Hello Everyone!
I have just returned from an exciting trip to Mumbai. I had some much needed quality time with my parents and extended family. Late night chats, early morning family yoga sessions, serendipitous encounters on the plane and teaching under privileged children some important yoga tools were some of my activities during this trip. I also conducted 2 wonderful interviews with some globally renowned yoga masters (I shall elaborate on this soon). This adventure was a beautiful mix of gratitude, excitement and hope. I have returned home with cherished memories. With the Christmas season coming up I saw many people at the airport, some brimming with energy, travelling to be with family and others who looked plain exhausted, pardon the pun! This is known as the season of goodwill and I feel it is important to remind ourselves that it should be a season of humility, togetherness and grounding ourselves. In the weeks leading up to Christmas many of us find ourselves in a frenzy of trying to “get ready for Christmas.” The beauty is in finding stillness amidst this feverish pace. I have two simple exercises to share with you which I hope you will find helpful. One, that will help to calm you down and the other to provide you energy and vitality to move forward. Have you ever wondered why you have two nostrils instead of one big one? Our body is a finely tuned machine operating on positive and negative electrical currents. In the ancient science of Kundalini Yoga, we are taught that there are two energies called Ida and Pingala that intertwine up the sides of the spine and that unite to form the Sushmana or the central channel. The Ida energy, on the left, is the moon energy: reflective, calming, cooling and female. The right is Pingala and has the energy of the sun: bright, fiery, awakening and male. Watch the video for a demonstration of right nostril and left nostril breathing. Please do try these exercises and I can promise, when done on a regular basis they will give you the energy or calmness that you are looking for. Doing is believing.... Yogi Bhajan
1 Comment
It is so easy to forget one of the most important expressions of life.
Gratitude. A simple thank you for the blessings we have. I’d like to share a true story of how gratitude changed a woman from a state of miserable unhappiness to realisation with one short conversation. At the hospital where my daughter was being treated, a woman walked into the ward and I noticed the sudden whisperings and sly glances amongst the nurses. Curious, I enquired why the staff seemed so excited. “She is the lady who came by yesterday and spoke to the patient in room 21!” Mrs. Anderson was the patient in room 21 and had been suffering with a long bout of depression. She had been receiving treatment for this with little success. However, a single conversation with this remarkable guest seemed to have cured her and she happily discharged herself from the hospital. “What did you say to Mrs. Anderson?” the nurses asked this anonymous lady. "All the medical treatment and consultations we gave her did nothing and yet you had such a profound effect on her that she felt ready to leave the hospital.” The lady smiled and calmly replied, “I simply asked her to list all the things she was grateful for in her life. At first, Mrs. Anderson was cynical and refused to budge. She was determined to focus on her problems." “Me and grateful? My life is a dark cloud, I am burdened with worries and depression has kept me here for a month!” "I reminded her of all the simple things we take for granted. A kind smile from a stranger, a hot cup of tea, a warm hug, our body that helps us to perform every little task, eyes that we can see with, ears that help us connect with the sound of nature, fresh air and most importantly our breath which is in fact, something we never acknowledge. The truth is that we exist because of our breath.” The anonymous lady was an angel that day, reminding us that gratitude is a powerful prayer; a potent medicine to help with our troubles. We need to express gratitude and count our blessings however small we deem them to be. Focus on abundance rather than the sorrows and obstacles we face. When we are thankful we are happy. When we are happy our body and spirit transforms and we are more aligned, grounded and in a position to shift the difficult situations we may be in. Lets join our hands and start walking the path of gratitude. This is a path that leads to a beautiful journey. Time is one of the most precious commodities we have today and yet it poses the biggest hurdle in accomplishing our dreams and maintaining a balanced and purposeful life.
