Yoga~*~Meditation~*~Breathing

YOGA

• Yoga, regarded as a divine science of life, originated in India thousands of years ago. The word Yoga itself means 'union', between the individual consciousness or soul and the universal consciousness or spirit. There are many yogic paths that lead to this goal:

  Bhakti Yoga~ Devotion to God. Striving to see and love the divinity in every creature and in everything, thus maintaining an unceasing worship.

  Hatha Yoga~ Originally part of the Raja yoga. A system of physical postures or asanas, whose higher purpose is to purify the body, giving one awareness and control over its internal states and rendering it fit for meditation. Uniting the ha (breath of the sun) with the tha (breath of the moon).

  Karma Yoga~ Selfless service to others as part of one's larger Self. The performance of action without attachment to results. Offering instead, the fruits of these actions to God

  Kriya Yoga~ Advocated and taught by Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of the 'Self-Realization Fellowship'. Kriya is an advanced Raja Yoga technique that reinforces and revitalizes subtle currents of life energy in the body, enabling the normal activities of heart and lungs to slow down naturally. As a result, the consciousness is drawn to a higher levels of perception, gradually bringing about an inner awakening.

  Paramahansa Yogananda was friends with one of my ancestors, Luther Burbank. I am currently a student of Kriya Yoga. If you would like to learn more about the Self-Realization Fellowship you may visit their website by clicking this link.

  Kundalini Yoga~ the dissolving of the universe within the body. It is thought to be very dangerous to practice this without guidance from a guru.

  Jnana Yoga~ Knowledge of God. The path of wisdom, which emphasizes the application of discriminative intelligence to achieve spiritual liberation.

  Mantra Yoga~ centering the consciousness within through japa, or the repetition of certain universal root-word sounds representing a particular aspect of Spirit.

  Raja Yoga~ the royal or highest path of Yoga, formally systematized in the second century B.C. by the Indian sage Patanjali, which combines the essence of all other paths. At the heart of the Raja Yoga system, balancing and unifying these various approaches, is the practice of definite scientific methods of meditation that enable one to perceive, from the very beginning of one's efforts, glimpses of the ultimate goal _ conscious union with the inexhaustibly blissful Spirit.

  The 5 principles of yoga are proper exercise, breathing, relaxation, diet, thinking and meditation. By practicing yoga we can learn to control the stress that we are faced with in today's busy world. Not only physically, but mentally and spiritually also.

  Postures or asanas are designed to exercise, strengthen, increase circulation ,and make more flexible the whole body, muscular and skeletal, as well as the organs, nervous and endocrine system.

  Recently medical studies have proven that certain postures, breathing exercises, and meditation can treat multiple health problems such as arthritis, asthma, heart conditions, blood pressure among others. I myself use yoga to treat, very successfully, chronic back pain from a herniated disc, as well as dealing with the stress I encounter working as a nurse. Anyone can practice yoga regardless of age or physical limitations.

• There is a peace of mind we are all searching for. We may find it sitting in our backyards listen to the birds sing, canoeing down a lazy river, working needlepoint, or what ever we do that draws our attention from life's busy activities, and quiets the mind. By focusing on one thought, all other concerns and worries are forgotten. Unfortunately, this peaceful state only lasts as long as we are involved in these particular activities.

  Meditation takes this concentration a step further. By repeating a mantra or concentrating on breath or a particular scene or symbol, you continue to bring your attention back whenever the mind wanders. With time and practice, you can increase the amount of time in this peaceful state.

  Practicing meditation, even for a short period of time each day, we begin to see how little we live in the present. Our thoughts are mostly governed by emotions, past events and future plans. As we become aware of this, we can learn to change our way of thinking, sort out what is truly important, and gain more control over our emotions.

  Meditation can be used to help us deal with stress, pain, blood pressure, and other health problems, such as insomnia, reducing menopausal hot flashes and reducing cardiovascular risk. There has also been recent studies showing that people who have practiced meditation for 5 years have an average biological age 5 years younger than their chronological age. Those who practiced longer than 5 years averaged a biological age 12 years younger. These studies attribute this mainly to meditations ability to help us deal with stress.

  Relaxation is not the only reason to practice meditation. Meditation can have powerful emotional and spiritual effects, sharpening ones perception, and clear-mindedness, bringing to light compassion and joy.

  There are many ways to practice meditation. The two main types being concentration and mindfulness. In concentration meditation, one focuses on a single mental object. As the mind wanders, one gently brings thoughts back to this object . With mindful meditation, the mind observes itself. One watches thoughts and sensations as they arise.

  Metta (loving kindness) is a form of concentration meditation. By repeating positive phrases, the mind and spirit are more receptive to love, kindness, compassion and even the body responds with good health. An example of such phrases would be "may I be free from all danger and harm,"' "may I be happy and peaceful of mind,"' "may I be healthy and strong of body,'''"may I live with ease of well being". You may modify these phrases to suit your needs. By repeating these phrases silently and slowly we can then direct them to others.

  You can practice mindfulness in all areas of your life. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us how to enjoy even the mundane tasks of life by practicing this form of meditation. He writes if we are really engaged in mindfulness in everything we do, then " we will consider the act of each step we take as an infinite wonder. A joy will open our hearts like a flower, enabling us to enter the world of reality". When sitting quietly a thought may come to mind. Instead of forcing it out I may let in linger and if needed give it consideration. While the mind is relaxed I find it very easy to see clearly what may have been obscured earlier. I highly recommend anyone considering practicing mindful meditation to obtain a copy of Peace is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh. It will change your life, or more importantly, change the way you approach and live your life. I am happy to have the opportunity to participate in a 5 day retreat with this great teacher of peace and meditation. I will write of my experience once I return.

• Breath is life. Yet we pay little to no attention to the importance of breathing correctly. Yogic breathing (paranayama) revitalizes the body by nourishing the central nervous system, establishes bodily and emotional harmony and clears the mind.

  A full yogic breath enlists the 3 basic types, clavicle (shallow), intercostals (middle) and abdominal (deep) breath.

  Most people breathe shallowly, through the mouth and without using their diaphragm. This type of breathing allows only a small amount of oxeye to be taken in which decreases vitality and lowers our resistance to disease.

  Correct breathing involves deep and full inhalation through the nose, expanding the abdomen. As the abdomen expands the diaphragm drops massaging the abdominal organs. Exhalation should last at least as long as inhalation, contracting the abdomen, pushing the diaphragm up, massaging the heart.

  When emotions are high as in anger and fear, breathe is rapid, shallow, and irregular. By controlling your breath you can learn to control your mind and calm your emotions.