Garudasana (Eagle pose).

Benefits : 

1.Strengthens and stretches the ankles and calves 

2. Stretches the thighs, hips, shoulders, and upper back 

3. Improves concentration 

4. Improves sense of balance

essential change!

Life is change.........

       Every moment brings change.............

                 All is vibration.............

Virbhadrasana II

KUNDALINI RISING!

What exactly is kundalini?
Kundalini is the life force energy that resides in every one of us. Many describe this innate force as the divine serpent that is lying in a coiled state at the base of our spine. It is this primordial kinetic force that enables our subtle body (aka prana) within us to unite with its source. In the tantric texts, kundalini is regarded as the shakti, the goddess energy that is deeply seeking its magnetic power head shiva. When the kundalini shakti is aroused it dances in divine ecstasy and rises to unite with shiva at the top of our crown (sahasrana) chakra. When awakened, this cosmic force pierces through all of your chakras.

A kundalini awakening is said to be an overwhelming cataclysmic experience. What are the different ways in which this cosmic energy can be aroused? 
There are a few ways to ignite this inner energy including the following:

Kundalini Yoga: The combination of kundalini fire breath, physical movements, chanting mantras, bandhas (locks) and mudras (stretching of nadis or energy channels) and kriyas (cleansing techniques) can provoke an awakening.

Kundalini Meditation: The intensity of concentration during meditation and various levels of samadhi (absorbed state of super consciousness) plus the breathing techniques are also ways of arousing your inner energy.

Unconditional Love: Love is the key to an awakening. If we can direct intense, unconditional love to the universe, there will be a powerful and natural shift within. This will eventually lead to an awakening. Bhakti Marga is the path of love and devotion that invokes the power of divine grace. When we experience compassion for fellow beings and are ready to serve on the path of awareness, the force within becomes conducive for an awakening.

Tantric Practices: Most people fail to understand tantra; however it is one the most powerful and quickest ways to awaken the kundalini. Tantra focuses upon the power of purification through mantra sadhana, sacred fire ceremonies, ritual practice and so on. Tantric practices can include sexual (semen and vaginal fluids) and vital energy (ojas) being redirected through the vajrini nadi to the neuron centre of the brain (sahasrara chakra) through advanced techniques of vajroli and sahajoli mudra.

Kundalini Shaktipat: An experienced awakened being can transfer energy to a seeker via shaktipat. This energy transfer which is a gift of consciousness (called grace or kripa) may come in a single, large burst, although more often it comes in smaller experiences along the way.

Why does this life force energy lie latent in many of us throughout our lifetimes?

There is much deeper insight to this. A healthy newborn baby is 5000 Hz in frequency. The fontanel (the soft spot on the crown of a baby’s head) is open and there is a divine fragrance emanating from it. A newborn is magnetic, primarily because past emotions and drama have not affected the engraved memory pattern in the brain as yet. I have had the privilege of holding many just born babies. And I realised that there was immense flow of prana currents across the body. Till the age of four, babies brain are naturally tuned to operate in ‘delta’ brain waves. There is a causeless joy, stillness and silence, which is an active state of kundalini. However, owing to our evolutionary design and cosmic play of maya, we often fall into lower frequencies of greed, fear, pain, suffering, and negative emotions. We quickly shift from our natural ‘inward’ and ‘upward’ prana flow to ‘outward’ and ‘downward’ pull of evolution. We seek for happiness externally and many of us are driven by desire for material possession and short-term pleasure. This is part of a common trajectory of ignorance of human existence in this planet.

So, are we mostly products of our upbringing and karmic debts?
Our education, culture, lifestyle and religious belief systems have a deep impact upon us. Often we are programmed by political and religious leaders who use subtle (and sometimes less subtle) ways of controlling the general public; it isn’t in their interests for people to awaken their latent inner power of kundalini. More awakened beings means that our current model of a fear based consumerist society will be challenged. Currently, fear based thinking manages to enslave people through a pattern of unconscious ignorance. A vast majority of us are victims of this intense programming of limitations. The good news is that our suffering along the way is actually a blossoming process in disguise which then enables us to potentially evolve and understand the bigger cosmic picture at play.

via: Dr Pradeep Ullal

Bedtime Yoga Routine

Having trouble drifting off? Want to have more structure in your bedtime rituals? A nice nightly yoga routine might be just what the doctor ordered for you!

If you're interested in easing into yoga, this is a good place to start, as it's a gentle and relaxing yoga flow that contains only basic moves you can practice, with the purpose of sleep in mind.

Unlike cardio, yoga can be done right before bed. Cardio gets the adrenaline and heart pounding, which is conducive to tuckering you out but also gets your systems raring. On the other hand, a simple, easy yoga flow like this one, recommended by yoga guru Tara Stiles herself, can burn off a little excess energy as well as soothe you for sleep.

