The Transformative Power of Shiva - Mental Clarity

By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed

Shiva is known in Hinduism and the classical Yogic scriptures as one of the primary Gods among a pantheon of thousands of Gods and Goddesses. He is also known as the manifesting power of physical reality. His female consort, Shakti, is the creative, divine, formless energetic essence that permeates all of creation. Shiva, being her male consort, dances with her in such a way that he can manifest her divine energy on the physical plane. Shiva is also able to sustain his creation, and then destroy it in a never-ending cycle. This divine dance is referred to in Hinduism as Shiva's Tandava. 

In terms of a Yoga practice, invoking the transformative power of Shiva's energy can support you in clarifying your underlying beliefs, which are constructing your day-to-day reality. One way to fully engage with this transformative power is by holding a strong and steady drishti point during your practice of the Yoga asanas. A drishti is an intense gazing point. One of the original sources of information about the correct method of employing a drishti point during asana practice comes Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, which elucidate in detail the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga practice. 

Patanjali refers to the practice of holding a steady drishti in both the fifth and six limbs of his eight fold path. The fifth limb details the importance of Pratayahara or sense withdrawal. The ability to allow our senses to rest is especially important during our modern age because our senses are constantly stimulated by all of the electronic media around us. By maintaining a steady gazing point during your Yoga practice, your mind will begin to settle, and you will be able to more easily witness your own thoughts and the reality those thoughts are creating. 

In the sixth limb of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the benefit of concentrating single pointedly on a drishti point is explained. Ultimately, the goal is to create and sustain a deep state of meditation, or dharana, both on and off the Yoga mat. Holding a steady drishti point during your Yoga practice will assist you in developing a more stable mind and a stronger ability to concentrate and focus on your daily activities, without being pulled about from one extraneous thought to another. As you hold a drishti point during your Yoga asana practice, you may notice that your mind repetitively plays the same negative thoughts over and over again. Do not view this as a failure on your part! This is the first step to becoming aware of your own mental tendencies, so that you have the opportunity to weed out the thoughts that dim your light, joy and effectiveness in the world.    

* Crescent Lunge Pose

The crescent moon is one of the most iconic symbols of Shiva's transformative energy. Crescent Lunge Pose is aptly named because when we practice the Yoga asana, we embody the form of the crescent moon. By holding a drishti point during your practice of Crescent Lunge Pose, you will help to calm and slow down the mental fluctuations of your mind. Traditionally, Hastagrahe Drishti is employed during the practice of Crescent Lunge Pose. This drishti focuses your gaze on your extended hand or fingertips while in a Yoga posture. 

To practice Crescent Lunge, you may wish to warm up first with a series of Sun Salutations. When you are ready, come to an equal standing position at the front of your Yoga mat. With your next inhale; begin to move through the initial movements of the Sun Salutation. As you release Downward Facing Dog, bring your right foot to the front of your Yoga mat with your foot parallel to the sides of your mat. Place your left foot two to three feet behind you at a comfortable distance from your right foot. For optimal alignment, keep your heels in a straight line and the toes of your left foot facing toward the side of your Yoga mat at a 45-degree angle. 

With your next inhale, raise your arms over your head and press your palms together in Prayer Position. As you exhale, bend your right knee to a 90 degree angle, or as far as you can today. Keep your knee and your ankle in a straight line. Do not extend your right knee beyond the line of your ankle. Gaze up at your outstretched hands as you hold Hastagrahe Drishti. Hold this position for three to five complete breaths, and with your next exhale, release the pose and continue through the rest of the poses of the Sun Salutation. Repeat Crescent Lunge Pose on the left side. 

© Copyright 2014 – Virginia Iversen / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Pranayama for States of Inner Peace

By Gopi Rao

Creating inner peace is the beginning of spreading world peace. Many attempts have been made to describe yoga using analogies. While each of these provides some benefit in helping the curious to understand yogic philosophy and methodology, no single analogy can adequately describe the physical and spiritual aspects of this ancient art. In order for a complete understanding of what yoga is - it is necessary to experience it for oneself.

