tips touching the floor.  The elbows are straight.
  • Look up, you can have your eyes opened or closed.  Inhale.  This is the starting position for frog pose.
  • Rise up now by straightening your legs.  At the same time bring your head towards your knees and keep your fingers touching the floor.  Your heels should move down towards the floor.  Straighten your legs as much as possible.  Exhale.  This is the ending position for frog pose.  This completes 1 repetition.
  • Come back down to the starting position and repeat the cycle as many times as indicated.

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

  • Beginners, start with as many as you can do and work up to 26 froggies.
  • Intermediates, work up to 54 froggies.
  • Advanced, work up to 108 froggies.
  • Fanatics, keep going :-).

c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

  • Shapes, tones and strengthens the legs and lower body.  Specially the thighs muscles.
  • Good for cardiovascular fitness and stamia.  Promoting better circulation and better respiration.
  • Promotes flexibility in the hamstrings and calves.
  • Overall, builds one level of fitness and endurance.
  • Builds sexual potency and virility.

 

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

  • Careful with your knees.  If you have bad knees, approach this exercise with caution.
  • Take breaks in between if your legs are burning too much.  Once they recover continue on.
  • This yoga exercise will get your heart rate up, so careful not to get dizzy.  If you feel breathless, light headed or faint, stop and take a break.
  • Here is a secret.  Doing froggies slowly is harder.  Some kundalini yoga kriyas (sets) demand you go slow, but in general a brisk pace will allow you to do more.  Just don’t push too hard.
  • It is ok to be sore in the legs the next day.  It means the muscles got a much needed workout.
  • It is beneficial to stretch the hamstrings before doing frog pose.

Fitness Yoga Section 4: Rejuvenation and Assimilation

Corpse Pose:

  • Once you have completed the Yoga Set for Full Body Fitness, make sure you relax on your back in corpse pose.  For corpse pose just lie comfortably on your back and have your hands out to the sides or on your chest.  Just let go during this time and let the Universe take care of you.  Have no worries, anxieties or goals, and simply surrender to Infinity.
  • Duration: 3 – 11 mins.
  • Breath: Relaxed

Yoga for Full Body Fitness Summary:

As I mentioned above, this set is going to eventually be part of a more complete yoga fitness program, which will then become part of the online classes that are offered, but in and of itself it is an excellent routine to develop total body fitness and health. 

55

5 Excellent Yoga Tips to Elevate Your Practice

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Simple Yoga Tips

Improving Your Yoga Practice

Previously, in the series Clever Yoga Tips for Busy People, I gave some handy tips on how to incorporate some useful yoga techniques into your everyday life.  These included doing the wonderful Kapalbhati Pranayama for Weight Loss and Health while walking or driving, and doing Toe Touches (Padahast Asana) while in the shower.  But, today I want to share with your some very good tips which you can easily integrate right into your yoga routine, in order to get a whole lot more out of it.  After all, you are doing your practice anyway, might as well get the most out of the time you spend on the mat.

Elevate Your Practice

These simple yoga tips will help you awaken your Third Eye, release stress, increase the vibration of you energy, heal better, improve concentration and also help you develop the great yogic mind or witnessing consciousness.  So let’s get started…

5 Simple Yoga Tips to Enhance Your Yoga Practice:

Yoga Tip #1.

Practicing Mula Bandha – Root Lock:

Apply root lock at the end of any exercise(s).  To apply root lock, once you are done with your exercise, sit up straight, inhale deeply, then exhale completely and holding your breath out pull your rectum, sex organ and lower navel muscles up and in.  Hold these three muscles up and in as tight as you are comfortable doing with your breath held out.  When you need to, release this lock and inhale.  Then repeat two more times for maximum benefit.

Mula Bandha or Root Lock is excellent for activating the three lower chakras (root, sex and navel chakras), and it has the added benefit of redirecting energy generated by the previous exercise(s) back into the spine for further use by the body.  I strongly suggest using this tip to help raise the level of your energy and level of your practice.

Yoga Tip #2.  

Adding Relaxation Periods:

After doing a few exercises (and now after applying Mula Bandha ), take a minute or so to relax.  This relaxation period, whether done on your back, sitting or even standing is very important to give the body a chance to assimilate the energy that is now circulating as a result of the previous work.

During this relaxation period, the body rejuvenates, heals and charges itself, especially in the regions that were targeted by the previous poses and postures.  When doing this relaxation on your back, use yoga corpse pose and if doing it while sitting try to keep your back straight.  In addition, just do long deep slow breathing during this relaxation time, which helps deepen the level of relaxation.  This practice is also excellent for stress and anxiety relief.

Yoga Tip #3:

Practicing Shambhavi Mudra:

As you start to sprinkle the relaxation periods into your workouts, you can enhance their value further by adding the following aspect to it, Shambhavi Mudra.  This is to turn your eyes upwards, while closed and look through the center of your forehead.  This is called Shambhavi Mudra, and it helps stimulate and activate the Third Eye or Ajna Chakra.

The Third Eye is the seat of intuition and awakening this center is a key aspect of making progress in yoga and kundalini awakening.  Shambhavi Mudra is a very useful technique in this regard.  One important caution with regard to applying this mudra, is to apply it for only as long as comfortable and releasing it when you feel you need to (and applying it again when ready).  In other words, don’t over strain your eyes when practicing this mudra.

One final note with regard to this tip, is that you can use Shambhavi Mudra during the active portions of your practice as well, whenever the opportunity presents itself.  So when holding certain postures or during certain movement, apply the mudra as best as you can.  If applying the mudra is difficult, then you can just bring your attention to the Third Eye region, without the mudra, as that too will help stimulate the activate this important center.

Yoga Tip #4:

Practicing SAT NAM Mantra:

Another excellent way to enhance the relaxation period more and use it to develop your concentration and spiritual energy is to mentally chant a mantra while in relaxation.  This is also perfectly compatible with practicing Shambhavi Mudra and therefore can be done in conjunction with that mudra in place as well.

Mantras of the nature of SAT NAM work very well during these periods, where you think the sound SAT as you inhale slowly and think the sound NAM as you exhale.  SAT NAM is a fundamental mantra which means True Identity or True Self, and practicing it helps you journey back to your infinite, divine nature.

Again, if during the active portions of your practice, the opportunity is there to do mantra work, you can integrate it in and thus get more out of the session.

Yoga Tip #5:

Developing Witnessing Consciousness – Yogic Mind:

This is not just a tip, but I feel should be an essential part of your practice and I although I have included in the important Beginner’s Guide to Yoga Practice, I would like to remind everyone of this very important aspect of yoga practice here, which is that you should do your entire practice with full awareness.  The purpose of yoga is to develop your witnessing consciousness or Yogic Mind, and the best way to develop this mind is by constant awareness of the here and now.