Plus, yoga is one of the greatest busters of stress, which can be a big reason most of us lie awake at night staring at the ceiling. Yoga helps us find our center, calms our minds and relaxes our bodies with just the right amount of exertion.

Tara suggests this be the last thing you do before closing your eyes for the night. Give it a try and see what works best for you. Maybe the meditation part is what resonates with you; try elongating the allotted time you spend on this instead of the full yoga flow. The point is to get yourself ready for rest, not work out.

Short Meditation

Sit up in bed comfortably, either with your legs folded or straight in front of you; whatever you can do with the most ease. Sit up and lean slightly back on your pillows or backboard. Close your eyes and rest your hands on your thighs and just breathe here for a few minutes. You can try a more serious, guided meditation like "Yogic Sleep" or just use it as a time to do nothing but breathe.

Savasana

Extend both legs out straight into a savasana position. Rest here for a while. If you feel yourself drifting off, great! Your work is done and you can drift off to sleep.

Knee Hug

Hug both knees into your chest and rock slowly side to side on your back. Let your whole back relax into your bed.

Star Shape Twist

Extend your leg that is twisted over and reach with that foot out to the diagonal. Reach with your opposite hand to the opposite diagonal. Look towards your hand. This is a really nice twist. Try the other side.

Bend Knee Lying Down Twist

Bend your knee back into your chest and twist your leg across your body. Turn your head in the opposite direction and bring your arms out to a T shape. Make sure to do the other side.

Half Happy Baby

Bend your knee again and flex your foot to face the ceiling. Grab the outside of your foot with the same arm as foot and bend your knee towards your armpit. You can also do this with both feet at the same time.

Hamstring Stretch

Extend your leg straight up to the ceiling. Grab behind your knee or closer to your ankle. Keep the leg straight and slowly start to bring it closer to your head on each exhale. Try the other side. Remember to stay gentle with these stretches--almost like you are half-doing them. This will help you drop any tension left in your body before bed.

Lying Down Knee to Chest

Roll back down on your back and rest your head on your pillow. Bring one knee into your chest and grab your shin to pull it closer to you. Breathe here for a few breaths. This lengthens your extended leg and loosens up your hip. Switch legs and do the other side.

You can also do a Knee Hug by hugging both knees into your chest and rocking slowly side to side on your back.

Legs Extended Forward Bend Round Back

Keep your legs extended out in front of you and round your back gently over your legs. This is a nice stretch along your spine.

Legs Extended Forward Bend Flat Back

Slowly start to straighten your legs in front of you. You can keep your knees bent slightly since we are working towards sleep here instead of the power yoga move of the day. Reach towards your feet with your knees bent and keep your back flat. Bend your knees as much as you need to keep your back flat. This is a really nice hamstring stretch.

Easy Forward Bend

Keep your seated position and gently bend forward at your hips and let your hands stretch out straight in front of you on the bed. This will feel good in your hips and your whole back.

Seated Twists

Stay in your seated position and twist around to the back of your bed. If you have a backboard you can grab onto that to help your twist. Breathe into the twist for a few breaths and then try the other side.

Sleep

Now for the piece de resistance! The best yoga position: sleep. Roll over on to your side and enjoy your night of rest.

Utkatasana / Chair Pose.

Yoga for Core!

Kurmasana / Turtle Pose.

Benefits : 

1.Strengthens the back 

2.Tones the abdominal organs 

3.Encourages flexibility in the hips 

4.Quiets the mind

Uddiyana Bandha!

Yoga @Wall I

kosha!

Yoga @Wall II

Prasarita Padottanasana / Wide-Stance Forward Bend.

Benefits : 

1.Strengthens and stretches the inner and back of the legs

2.Strengthens and stretches the spine 

3.Tones the abdominal muscles 

4.Calms the brain and increases blood flow to upper body 

5.Heals mild backache 

6.Relieves headache 

7.Eliminates fatigue 

8.Helps combat mild depression

Reiki hand positions for self treatment/healing.

Upward Facing Dog!

Teaching Physical Awareness in Yoga Classes!

Teaching Physical Awareness in Yoga Classes

Yoga can be a very emotional and mentally stimulating practice. However, no one can deny that it has a strong physical component as well. Yoga uses every muscle of the body and requires the practitioner to stay focused and engaged physically throughout the class. This is why many teachers focus on addressing physical awareness in their sessions. Physical awareness is not only an important aspect of yoga, but it is also a great way to improve your students’ lives outside of the studio. Increasing the physical awareness of your students can help them improve their yoga practice, increase their pain tolerance, and have a better overall quality of life.