Controlled breathing is a fundamental pillar of the yogic tradition. All yoga styles and postures incorporate breathing to some degree. Additionally some of the most powerful yogic exercises consist of breathing methods alone.

Pranayama is the yogic art of breathing. Through intensive focus on the breath, students of yoga are able to attain deeper meditative and contemplative states. When practicing pranayama, yoga practitioners learn to shut out the world and all of its distractions. Essentially pranayama opens the door to a world without worries or concerns save for concentrating on what is in front of you at the moment.

Gaining a glimpse of such a world is a reward in and of itself. Of course, students of yogic science would hardly practice yoga so eagerly if the only benefits from it came during their exercises. What teaching the mind to focus intently actually does is train the mind to become a far better tool.

Beyond the yoga school, pranayama allows those who practice it to look at the world as it truly is; not how it appears to be. Recognizing that we see the world at most times through the lens of our perception, consider yogic pranayama as a way of cleaning some of the distortion off of this lens.

The human mind is at heart chaotic. The natural instinct when faced with a problem is the fight or flight response. While this split second decision-making served us well in the primitive state, it is far less effective in modern society.

In modern society, the fight or flight reaction is seldom the best way to handle things. Paradoxically, today's society bombards us with more impulses than at any time in history. Simply take a walk outside and you'll easily be able to prove this to yourself.

Yogic methodology recognizes that the human mind is prone to snap decision-making and anxiety. What it also recognizes is that the human mind is infinitely malleable. Given enough time, any mind can be trained to see things in a better way. The beginning of yogic wisdom is controlling the breath.

© Copyright 2013 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

See videos, demonstrations, and lectures related to online yoga teacher certification programs and specialized continuing education courses.

Could Meditation for Kids Reduce Violence?

By Bhavan Kumar

Many people have begun to wonder how we can reduce violence among young people. Is there a way to teach kids, especially those who are most at-risk for developing violent tendencies, how to control their outbreaks of negative emotion? The answer is a resounding yes!

Science has long confirmed the benefits of meditation, especially in those with high blood pressure or anxiety. Over the last 10 to 20 years, research has also begun to analyze how meditation affects behavior. One study conducted by Elizabeth Monk-Turner that was published in The Social Science Journal in 2003, for example, notes that college students who meditate have lower instances of drug use and are not as sensitive to negative feedback from others. In June 2011, an article entitled "Meditation Research: The State of the Art in Correctional Settings" was published in the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology; indicating that inmates who were introduced to meditation benefited from decreased recidivism and substance abuse rates while also reporting greater psychological well-being.

As far as the practice relates to young people and violence, the research is also clear. As far back as 1997, M.W. Ashford reports in "Preventing Violence, Preventing War" that meditation programs in schools have been successful at reducing behavior problems, disciplinary infractions, and ultimately, violence. So how does it work?

Meditation and Violence

Meditation is the art of awareness. Many people relate it to some sort of religious experience akin to prayer, but advocates of meditation techniques like Transcendental Meditation liken it to a spiritual experience divorced from faith or dogma or even God. Meditation attempts to transcend or move beyond thought to a place of quiet awareness, which is restful to both body and mind. If you have ever tried to quiet your mind before, you will know how seemingly impossible it is to turn off the fountain of thoughts that seem to spout from nowhere. This is why meditation takes practice and consistency.

The practice of meditation offers benefits in itself. First, the mental struggle involved offers practitioners the discipline of both mind and emotions. Second, it teaches the mind to focus without constant external stimuli, something that this modern age makes almost impossible to do.

It may already be clear how these benefits of meditation help reduce violence in kids. First, meditation equips youth with a quiet place inside their own minds to go when problems or issues that feel overwhelming arise. Second, the practice of meditation relaxes the body while quieting the body, allowing kids to feel happier and more in control of themselves.

With high rates of juvenile violence still such a problem, engaging more kids in the practice of meditation might actually change lives by creating a positive atmosphere for youth to grow and learn and, eventually, achieve awareness.

© Copyright 2013 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

See videos, demonstrations, and lectures related to meditation and yoga instructor training intensive programs and specialized continuing education programs.