So watch your mind, body, breath and feelings with as much awareness as you can muster right though your session.  Then your yoga pracitce will actually become meditation in motion.  When this witnessing aspect matures, there will no doer, just doing taking place.  This is why when people would watch masters like J. Krishnamurti do yoga, they would say that it is like there is no personality there, just yoga being done.  So aspire for that level of awareness, where it is so complete, that the thoughts required to assert the sense of separate identity do not have the opportunity to rise.  This is then real yoga.  This is Unity.

More Meditation & Yoga Tips:

For more meditation and yoga tips you can head over to the following articles:  Essential Tips and Tools for Daily Meditation Practice, Meditation Help & Tips for Beginners and 3 Simple Tips to Invite Enlightenment. 

56

Mastery of Meditation & Yoga Website Blows Past 2 Million Hits

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Best Free Meditation & Yoga Website

Largest Meditation & Yoga Website

It’s been some time since I gave an update on how the Mastery of Meditation, Yoga & Zen is doing and expressed my deepest gratitude to all of you for helping me bring this website to it’s current level of popularity.  I can confidently say that this blog is now fast becoming one of the largest and most visited meditation and yoga website on the internet.  This would only be possible if it was providing you with great value and service, so I am happy you are all enjoying and benefiting from the website.

Just recently the website sailed past 2,200,000 page views and as you can see from the graph below it is continuing to grow exponentially.  Needless to say I am thrilled at reaching this landmark and love the look of the current trend as well .  None of this, of course, would have been possible without your love and support and for that I am infinitely grateful to all of you.  Thank You, Thank You, Thank You .

Mastery of Meditation & Yoga

Site Usage:

2,206,991

Pageviews:

How to Make the Most Out of Mastery of Meditation & Yoga Website:

The purpose of this website is to make it the best possible resource to help you achieve Greatness!  The other way I often put it, is that it’s purpose is to help you live your life at your Highest Potential.  Over the past two and half years, almost 400 free techniques, tips, classes and articles have been added to the blog and I have tried hard to organize the website so you can easily navigate all this content and find that which you need most to help you be your best.  The great thing about meditation and yogic wisdom is that it is timeless in nature, so that means all of the content on the blog is forever valuable to you, no matter how old or new it is.  So here are are some quick tips on how best to access all this knowledge.

The following links are like portals into various sections of this blog.  So from them you can travel deeper into their respective areas.

For the free online yoga & meditation classes:

Free Online Yoga & Meditation Classes

For a list of all the free e-books, videos, classes and meditation programs:

Free Yoga & Meditation E-books, Videos & Classes

Free best online guided meditation techniques:

Free Online Guided Meditation Techniques

For best free Kundalini Yoga Poses:

Free Kundalini Yoga Poses

For best free Hatha Yoga Poses:

Free Hatha Yoga Poses

For free kundalini yoga sets:

Free Kundalini Yoga Sets

For best advanced meditation program:

Silent Mind Meditation Program

Free yoga videos:

Free Online Yoga Videos

The above links will take you to the main entry points which are index articles, from where you can go to the fully detailed poses, exercises, classes and programs.  The detailed articles, deeper in that section, will have the necessary video instructions and illustrations embedded in them for you.

In addition to the specific yoga and meditation techniques indexed above, there are also many other articles for personal and spiritual development, which you can access easily by going to the various categories of your interest.  For example selecting the Diet & Weight Loss Category in the bottom left sidebar will give all the articles for that topic.  Also, if you look at the right sidebar when you go to a category, you will see a list of the best articles for that category under “Category Best” section.

For more help on how to get the most out of this meditation & yoga portal, the following pages will also be of great help:

Mastery of Meditation & Yoga Home Page

About Mastery of Meditation & Yoga

Tips to Navigate Mastery of Meditation & Yoga

Your Feedback Requested to Help Make this the Best Yoga Website:

I have created a new page, Reader Testimonials for Yoga & Meditation Blog, Classes & Products, where I post some of the incoming testimonials from readers, and I would like to give you this opportunity to shape this blog if you like.  So, if there in any feedback you have for me, or if there are specific things you would like to see in the future let me know and I will make every effort to accommodate that.  Together, I am sure, we will be able to make this the best meditation, zen and yoga website out there .

Future Meditation & Yoga Projects:

Current Yoga & Meditation Products:

Recently, I added a numerology service, in addition to making available to you my e-book, Amazing Insights and my Consciousness Expanding Guided Meditation.  The numerology service is a Master Number’s reading from the 10 Bodies of Light Yoga Model.  One nice surprise I just noticed is that my page views so far (2,206,991) has added up to the most coveted number is numerology, the number 11 , which stands for the Perfected Being!  So I will take that as a very good sign for the website!  You can get more information about my numerology service here: Master Number Numerology Reading.

Of course coming in the future are more free yoga, meditation, zen, pranayama, ayurveda, health and personal development articles, videos, tools and techniques.  Also, coming are more free Mantra MP3 and Mudra demonstrations.  In addition, the below is also planned…

Full Length Yoga, Pranayama & Meditation Videos & More Coming:

Full Length Videos:

Many of you have requested meditation, yoga and pranayamas videos that are a complete session and which you can follow along for your entire yoga session.  This is in the works.  I am creating a new series called, Tools for Greatness, which will be full length beginner and advanced pranayama, yoga and meditation videos, which you can use to guide you for your entire session.

Full Length Instructional Havan Video:

Also, in the works I am trying to get my very wise Mother, who is an master at doing puja & havan (prayers), to create an instructional video of the entire Havan for all of you.  She is a master in Sanskrit and has led havans, marriages, ceremonies and prayers for over 30 years here in the US.  I also want to congratulate her on being honored for Exceptional Community service by Asseblyman Upendra J. Chivukula last week.  CONGRATS MOM !!!!

Spiritual Mentoring:

Some of you have asked for spiritual mentoring and that is also something I am considering.  I do not like to take on projects and responsibilities, if I am not able to do them as well as possible, so I am taking some time in offering such services, as I want to make sure I have the time and energy to give it the full devotion it deserves.

New Silent Mind Yoga & Meditation Center:

I am now working towards opening a new Yoga & Meditation Center to teach the in person yoga and meditation classes and workshops.  More on this as it nears completion.

Summary of Building the Best Yoga & Meditation Website:

Thanks again to everyone for helping me make this blog successful.  Please continue to help me spread the wisdom of yoga and meditation, so even more people can benefit.  At the end, we don’t really do anything, it is all done by God, so all credit goes to him and may he bless you all.


57

4 Free Yoga Tips to Quit Smoking & Break Addictions

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Stop Smoking Tips

Free Help to Quit Smoking

Looking to quit smoking?  Really, the following free tips and techniques will not just help you stop smoking, but will actually help you break any bad habit or addiction.  In fact, I can go even further and say, that not only will these tips help you break bad habits, but will also help you stick to good ones, such as sticking to a weight loss diet, waking up early, exercising daily, etc.  So regardless of whether you are looking to cease smoking or looking to make or break other habits, these tips will be very useful to you.