I spoke to friend recently, a naturally talented writer, a doctor, wife and mum of two very young boys. She has amazing dreams and my instinct tells me she has the power and vision to accomplish them …. but she keeps putting things off. “Priya, I know in my soul that I can do this and that I will, but for some reason my goal post changes because I really struggle to find time." Whilst I empathise with her, I also want to see her succeed because I know she has so much to offer. So I have set her a daily absolute practice. Imagine if you had a telephone connection with god, your higher self or any guiding force you feel aligned with. What would you ask for? What problems would you need answers to, what guidance and comfort would you desire? When you commit to spending time every day in silence and connecting with your inner self, you open up a golden channel where you receive the support you need and the energy and calmness to see things through. It’s almost like a spa ritual for the mind, body and soul. Try this simple exercise to connect within. Start your day by sitting in a quiet place; consciously take long deep breaths for 3 minutes, building up the time each day. Stay present in the moment, observe the way you feel with every new inhale and exhale. If your mind wanders gently bring it back and keep your focus on your breath. You will start to feel very calm and centred. Now visualise strong fertile roots which anchor you to the centre of mother earth and a divine golden light within and around you, protecting you. Spread your hands out as if greeting the universe and imagine a peaceful universal light weaving itself with your divine light until it becomes completely united. Feel pulsations of delicate energy re-fuelling you. Take a couple of long, deep breaths and feel yourself being filled with an abundance of love, light and courage. Breathe that feeling into every cell in your body and visualise your body glowing more. Imagine this light extending out into the world. If you have a concern you need guidance with, bring forth that question to your mind and say, “I know I will be guided to the truth, I have the answers within me.” Express gratitude for all that you are blessed with. After this, you can peacefully start your day, there are additional ways you can do this or support it further. Journaling is a great tool. Personally, I find journaling an excellent way to clear the clutter from my mind. Doing this before or after your meditation is a personal choice. I have found that when I stay connected to my true self, I feel aligned, calm and at peace. I am clear about my goals and encouraged to take steps to realise them. Even if I am tired I have a burst of energy and although the mind can get really busy I still feel calm and centred within. I have the clarity to reflect on any issues that I need to work on, allowing suppressed emotions to surface so that I can deal with them with a raised consciousness. This commitment you make to be in touch with the divine will be an immensely powerful force assisting you to live an abundant life. I encourage you all to start today, practicing this every day for 11 days for a minimum of 11 minutes a day. I’d love to hear of any changes that you have noticed. Are you ready to join? Stay connected, stay blessed! ‘to enter your rose garden, your soul first needs to make peace with the thorns”-Rumi
One of the most persistent questions I have been asked is “how did yoga help with the loss of my child?”. Loss of a loved one is one of the most heartbreaking tragedies we will ever endure and yet, every one of us will have to at some point. Happiness and grief go hand in hand and will alternately crisscross our lives. We do not have to feel abandoned in moments of grief. On an average day, our minds are a whirling tornado of thoughts worries and dreams. How many of us sit in silence when eating a meal, acknowledging every bite without our minds drifting off? Multitasking is ingrained into our DNA. Moments of peaceful solitude are treated as a luxury for most. When we sit in silence or allow the mind to be still, we allow space for our dreams,fears and suppressed memories to surface. We start to tune into ourselves. Our fears are our demons, our unfinished dreams cause pain. We need to face these. When we do, the fear melts, we hold up a mirror to ourselves. We begin a conversation with our truest and highest self and then allow the aspiring dreams to take fruition. It is an experience thats serves us, because when we embrace our fears and dreams as equally serving friends, we grow immensely. To do this, we must learn to be still. Yoga and meditation are powerful philosophies that help us recenter, to enable our highest self to guide us and connect with the divine. Our body and mind feel healed and at peace. Every problem by its definition will have a solution. In these moments we can find the solutions. Above all there is a shift. A shift within ourselves which makes our understanding of the world clearer and more aligned with the truth. When we do this we have the capacity and the courage to accept and honourably deal with the lessons that are placed in our path. I could continue to elaborate further, but you must try it first to understand — as they say, to understand the depths of love, you must first experience it. We all have a rose garden within us. Have you done yoga or meditation? Did you feel the stillness? Did you feel calm? I would be delighted to hear your thoughts. |
News & VideosHello. This is where we will be posting regular updates, videos, articles and tips. Categories
All
|