The Practice of Yoga and the Cultivation of Forgiveness

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

The practice of Yoga goes far beyond simple physical exercises. The term “Yoga” is literally translated to mean union or yoke to the divine. In order to become one with the divine energy that pulsates through all of creation, we must go through a process of releasing and purifying the heavy, negative emotions that can naturally accumulate over time through difficult life experiences. As we let go of negative thought patterns and behaviors that keep us separated from the wonderment and joy of life, we will be able to embody and radiate peace, contentment and fullness to those around us. 

One of the primary stumbling blocks that prevent many of us from experiencing the love and joy of the divine presence in our own beings is an inability to forgive both ourselves and others for transgressions of many sizes and degrees. When we hold onto negative life experiences, we frequently embed these experiences somatically in our bodies. If we keep rehashing the same event over and over again in our minds, we will keep recreating the same negative emotional states, such as anxiety and anger that were the hallmark of the original experience. 

On one hand, thinking about the experience over and over again gives us the opportunity to possibly find the key error that may have created an unpleasant situation. More likely than not, repetitively analyzing the situation only keeps us in the same loop and lodges the negative emotional states associated with the event more deeply into our body and mind, creating a lot of muscular tension and stress. Yoga poses that help to release deeply held tension, reduce anger, and relieve anxiety will allow us to move out of the denseness of a painful and upsetting experience. 

Yoga poses that are particularly effective for releasing tension from unresolved emotional experiences include heart-opening backbends, twisting poses, hip opening poses and a variety of standing asanas. In addition, incorporating Bhastrika and Ujjayi Pranayama techniques into your Yoga practice will help to relieve anxiety, reduce anger and balance your parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. These breathing exercises will also help to free you from the repetitive cycle of negative thoughts and beliefs. As you release and resolve painful issues in your life, a new found freedom and ease will allow joy to naturally arise from within, bringing you closer and closer to the experience of expansive oneness with the divine energy that pulsates in your own heart.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

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Yoga for Raising Peaceful Children

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Whether they are passing state-mandated tests, making honor rolls, or coping with class bullies, children do not have carefree lives; nor do they always have good role models. Raising peaceful kids in a chaotic world is not easy, but teaching them how to cope with stress gives them a running start.

We have all heard the saying “it takes a village.” Research shows that Yoga studios can be integral parts of that village. Not only does the practice of Yoga help children feel better about their own bodies, but it helps them to respect and get along with others, too. Belonging to a community builds empathy and increases feelings of connectedness, lowering anxiety and depression for all generations.

The earlier we learn the rules to healthy living, the less conflict we have as children or adults. Imagine not having to “unlearn” the bad habits we acquired during our younger years, not to mention the psychological and physical benefits of the early training.

While parenting theories change, some truths are absolute. The way we see the world and treat other people determines the quality of our lives. Negative thoughts create anger, fear, and isolation.  At the same time, good deeds and positive thinking lead to happy hearts and minds.

Yoga and Peaceful Children

It is hard enough to remain calm and centered in our busy world, with time for children's soccer schedules and homework competing against each other. Add to this, it is difficult for busy parents to be completely present for others.  As children grow, there comes a time when children are more likely to listen to someone else. What better person for the role than a competent Yoga teacher?

Yoga teaches kindness, patience, and service, while honoring individual traditions and personal beliefs. In a world where competition and acquisition are commonplace, Yogic philosophy encourages cooperation, service, builds self-esteem, self-care, and contemplation. The ability to persevere, to live a balanced life or to look inward is something most of us take decades to learn.

Yoga’s health benefits are obvious, but they also spill over into other areas of children’s lives. Kids who are happy and healthy have fewer behavioral problems, learn more easily, and exhibit stronger social skills.

There is an old Native American belief that the actions of one generation affect the next seven generations. If so, childhood Yoga lessons have the potential to change the future in a positive way for generations to come.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!

Yoga for World Peace: A Pipe Dream?

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

My grandfather used to say: If you want to cheer up, take a break from watching the news. In those days, television had two channels to watch and both of them carried the news at the same time.  However, he did succeed in getting us to play outside.  Nevertheless, the news is often filled with shamefully violent tales.