Specifically with regard to smoking, the problems caused to your health are now widely documented, but specifically from a yogic perspective, smoking can be particularly problematic and negative.  This is primarily because your capacity to do pranayama (yoga breathing exercises), which are the primary source of bringing in prana (chi/life-force) into you entire system, can be severely impacted by smoking.  For effective pranayama, you want your lungs and respiratory system in optimum shape, and this system is the one most impacted by smoking.  So quitting smoking is certainly a worthwhile challenge to undertake from a yogic perspective.

Tips to Quit Smoking & Break Addictions

In addition, the ultimate aim of yoga and meditation is to set you free from attachments, so being dependent on smoking is certainly not in sync with this objective.  Below I will give you 4 free tips to help you quit smoking.  They are easy to understand and follow.  It’s just a matter of getting down to incorporating them into your life.  The wonderful thing about yogic techniques, is the widespread benefits they offer.  So in following these tips, you will not just quit smoking, but at the same time will enjoy other profound benefits they offer as well.

4 Free Tips to Help you Quit Smoking

1. Kundalini Yoga Breathing Exercise to Stop Smoking and Break Additions:

This is a great yoga pranayama from the powerful school of Kundalini Yoga that is excellent for helping you quit smoking or break any other bad habit.  Even though it appears to be an easy and simple technique, the golden rule with pranayama is never to over strain and always to build up your capacity slowly over time.  Please also check the following guide if you are new to yoga breathing exercises: Beginner’s Guide to Yoga Breathing Exercises (Pranayama).

Here is a quick list of other benefits this breathing exercise bestows in addition to smoking cessation:

  • Calms the mind and bestows peace and tranquility.
  • Good for treating panic and anxiety attacks.
  • Fights stress.
  • Helps you break any addictions and ingrained habits.
  • Helps you develop the ability to establish good habits.
  • Develops your respiratory system and lung capacity.
  • Expands your pranic body and strengthens your nervous system.

Quit Smoking Breathing Exercise Instructions:

 

  • Sit in any comfortable posture and close your eyes.  You may also lie down, but sitting is better.  If you are sitting, try to keep your back and spine straight.  
  • Take three long, deep, slow breaths to help relax you.
  • Now with your right thumb block your right nostril and breathe in long and deep through the left nostril only.  Hold your breath in now for as long as comfortable.
  • Next block your left nostril with the ring finger and pinkie of the right hand, and breathe out the right nostril only.  This time hold your breath out for as long as comfortable.  Remember not to over strain.
  • Then again, block your right nostril and breathe in through your left and hold your breath in.  Continue as above.  So you are breathing IN through LEFT nostril only – holding your breath – then breathing OUT through RIGHT nostril only – then holding your breath – and repeating this pattern.
  • You may practice this pranayama from 1 minute all the way up to 31 minutes in a single sitting.

 

 

2. Exercise to Develop Willpower to Quit Smoking:

As stated above, these free tips and techniques do a great deal more than just help you stop smoking and that is certainly true for this next exercise.  To develop willpower, yoga recommends to build the Navel Chakra center, and no exercise does that as well as Kundalini Yoga’s famous Stretch Pose.  So to help you break habits and addictions, developing this center is very helpful, as developing willpower is very key.  Below is a link to the free article which details Stretch Pose and gives illustrations for beginner and advanced versions of this very helpful exercise.

In addition to helping you break your smoking habit, Stretch Pose will also help you strengthen your abs, tone your stomach, improve your digestive system and increase energy and vitality.

Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose to Build Willpower

3. Consciousness Exercise for Smoking Cessation:

In addition to the above tips, one sure way of weakening and breaking habits is by bringing consciousness or awareness into the mix.  The way to do this is that whenever you see yourself being drawn into the habitual behavior become intimately aware of all the actions, thoughts and feelings that are taking place.  Just observe dispassionately, how you withdraw the cigarette, how you tap it, how you smoke, what you feel, what you think, everything.  Just keep watching very carefully.  This awareness is enough to start to break up the pattern that is set in your body and mind, and pretty soon you will see it weakening and falling away.

4. Daily Yoga/Meditation Practice for Quitting Smoking:

I will post below the real life testimonial of a reader who quit smoking and simply attributes this to begin committed to a daily yoga and meditation practice.  His is not the first such report, I receive many such testimonials.  Of course there are plenty of additional benefits from such a practice, and you can read about those in the following article: Benefits of Yoga for Weight Loss, Depression, Migraines, Smoking & Other Real Life Stories.  You can also read about other real life testimonials regarding the benefits of yoga and meditation here:  Reader Testimonial Regarding Yoga, Meditation & More.

Yogi’s Testimonial Regarding How He Quit Smoking:

Wow….yes. I quit smoking 3 years ago, after struggling with it for such a long time. I had quit many times, even for more than a year once, but always slipped back into the old habit. Nothing worked, and I thought I was doomed to a life of filth and disease. Then I started a yoga routine and a daily sitting practice, and without even trying, I just stopped smoking. I just didn’t like it anymore, now that I had an understanding of how good my body could feel again. I haven’t smoked since, and I often try to explain how I quit to others who are struggling with little luck. So, to see it mapped out like this is very exciting for me. thank- you.

Summary for Quit Smoking Yoga Tips

So there you have it, 4 free tips from the great science of yoga on how you can quit smoking, get healthy and live a great life.  If you need more guidance on yoga and meditation, please feel free to check out the free online yoga and meditation classes offered here:

Free Online Yoga & Meditation Classes

58

Mastery of Meditation & Yoga Testimonials | Customer Reviews of Products & Services

by

TESTIMONIALS

Please find below some of what others have had to say about the Mastery of Meditation & Yoga Website, the free online yoga and meditation classes and the great yoga & meditation products I offer to help you live your life at your maximum potential.

Rebecca says,

WOW, this was an excellent reading and intuitively I knew there was greatness within and that is why I am feeling so eager to reach it.  Thanks again for the tools to help me along my path and I am so blessed to have been presented to you as a guide for me, you will always be in my thoughts as a teacher and coach on my path.

Gurtej says,

I cant thank u enough to have WOKEN ME UP with ur reading about me…… i am STUNNED to say the least……. i didnt expect this numerological reading to be so precise. U have told me exactly what i needed to know to grow and glow in my life…….. Thank u so very much …. i have started my transformation programme from 1st of this month.

Anca Says:

Thank you so much for this (numerology) analysis, the words sounded so deeply inside me that it made me cry :-).  I definitely could use the Zen Meditation :-).  I started your program today and I am very confident in my path now. 