Celebrating the Body

Many people come to yoga with body ideals and expectations. They may be unhappy with their current body, whether it is due to lack of strength, aging, wanting to lose weight, or feeling self-conscious about stretch marks, scars, or other “imperfections”. Yoga class is a wonderful time to celebrate the body, no matter what it looks like or how flexible it is. As a teacher, you can help your students to go beyond the outward physical appearance to find the beauty in their own physical strength and uniqueness. Promoting physical awareness can help students find the worth in their body when it comes to being strong, being flexible, and being healthy, instead of focusing primarily on appearance and beauty ideals. Teaching physical awareness will help your students learn how to love their body, which can have a huge effect on their lives inside and outside of the studio.

Recognizing Pain and Limits

Many people in our busy society push through pain and keep going even through severe fatigue and burnout. The physical signals sent out by the body are ignored. This can lead to illness and injury. Bringing physical awareness to your class can help students learn how to recognize when their body is telling them to take a break. Physical awareness can also help them to recognize the limitations of their physical body, whether it is in a yoga pose or just out in the world. In a time when too many people are out of touch with their bodies, as a yoga instructor, you can help your students find balance between the physical and the mental aspects of their health. A better awareness of the physical body can improve strength, sleep, flexibility, and overall health of your students.

Embracing the Moment

As another side effect of busy, overbooked schedules, people can focus too much on the past and future, and not enough on the present. Your students may arrive to class distracted, anxious, and wound up. Teaching physical awareness can help students to fully enjoy and appreciate the moment and focus on themselves during your class. Your class should be a time where cell phones are put away, work is left at the door, and students are meant to focus solely on themselves and their practice. Teaching this physical awareness will carry over from your class and into the daily lives of your students, enabling them to peace and serenity off the mat.

It is too easy to focus on the mental and emotional aspects of yoga while forgetting about the physical side. However, as a yoga teacher, you should always remember to teach physical awareness in your classes as well. The physical aspect of yoga is just one part of the practice that makes it a balanced choice for both body and mind. Teaching physical awareness to your students will help them to have better balance in the studio, at work, and in every aspect of their lives.

By Sangeetha Saran.© Copyright 2014 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division

Bridge Pose!

Patanjali's 8 Limbs of Yoga!

Save Kidney!

Yoga for Wine Lovers!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxPuyrfHA3o

Yin / Yang Muscles!

Yin / Yang

There is a very important difference between the muscles on the front and inside of your body and the muscles on the back and outside of your body. In TCM, the muscles on the front and inside are called yin and the muscles on the back and outside are called yang. Accumulated dense fascia and scar tissue (ADFST) is characteristically only in the yang muscle groups, except when unusual trauma has occurred. More specifically, there are eight yang muscle meridians and eight yin muscles meridians. Yin is characterized by feminine principles — passive, expansive, leadership, cold, darkness, completion, submission, etc. while yang is characterized by masculine principles — active, contractive, hot, brightness, cooperative, hard, dominance, the sun, etc.

YinYang

Prasarita Padottanasana.

OM symbol explanation.

It's inspiring how such simple ink scratches could have such a grand meaning.

Ganesha Symbolism!

Tree Pose.

A Guide to the Chakras

The Tantrik yogis understood that in order to experience a different life—one that feels more stable, more sublime, and more connected to others—we have to effect change from within. And one of the key ways to alter the inner reality is working with the chakras, the body’s energetic centers.

Chakra literally means “spinning wheel.”  According to the yogic view, chakras are a convergence of energy, thoughts/feelings, and the physical body. Our consciousness (mind) gets projected through these wheels, and this largely determines how we experience reality from our emotional reactions, our desires or aversions, our level of confidence or fear, even the manifestation of physical symptoms.

By working with these centers in yoga practice, we can begin to unravel any blocks that may prevent the unfolding into our highest potential.

Root Chakra (Muladhara) This center is found at the pelvic floor. It is our tap root and our connection to the Earth. It keeps us grounded into embodied reality, physically strong and secure. It holds our instinctual urges around food, sleep, sex, and survival. It is also the realm of our avoidances and fears.  Importantly muladhara holds our most powerful latent potential (Kundalini Shakti). Through yoga and meditation, we begin to breathe life into the sleeping power that sits in our root. Asanas such as Warrior stances, hip-openers, Chair Pose, deep lunges, and squats helps bring our awareness to this center.

Pelvic Chakra (Svadishthana)  This chakra is held in our sacrum. It is our water center, home of the reproductive organs and our desires. When our consciousness moves freely through this area, we access our potential for self-healing and sensual pleasure. When this chakra remains asleep to our consciousness, we may be ruled by our attachments. Similar to the root chakra, asanas such as forward bends, hip-openers, deep lunges, and squats helps us bring our awareness to this center.