Ancient Vedic scriptures tell us that the world is our family. Great teachers and philosophers still agree, and some scientists admit there is evidence to support the claim. Why then is the world filled with such animosity and strife? What can we do about it? Great teachings share central themes of compassion, love, and connection, but we can't seem to agree on how to achieve these goals. In fact, the controversy often leads to animosity and violence. Are our intentions so different from those with whom we disagree, or do we see new ideas as threats to our own belief systems?

Yoga science provides a comprehensive path to changing the things we can and making peace with those we cannot. Through breathing, poses, and meditation, we learn to accept our limitations and care for our spiritual, emotional and physical needs. When we know who we are, we become more tolerant of others. When we become more tolerant of others, our lives become more peaceful. When our lives collectively become more peaceful, so do our community, our country, and our world.

Research shows that groups of people with positive intentions can produce states of coherence that increase compassion, reduce violence and create feelings of oneness. The Global Coherence Initiative, using sensors to measure the effect of widespread emotions on the earth's magnetic field, found that empathy and compassion increased globally after the 9/11 tragedy. The organization now coordinates events that allow participants to join together in an effort to promote world peace.

A recent news story shows how we are all connected. Lawrence Anthony, known as the elephant whisperer and recognized for saving large numbers of the animals in Thula Thula (a private game reserve in Zululand), died unexpectedly at the age of 61. After his death, two herds of elephants formed a procession that came from miles away to pay their respects to the man they loved.

If animals have the awareness and empathy to honor their protector, imagine what we could accomplish. As anthropologist Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!

Yoga for World Peace

By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

In a peaceful world, diverse societies would recognize and respect the needs, values, and responsibilities of others. People would put their selves in the shoes of others to solve important issues. Men, women, and children would learn how to sacrifice from time to time, in order to do what is best for society as a whole. Conflict has been thriving around the globe since the beginning of time, making world peace seem nearly unattainable. The idea of world peace has to start with each individual. Every person must find an inner peace that allows him or her to feel calm and centered. Every person would need to operate from a place within that is not egocentric, but rather empathetic, loving, and compassionate.

Inner Peace

Those who practice Yoga know that it is a powerful tool for creating inner peace, one individual at a time. Yoga is a tool to release daily stress, worry, and annoyance. It urges you to focus on your body and breathing, as opposed to letting your thoughts run away, creating more stress and worry. The meditative portion of Yoga practice helps you live mindfully, or within the present moment. It helps you be thankful for the little moments in life, that we often let pass by because we are thinking about something in the past or future. When you are thankful and present in the current moment, you are able to bring peace to yourself.

Empathy

As inner peace begins to wash over you, it is much easier to start considering the needs and feelings of others. When you start using empathy to impact the decisions in your life, people start seeing you as a compassionate person. Compassionate people resolve conflicts by putting the needs of others before their own, resulting in a more peaceful situation for everyone. If everyone in the world acted with compassion and empathy, conflicts would be reduced and we would be on the path to world peace.

Encourage Service

Another basic principle of Yoga involves service to others. Helping others while asking for nothing in return makes people feel good on the inside, increases self-confidence, and improves interpersonal relationships. Yoga encourages you to help others in a way that is meaningful to you. When people act in the interest of others, instead of constantly pursuing selfish goals, the world becomes a more peaceful place.

Yoga can indeed bring world peace, if everyone gets on board. Regardless of our differences, if everyone follows a path to total enlightenment, the world will be affected in a positive way.

© Copyright 2012 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

To see our selection of Online Yoga teacher training courses, please visit the following link.

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/store/

FREE Yoga Report. FREE Yoga Newsletter. FREE Yoga Videos. Free Podcasts. Bonus: Free Yoga e-Book, “Yoga in Practice.”

FREE CONTENT: If you are a Yoga Teacher, Yoga studio, blogger, e-zine, or website publisher, and are in need of quality content, please feel free to use my blog entries (articles). Please be sure to reprint each article, as is, including the resource box above. Namaste!