Chris Says:

Thank you for the wonderful reading (numerology).  It was astonishing and not surprising my work is the pranic body…  I love your e-book…  I thank you so much for your wisdom and presence in my life.

Falguni says:

The (numerological) reading you sent me has motivated me to do the 40 day program and have a more disciplined spiritual life… I hope you know how much you help people liberate their souls.

Falguni Adds,

I wanted to follow up on my transformation program you prescribed me based on my numerology reading. Today is my 40th day of the program and am happy to report that I have completed at least the initial phase. :-) I definitely feel more confident after starting the program. The meditation has helped bring more awarenes into my life especially when I am off the mat.

Gail Says:

hi anmol,
i ordered and received a wonderful numerological report from you recently, which includes the 40 day transformational program.

Rishi Says:

I just purchased your Pranayama Video Series and find them to be an amazing source on these wonderful exercises. Any chance you will release them on DVD? Also, thank you for providing your Amazing Insights E-book for free with this purchase. I have been finding out more about myself from reading your book.

Peter Says:

I loved your amazing insights e-book and always get more insights from the stories each time I read it.

Dr. Rajiv Pathri M.D. Says:

I finished reading you e-book.  It has depth, not just of knowledge, but authentic from your own experience.  You should seriously write a book.  I know you are not attached to results, but from what I see, it will be a bestseller.

Pat Says:

I love your Mind Expanding Guided Meditation.

Chris Says:

I’ve been reading the Insights e-book and it is full of good stuff, loving it.

Bobby Says:

Incredible Blog. Several lifetimes of knowledge fill this site. Great for beginners and experts interested in yoga, mind development, meditation, etc. Masterfully written and one of the best on the web. I recommend everybody read this!!!!!

Ramesh Says:

First of all, let me say what I’ve been saying to myself as I go through the articles on this blog… This is a simply fantastic site… so much information, so many insights, and… it’s all free???

Albert Says:

He has got some awesome stuff on Meditation and Enlightenment. Definitely a – can’t – leave – the – screen – till – you – devour – everything – blog.

Bridget Says:

I just want to say thank you for this website. It is one of the most comprehensive and helpful yoga websites I have found anywhere on the internet. I appreciate your wisdom and your willingness to share it so easily with others. Thank you.

Kara-Leah Grant Says:

Many blessings to you Anmol – your generosity has greatly informed both my own practice and my teachings.  I hope that via my blog, I do my best to spread the word about this wonderful site – by far the best yoga site I have ever come across.

Vinod Says:

First of all, let me say that this entire site is great. Its truly a labor of love. Each time I find an article that I think is great, I read more and find another article that I think is even better.

Allysa Says:

Anmol,

Thank you so much for having this site. It is SO amazing… infinite amounts of information are now available to me and I cannot tell you how thankful I am to be learning more about yoga and meditation. Bless you for all of your generosity and kindness in bringing this to so many people around the world.

Paula Says:

Hi… I wasn’t really expecting a response, so thank u for the nice surprise. GREAT SUPER AWESOME BLOG…your free online kundalini classes have been soooooooo wonderful, thank you.

The whole blog actually and all the info in there is just what I needed this year. I’m on a journey… and I’m actually enjoying it for the first time in my adult life.

Jeff Says:

I was introduced to your site by Kara-Leah Masina, …she recommended to me many of your meditations and exercises, and they have been wonderful. As a result, I have been poking around your site, and I have been amazed at the wonderful things you have here!

Miguelina Says:

The Kundalini Yoga class earlier today was absolutely wonderful. You explained everything so well and you radiate peace. I feel very blessed for the opportunity to be your student. Thanks again.

Harrison Says:

Today and went on your site for the first time and was blown away. I was only on it for around half and hour but it looks amazing. I plan to spend much more time and probably take one of your free online classes. I just wanted to thank you for spending your free time to helped educate people about yoga. I don’t think that there is another site like that out there that gives great information without trying to charge you or flooding you with advertisements.

Rute Says:

Dear Anmol,

My family and I thank you more than you will ever know for your devotion in helping us to develop spiritually and inspiring us to live in a positive and healthy way.

Your website has already touched our lives deeply and we have just begun, the information that you give us in your website is amazing and you have put it in a very clear and easy way to follow.

God Bless you and all who are dearest to you.

Anonymous Says:

Dear Anmol!

Thank you ever so much for ur wonderful blog and for all the information!!! :) I tried ur yoga for weight-loss online course and have been doing it for 2 days including today… i had an absolutely un-believable day yesterday!! I could believe how chirpy and peppy and active i was…

I normally walk for about 105 – 120 mins a day… and i usually burn 850 cals in 115 mins… yesterday i did the yoga in the morning n went for my walk in the evening.. i was so much peppier…!! i burnt 823 cals in 95 mins only!! n my heart rate monitor tells me about my avg heart rate which usually ranges from 60 – 65% of my max hrt rate… but yesterday i had gone up to an avg of 71%!!! :)

WOW!!! Im amazed at the results!! I am a member of Spark People (online weight loss community) and i posted ur links to my team “Indians Unite – Chak de!” Telling them about it as well!! Everyone who browsed through ur website replied to the team forum saying its very helpful! :)

Thank you once again!

Shamim Says:

Your articles are awesome. Thank you so much for sharing.

Chris Says,

Hi Anmol,  I continue to use your techniques after 12 months and continue to benefit in many ways from their regular practice.  I have been focusing solely on awakening my heart chaka and developing compassion for myself and others. The added benefit for me is that the kriyas help develop stamina and coordination in my drumming!  Thank you so much for your simple and immensely helpful instruction.  I continue to learn from it.  Best wishes Chris.

Kavita Says:

I started our sessions together with no prior experience of any kind of yoga except some informal physical sessions as conducted in the health clubs. The sessions we did were unique in their combination of meditation, yoga and kirtan i.e. combining Gnana yoga, karma yoga and bhakti yoga all in a single sitting. Doing Kundalini yoga along with the meditation in our sessions together acted like a cloud was lifted from my brains. Within a few sessions I found a lot of difference in me. My thought process got clearer and I felt my brain capacity and efficiency at work as well as home actually increase. But the most important gift was a feeling of peace and a calm happiness I felt after every session. I had read many spiritual and philosophical books prior to starting the yoga but I could imbibe their essence only after I started the meditation. I am determined now to continue learning kundalini yoga further and increase the duration of the daily meditation as much as possible. I will soon also start conducting sessions to help other people  take the first step just as you helped me take my first one.

I cannot express sufficiently enough my thanks to both you and Trupti for all the guidance, warmth and love you have shown me during the period we have known each other.

Jean Says:

Thank you for teaching me yoga.  I am going to start classes at the Kundalini school on Yoga class.  You are a great teacher.

Bhaskar Says:

Yoga, in conjunction with Taekwando, over the past couple of years has been great for me. I am the happiest I have been, without any worries about the present or the future, without regrets or dwelling in the past, and with the knowledge that I can face challenges and do what I can without too much thought on the outcome.

Thinking back, it clear to me that the phases of my life I have been happy and performed well as an individual, have been the phases were I was meticulous at daily practice – be it Sandhyavandhanam, writing prayers/ names for Astrology/ Numerology reasons or be it plain reciting Slokas. The only catch here had been that these were all quite traditional and I was not able to understand why I was better off and whether a Greater Force was being invoked when I performed these acts. I was also unable to completely reconcile with the concept of ‘God’, what ‘Life’ meant, what any individual could do and many other questions ranging from the Marco to the Micro level. I had been reciting slokas everyday at that point and was also physically fit due to daily exercise. Due to various changes in my life over the next few months it turned out that I dropped all sorts of daily practice and exercise. One could say, I was soul-searching without a proper guide.

I turned to various guides to help me through this phase. I started reading a particular interpretation of the Bhagwad-Gita, which at that point did more harm to me than good. I also turned to Yoga and was fortunate to hear that Anmol taught Yoga. I also turned to the RamanAshram and the teachings of Ramana Maharishi. To be honest, all this at the same time was quite overwhelming and I left them all for a period of time.

Yoga and the classes have been wonderful as they helped clear all the questions, helped me refocus and live in the present. Yoga and Anmol helped me reconcile all the Macro concepts; I have spent so much time with Anmol talking about everything. He is a wonderful teacher and helped me see everything in that manner in which I could understand them. Those teachings, along with daily practice have helped me see everything in a different light. I can now better understand the Bhagwad Gita, Ramana Maharishi and anything else I might have read in the past. I consider myself fortunate to have realized what I can do and to have Anmol as a friend, teacher and guide. I also understand that daily practice of Yoga and Meditation are what would help me going forward in my life also.

Sorabh Says:

My introduction to yoga began with Anmol, who I consider not just a friend but truly a initiator into the practice of yoga. Yoga is often misconstrued as a set of asanas, but thankfully he didn’t allow such a thing to happen. His insight into the workings of the mind, his respect, love and commitment to all of us as students, friends, family members made the experiences powerfully impacting. The weekly sessions were something I looked forward to and were perhaps were one of the most important things I did during the week – to take care of my body, mind and soul. I would be remiss to mention Trupti’s contribution. Without her touch the experiences surely wouldn’t be the same.

The practice of yoga is now the most important activity in my day and is at the center of my well being.

Piyush Says:

Thank you for introducing me to Yoga – I have thoroughly enjoyed all the classes I have attended over the past few years. Your style of teaching is full of energy and very inspirational. Your words (when I pay attention) are a source of quiet enlightenment. Afterwords I feel fresh, stretched, centered and more empowered. Again – thanks for your guidance and motivation!

Bindu Says:

Anmol, I really enjoy every yoga class you conduct. Yoga and mediation now relates to my life and I feel great, relaxed, calm and most of all HAPPY.  Due to your classes I feel I know how to use yoga as a tool in life to attain union within mind, body and spirit. Every class you conducted has a fine balanced combination of Yoga, Meditation and ‘bhajan’ that at the end of every class I felt I had a good sweaty workout and at the same time felt so calm and relaxed due to the meditation. I would like to add that you have been a very calming and sensitive Yoga Guru teaching us the importance of attitude for gratitude. My favorite part was always prayer for someone who needs it at the end of Yoga class. Yoga also encouraged me to  eat well, develop myself both physically and mentally. Also I used to feel embarrassed to exercise as I felt unfit, but your classes made me feel comfortable with my ability, which has extended to other areas of my life. Thank you for your enthusiasm and inspiration. Thank you for making each class an experience; it is so much more than just another yoga class. Its Yoga with personality. I’m proud to tell my friends I practice Yoga!

Sanjay Says:

I sincerely cherish our sessions. Anmol clearly offers a spiritual and physical experience that has allowed me to grow at an individual level.  It’s a time replete with a sense of well being and positive energy, absolutely free of judgment.  Silentmind offers a yogic experience respectful of tradition but in a manner that is inviting to all and practical to our daily lives.

Vinny says:

I am glad you put the (Silent Mind Meditation) program piece together so people can do some of the exercises themselves.

Dipti says:

The Yoga Class I had was super, in that it is a very good work-out both for the mind and the body. 

Susana Says:

I already do everyday the exercises you show on the net and I really feel so much better and my body became so flexible, even from the second day. You can imagine my progress in some months!! God!!! Even my family noticed the change in my behavior. I can say that I really love Yoga!! Why was I wasting my time before??!!

Michelle Says:

Ive been doing Yoga since 4 months now.. feels great. Keeps me fresh all day & more concentrated at my work.

Anonymous Says:

I am recent beginner of yoga and though I entered the class with the objective of losing weight, it has completely transformed into being something entirely different. I didn’t even think seriously that a series of movements can have any impact on my anxiety. Now I do yoga as something that is definitely more effective on my peace of mind than on my body.

Nidhi Says:

I have started ur course 101 or past 2 days and it has really helped me in opening the nostril and reducing the heaviness in my head, nose and eyes.

Jonathan Says:

Thank you sooo much for these videos. I was very skeptical about meditation but once i began practicing more and more it became a little more natural feeling. I serve at a local restaurant so stress come everyday. Its great to come home and have a great healthy way to unwind. Thanks a lot.

Marie Says:

Just wanted to give a quick update. The exercises you recommended for the third chakra have really really helped. I’ve been doing them every morning and can feel the stirrings of a stronger 3rd chakra in me. A few days ago I had to give a lengthy presentation to a rather large audience of academics and I’ve never been more together for such a presentation than I was for that one. At some point in the middle of it I became a bit nervous, and then focused on standing straight and making sure the muscles around my third chakra were holding me up, (keeping me from slumping as if I wanted to melt away under the podium). What an instant difference it made. I carried through with the lecture and with real confidence and focus to do a good job.

I got lots of praise afterwords, which was great, but there was one professor who asked a hostile question…I was inspired with an answer that allowed me to put him in his place while keeping everything pleasant, professional and sincere. People keep telling me how great my reply to him was (no one cared much for his attitude).

ANYWAY, sorry to ramble, but I could feel my third chakra at work through this experience, and it not only got me through the rough spots, but I walked away with a real sense of accomplishment (something I’d been lacking for much too long). I had the willpower to prepare and present my lecture well, and I had the character to defeat hostility with grace, truth, and razor sharp effectiveness. It was fantastic!

In other words, thanks for recommending the exercises for the third chakra, they’re really helping.

Susannah Says:

I have been visiting your site for several months now.

Having been a serious seeker for so many years I realized I was filled up and needed to empty.
 I chose to do this through yoga and this is where you became my closest ally.

From being one who firmly resisted physical movement and discipline to someone who practices every day – I have to say gratitude abounds.

Shohreh Says:

The breathing techniques have transformed my lungs in just two days. I suffer from auto immune disease and have asthma. My journey in healing myself started eight months ago. For the first time in eight months I beat my husband (who is very athletic) in hiking. He could not catch up with me. The surprising thing is that I was not at all breathless. Believe it or not, I’m teaching a friend this coming Thursday your breathing exercises and Kundalini yoga. What can I say, I’m a very devoted student. This is amazing for someone who just discovered your site on 01/17/2008.

Anonymous Says:

I am on day 5 of your yoga breathing and excited to say I am noticing a difference in my breathing (COPD).

Bendz Says:

I refer your site to my friend about this yoga. He practiced and his health (stomach) problem solved within a week. He is very much impressed about this yoga and practicing continuously.

Andrew Says:

I have been using the Anja Chakra, Anahat Chakra and Introductory sets on your site and both enjoying them and getting very pleasing results.

Kalyan Says:

I had been a silent visitor on your site for a few months. I came to know about  ‘Kundalini Yoga’ via your site for the first time.  It has done some pretty amazing things for me which I will corroborate with my personal account.
 
I first seriously tried meditation about two years ago. I started getting up early at around 4:00 AM and started meditating and then after only a few months I developed serious knee problems. The knees got swelled up permanently. I could no longer pursue meditation since only after a few minutes the knee would start hurting pretty bad making it impossible to sit any longer. I could climb or get down the stairs only with great difficulty. I tried conventional yoga postures for knee which aggravated the situation.
 
After I started Kundalini Yoga, slowly the knees started feeling better and better as the core got strengthened until it felt completely normal one day.  My knees are healed – completely ! Most of the knee problems arise in the pelvis. Since the set of exercises like ‘morning wake-up series‘ target the pelvis directly it has the potential to heal most ‘bad knees’ if done seriously with perseverance.
 
I have a trim waist now. I have more emotional balance, my digestions are better, my heart beats slower and there is a sense of balance and well being which never leaves me during day or night – all as a result of only an hour of Kundalini Yoga and meditation.
 
So, thanks a lot Anmol, you had been a life saver through the dissemination of your knowledge via your website. I hope you did not mind telling you my personal stories at length.

Hope you receive true blessing and guidance from God and may He be your benefactor and protector for the rest of your life.

Anonymous Says:

Hi Anmol.  I have found your online classes immensely helpful.  I am working, with your help on awakening chakras, beginning with the abdominal and working up the body.  I have been following your classes for three weeks and combined with ayurvedic treatment have strengthened willpower, enabled regular practice, which has enabled me to stop taking antidepressants, which I have been using for two years, and control psoriasis more effectively than any medical treatment I have had in twenty years!

Raj Says:

Dear Anmol,

Thanks for providing very good site with lot of information and giving wonderful guidance for practicing kundalini yoga.

I have been practicing yoga for the last three months in the order of…

1. Anuloma Viloma Pranayama
2. Third eye opening and balancing
3. Breathing of fire.
4. Kundalini Awakening Raja Yoga Kriya.

It makes me a joyful person and not to worry about any problems.

After practising these for three months now I feel some vibraions in my abdomen especially when I lower my neck down.Its just like passing some milli volts of electric current in my body.

Anonymous Says:

Hi Anmol, I just want to thank you for your website once again. I’ve found I have made great improvements physically, mentally, and emotionally over the past month and a half through practicing many of the yoga techniques and breathing exercises which you have emailed me. I now meditate minimum about 3 or 4 times a week, as well as practicing a few poses and breathing techniques. As a result I have been able to release a lot of suppressed emotions, become more relaxed, and achieve an overall healthy emotional balance. Most importantly I managed to change a lot of bad habits in my life (unproductive things such as watching TV, playing video games), and I am far more productive, and loving.

Anonymous Says:

Thank you sooo much for these videos. I was very skeptical about meditation, but once i began practicing, more and more it became a little more natural feeling. I serve at a local restaurant so stress comes everyday. Its great to come home and have a great, healthy way to unwind. Thanks a lot.

Anonymous Says:

I am 47 years old and found this program on your website and did it for the first time yesterday.  WOW!  I really underestimated the power of this program.  Had me burning up.  Will definitely continue until I reach my desired weight and beyond.

Kathleen Says:

Hello, Anmol, I am so happy to have found your website. I have always considered myself a spiritual person and since I have started practicing kundalini yoga and zen meditation around a month ago, I have become much more calm and relaxed. I have to tell you that this morning, as I was meditating I was focusing on my breathing and felt my mind going still as if i was in a empty dark room and it felt so peaceful and then this light started to appear and become brighter like a white light and it felt beautiful and then it was gone. and I couldn’t seem to bring it back.

Andrew says:

Hi Anmol! Thank you for such a good advise, I’ll follow it and try to reveal my potential at 100 percent! I have a question about meditation, when I’m meditating I must stop my breath? Because, when I’ve meditated two-three days ago, suddenly, after 15-25 minutes of meditation, with eyes closed and thoughts wiped out, I’ve noticed that somehow, my eyes were at the same level with my nose, and in the next moment I felt a light, that came from above into my head! That was WOW feeling – calm, peaceful, and other… very good it was, but light as I think come down to my head, and after that somehow stopped (or not) at the neck region.

Dagmar Says:

This morning during BOF (Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama), as I could feel the energy moving in my body, around my body, and on the top of my head (?!), I did not want to stop. INCREDIBLE FEELING! I did BOF for 13 min; after I stopped (as I was sitting motionless), I still could feel the energy moving for some time. AWESOME!

Alythia Says:

This is my first day doing this yoga set (week 1). It was amazing. I am practicing at the beginner level and I found the most difficult pose was the eagle pose when suddenly my consciousness opened a little and I realized that I could be “like” the eagle and imagined that I was soaring and that I was being held up by the air, this changed my frown of concentration into a smile and gave me just enough endurance to finish the minute. After I completed the meditation, my body began to feel balanced and warm, I had a slight, pleasant tingling in the back of my cervical vertebrae, from the tuck pose, I think. All in all, very enlightening.

Anonymous Says:

Today something amazing happened. Long story short, I was able to facilitate something, to make something happen for someone else that was extremely unlikely to succeed. It’s as though every single door that needed to open simply opened without much more than a nudge when, normally, these doors should have remained shut tight. Because of this, I helped create a genuinely happy moment for my mother, and I can’t get over how easy it was to find just the right words and the right attitude to adopt, naturally, without even thinking about it. It was more than luck.

Julia Says:

Hi Anmol, Thank you so much for this site!  I am entering my fourth week and feel fabulous.  I not only have more energy, but I feel as if I am more aware of everything and become more efficient (doing the smart way, not the long way)  I am just starting the 3rd eye opening, course 103, and can’t wait!  Thank you again for all the work you’ve put into this site,  I love it!! 

59

Yoga Positions for Beginners | Basic Yoga Poses

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Beginner’s Yoga Poses

Basic Yoga Positions

It is time to expand the Free Online Yoga & Meditation Classes offered here at Mastery of Meditation & Yoga, and the class I am planning to add next is a Beginner’s Yoga Class (now online).  The class will consist of the best yoga pranayama techniques for beginners and it will also incorporate the beginner’s yoga positions that I have detailed below.

This yoga set, is built using basic yoga poses and exercises, but just because the positions used are not advanced or complicated, does not in any way lessen the value of this set.  It is an excellent set to incorporate into your daily yoga practice and has been carefully designed to work on each and every aspect of your being.

Positions for Beginners

This set will also make up Chapter 11 of our popular Free Online Kundalini Yoga Sets E-book.  The poses and positions that make up this set can be found in the following two free online books: Free Online Kundalini Yoga Exercises E-book & Free Hatha Yoga Poses E-book.

Also, for more information you can visit the Yoga for Beginners website.  There you will find more great beginner yoga poses and videos.

Benefits of Yoga Positions for Beginner’s | Basic Yoga Poses Set

As I mentioned above, this set has been carefully designed to be beginner friendly and also, designed to ensure that it works upon all major aspects of your being in a balanced and harmonious way.  The detailed benefits of each exercises, along with cautions and practice tips, can be found in the article devoted to each pose, below though are the overall benefits that this set bestows when practiced consistently

  • Promotes overall flexibility and strength.
  • Clears blockages and increases energy flow.
  • Triggers the natural healing capacity of the body, promoting health and well-being.
  • Promotes peace and emotional balance.
  • Purifies one’s energy and raises one’s level of vibration and consciousness.
  • Improves balance and coordination.
  • Helps increase metabolism and assists in weight loss.
  • Builds mental focus and concentration.

Yoga Positions for Beginner’s Practice Details:

The following two articles are important for beginner’s to read as they provide guidelines on how to practice yoga:

Essential Beginners Guide to Yoga Practice

10 Important Guidelines for Kundalini Yoga Practice

Remember the golden rule is please do not overdo anything.  Especially if you are a beginner, please use the beginner’s version for the exercises where ever provided and back off if you feel uncomfortable or dizzy.  Each exercise title is a link to the chapter with the details for that exercise.  For all the poses in this set illustrations have also been provided.

You will also need to learn the Breath of Fire breathing exercise, which is taught in the following video:  Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama.   This breathing exercise is a fundamental breathing technique in Kundalini Yoga and is extensively used in conjunction with the yoga poses.

Yoga Positions for Beginner’s | Basic Yoga Poses Set

Remember that each title is a link to the article with full details on each pose.  Also, in each of those respective articles, modifications for beginners is given whenever required, so make sure you use those modifications as you start out.

1. Kundalini Yoga Butterfly Pose:

  • Duration: 2 – 3 mins
  • Breath: Breath of Fire

Butterfly Pose

2. Kundalini Yoga Cat-Cow Pose:

  • Duration: 1 – 3 mins
  • Breath: Inhale in cow pose, exhale in cat pose

Yoga Cat Pose (Exhale)

Yoga Cow Pose (Inhale)

3. Yoga Cobra Pose:

  • This is a very basic yoga pose that is part of every school of yoga practice.  It can be done with the elbows bent and also done with the elbow straight.  Beginner’s should be careful with their lower back and elbows, and should take frequent breaks if they get tiered holding the pose.
  • Duration: 1 – 3 mins
  • Breath: Long deep breathing.

Cobra Pose w/ Straight Elbows

Cobra Pose w/ Bent Elbows

4. Yoga Baby Pose:

  • Another very basic yoga pose is baby pose.  It is pose #8 in the article.  It is a good pose to relax in whenever you need to take break during your yoga session.  In addition this pose will counterbalance cobra pose for you.
  • Duration: Open
  • Breath: Normal.

Baby Pose

5. Basic Yoga Pose for Balance:

  • Be sure to use the modified versions if you find doing the full version difficult.  This is a good pose for the elderly to do as well.
  • Duration: 1 – 2 mins / side.
  • Breath: Long deep breathing.

Basic Yoga Pose for Balance (Left Arm)

 

 

Basic Yoga Pose for Balance (Right Arm)

6. Forward Bending Yoga Asana:

  • The important part of this position is to keep your legs straight.  It is not necessary to reach your toes, that will happen over time.  Just reach forward as far as is comfortable, while keeping your legs straight.  For beginner’s even reaching their knees or shins is fine.  Curl your toes back towards you though, even if you do can’t reach them to accent the stretch in your calves and hamstrings.
  • Duration: 1 – 3 mins
  • Breath:  Do long deep breathing.  As you make progress you can do this pose with breath of fire.

Forward Bending Yoga Pose

7. Yoga Rock-n-Roll:

  • Good yoga exercise to help you transition between poses.  It is also good for lengthening the spine and redistributing the cerebro-spinal fluid.  It is exercise #6 in the Kids Yoga Article which it is linked to.
  • Duration: 15 seconds – 1 min
  • Breath: Normal.

Yoga Rock-n-Roll

8. Alternating Leg Lifts for Abdominal Strength:

  • Simply lie on your back, with your hands underneath your buttocks palms facing down to support your lower back.  Then lift your left leg up to ninety degrees and lower it back down.  Next lift your right leg up to ninety degrees and then back down.  Continue on with these alternating leg lifts for the duration of the exercise.  It is exercise #1 of the Ab Workout set which it is linked to.   Btw, this set is an excellent set for beginner’s as well who want to tone their abs and build their core strength.
  • Duration: 1 – 3 mins
  • Breath: Inhale Up / Exhale Down.

Yoga Single Leg Lifts (Right Leg)

Yoga Single Leg Lifts (Left Leg)

9. Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose:

  • This is a terrific yoga posture, remember the beginner’s version is to do one leg at a time instead.  Again you can take breaks during this pose when you tire.  The full version is illustrated below.
  • Duration: 1 – 3 mins
  • Breath:  Breath of Fire

Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose

10. Yoga Rock-n-Roll:

  • Again we will use yoga rock-n-roll to help us transition to a new pose. See exercise #7 above for details.
  • Duration: 15 seconds – 1 min
  • Breath: Normal.

11. Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

  • These can be a little tough for beginner’s to do, but I wanted to include them in this set due to their enormous benefits.  This exercise will really help you tone and strengthen your legs and also it will give your heart a good workout.  Do only a few at a time in the beginning and be sure to take lots of breaks.  Build up slowly to 52 in a row over time.
  • Duration: 11 – 52 repetitions
  • Breath: Inhale Down / Exhale Up.

Yoga Frog Pose (Inhale)

Yoga Frog Pose (Exhale)

12. Kundalini Yoga Archer Pose:  

  • We will end this set with Archer’s Pose.  This pose is excellent for opening up your hips, strengthening your legs and helping you cope with stress.  It is also good for the mind and developing confidence.
  • Duration: 1 – 3 mins / side.
  • Breath: Long Deep Powerful Breathing.

Yoga Archer Pose

13. Corpse Pose:

  • Once you are done with the Beginner’s Yoga Set, make sure you relax on your back in corpse pose.  For corpse pose just lie comfortably on your back and have your hands out to the sides or on your chest.  Just let go during this time and let the Universe take care of you.  Have no worries, anxieties or goals, and simply surrender to Infinity.
  • Duration: 1 – 11 mins
  • Breath: Relaxed

End of Beginner’s Basic Yoga Poses Set

60

Anxiety & Depression Help | 4 Effective Treatments

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Treatments to Help with Depression & Anxiety

Depression & Anxiety Cures

Unfortunately, if we have not already, then at some point in our lives we have to deal with the beasts of anxiety and depression.  These two conditions tend to go hand in hand, and very often have similar triggers and causes.  In this article, I want to identify the most problematic aspect of these difficult problems, and then provide you with several effective ways to treat that common cause.

Most Common Cause for Depression & Anxiety:

Without a doubt the problem of depression and anxiety has its roots in the mind and thinking.  More specifically, they are the result of negative thinking.  Those of us who have dealt with these conditions know only too well how insidiously negative thinking can keep us under constant stress and tension, and drive our mood lower and lower.  Being able to break this train of negative thinking is the first and most important step in curing these conditions.

Anxiety & Depression Help

Below I want to give you three effective techniques, and one advanced technique, with which you can disrupt the negative thinking right when it starts.  This way the gloom and doom thoughts do not have a chance to build momentum, grow in strength and dominate your mind.  As soon as you notice, you are starting down that slippery slope of worry, fear and despair, implement one of the following methods and break out of this pattern.  Once you stop feeding anxiety and depression, with the energy of negative thinking, you will find them losing their grip on you over time.

3 Techniques to Break Negative Thinking:

 

1. Dr. Daniel Amen’s 5 Question Technique:

Some time ago I saw a program on public television called Magnificent Mind at Any Age.  As I am a big fan of the science of the brain, I really enjoyed the show.  One segment was dedicated to how to beat anxiety and depression, and Dr. Amen gave the following technique, which I have found very effective.  Here is that technique…

Dr. Amen calls negative thinking, ANTs, or Automatic Negative Thoughts, and recognizes the need to kill this pattern as I do, right at the onset, in order to prevent anxiety and depression from taking over.  The basis of his technique is to discredit the ANT, as more often than not negative thinking is usually wildly hypothetical and based on fears and scenarios that are highly unlikely to ever become reality.  In other words, thoughts are just thoughts, and you should not believe them all.

The technique requires you to ask the following 5 questions right when you notice the ANT.

  1. Is it True?
  2. Are you absolutely 100% sure, without a shadow of a doubt, that the thought is true?
  3. How do you feel when you believe that thought?
  4. How would you feel without that thought?
  5. Finally, ask if the opposite of this negative thought might be true?

For Example:

You have started to get some automatic muscle twitching due to your Yoga practice, but of course don’t know if it’s a great big Kundalini Awkening Symptom or if now have MS.  So your anxious little, nervous, fearful mind starts spinning.  “There is that twitch again, it’s not going away, all my muscles are twitching more and more, I have MS, I am going to be bed ridden soon, I am going to die!”

Stop! Now apply the technique above to this ANT, “I have muscle twitches, which means I have MS.”

  1. Are you sure your muscle twitch means you have MS and it’s not Kundalini doing some good work within?
  2. Are you absolutely 100% sure?
  3. How do feel when you think you have MS?
  4. How would you feel if you did not think you had MS or these thoughts?
  5. And finally, is it possible that you are actually starting to have Kundalini awaken in you instead, to help you in your spiritual evolution?

So those are the nuts and bolts of this technique.  Writing down the ANT can also help you frame it, in order to apply the questions.

2. Do Mantra Meditation or Prayer:

Often negative thinking plagues us and triggers anxiety and depression, when we are idle.  Very often this is when going to sleep or if we wake up due to interrupted sleep, etc.  A very effective way to manage these situations is by using the power of Mantra Meditation or prayer.

Both Mantra Meditation and prayer will occupy the mind with positive thoughts and you will gain the double benefit of not only preventing anxiety and depression, but also all the benefits that are bestowed by Mantra Meditation and prayer.  The article on the Power of Prayer, speaks on the benefits of prayer and a good Mantra Meditation to do, to break the cycle of negative thinking is Sohum Mantra Meditation.

3. Do Yoga Pranayama To Fight Anxiety & Depression:

Another technique that is very effective for preventing worrying, fearful thoughts is practicing yoga pranayama.  As soon as you notice you are starting to stress and feed fearful thoughts, start doing a yoga pranayama to disrupt the pattern. 

If you are looking to sleep or rest, try Ujjayi Yoga Pranayama, it requires enough concentration to pull you mind away and it is great to help fight insomnia.  Also, students like doing explosive pranayamas to consciously get rid of stress and use the outgoing breath to throw out all negativity.  The first exercise (Yoga Arm Raises) in the Healthy Weight Loss Yoga Set is excellent for this, as is Kapalbhati Pranayama.

Another yoga pranayama often prescribed specifically to re-balance systems heavy with depression and lethargy is Right Nostril Breathing.  It is a powerful technique and should be used cautiously.

In addition, any breath meditation like Zazen (Zen Meditation Technique) is very effective for calming you down, moving the mind away and helping you fight off worrying and depressing thoughts.

Advanced Technique for Treating Anxiety & Depression:

You will notice that all the above techniques are designed to break the pattern of negative thinking, and prevent fearful or sad thoughts from creating storms in your mind and body.  For most people suffering with anxiety and depression, this approach is helpful to re-stabilize the mind and emotions.  If you feel strong enough though, there is an altogether more radical approach to dealing with this situation.  It is that of impersonal observation.

In this approach, you don’t interfere with the feelings and thoughts that are taking place, but instead allow them to run their course and then diminish and die.  Here, you take the position of an impassionate observer and paying close attention to the feeling that is taking place, without trying to identify or escape it.  You neither indulge it or suppress it, but instead just observe it.  Not feeding it thus, ends it for good.

This advanced technique is where you want to get to, but may not be right for you if you are suffering heavily and are in bad shape.  So use the above techniques to build yourself up, practice meditation to develop your power of observation and then use this potent method of freeing yourself from the clutches of anxiety and depression.  You can do it, happiness is your birthright!