Navel Chakra (Manipura)  Located at the navel, this chakra is associated with the digestive system, the element of fire, and individual power and purpose. Think of manipura as your body’s energy power-house, as it holds a vast amount of our physical vitality. When consciousness moves freely in this center, we are empowered by the energy of transformation. When this area is blocked, we may experience imbalances associated with aggressive ambition, heightened ego, and the pursuit of personal power. Twists are the asanas par excellence for purifying and healing manipura.

Heart Chakra (Anahata) At the center of the chest, the heart chakra is said, in the Himalayan Tantric tradition, to be the most powerful center of all, the very “seat of the soul.” Associated with the lungs and the element of air, we can imagine the heart as the meeting ground for the vast spectrum of our human emotional experience. The heart has the capacity to radiate the highest aspects of the human being: compassion, unconditional love and total faith in the Divine. But it also has the capacity to radiate our deepest feelings of insecurity, disappointment, loneliness and despair. To bring more light into the chakra of the heart, work with pranayama, heart-centric meditation, and heart-felt prayer. Backbends will also help open the energetic centers of the heart.

Throat Chakra (Vishuddhi)   The vishuddhi chakra is associated with the element of ether. It is the energetic home of speech and hearing, and the endocrine glands that control metabolism.  On a spiritual level, this chakra is all about expanding our conversation to the Divine. To heal and purify the throat, we can work with chant, Jalandhara Bandha, as well as asanas such as Plow, Camel,Shoulderstand, and Fish Pose.

Third-Eye Chakra (Ajna) d The ajna chakra, or “command center,” is located eyebrow level mid-brain.  It is the meeting point between two important energetic streams in the body, the ida and pingala nadis, and the place where the mind and the body converge. Physically, it is connected to the pituitary gland, growth, and development. When relaxed consciousness flows here, we have more intuition, inner-knowing, and a feeling that we are much more than a physical body. To heal and purify this center, we can practice alternate nostril breathing (nadi shodhana) and meditations focused on this center.

Crown Center (Sahasrara) This chakra is what links us to everything that is beyond our individual ego. It is everything that lies beyond our linear intellect and personal needs, preferences and emotional experiences. It is the gateway and source point into enlightenment.

by Katie Silcox

Ganesha!

Relieve aches, pains and stiffness with oil baths.

Oil bath is a traditional, weekly Ayurvedic home remedy still practiced widely in South India. Shri K. Pattabhi Jois routinely recommends oil bath to his yoga students especially for the relief of back and knee pain as well as stiffness. Weekly oil bath reduces excess internal heat (pitta in Ayurveda) particularly in the joints, liver, and skin. This heat is generated by poor lifestyle, including consumption of oily, processed, and difficult to digest foods, alcohol and tobacco, in addition to stress, air pollution and inadequate sleep. This imbalance increases with the heat generated by yoga practice and hot climate. Eating an over-sufficiency of healthy foods that are deemed "heating" in Ayurvedic terms, also adds to this imbalance.

Excess heat can be felt in the joints as pain and stiffness and in the back, often in the lower right-hand side and hip, as a nearly debilitating pain. This heat also contributes to a short temper, burning anger, red skin, pinkish acne, and redness in the eyes. When a daily ashtanga yoga practitioner still carries extra weight, especially around the middle, has difficulty with weight loss or with digestion, and has a regularly sluggish bowel, these are all signs of surplus heat.

In India, oil bath is customarily taken with castor oil that is later removed from the skin and hair with a special herbal paste made of equal parts soap nut and green powders mixed with water. Castor oil delivers the best results, but is nearly impossible to remove without these powders. Guruji suggests that, after leaving India, the yoga student can replace castor oil with almond oil, which easily washes off with bath soap.

Daily baths in India are taken by pouring water over the head from a bucket while standing in the bath, a river, or other body of water. It is in reference to this bath that oil bath is so termed. In other words, the student is not soaking in a tub of oil; rather he or she is using oil first on the head. Oil is rubbed into the scalp which draws the heat upward through the body, where it finally exits through the crown of the head.

Pattabhi Jois recommends that a student takes oil bath every Saturday (on his or her day of rest or once per week) at the start of the morning. After oil bath, one should rest for the day and avoid the following: strong sun, cold water, yoga or heavy work of any kind. For men, tradition prescribes that oil bath be taken on Monday, Wednesday or Saturday. For women, oil bath is prescribed on Tuesday or Friday; Guruji provides that his female students can take oil bath on the day off, Saturday. A woman should never take oil bath during menstruation, rather, she should take it on the fourth day (following the first three days of menses, during which time she has abstained from yoga practice). If one is not able to take oil bath on a given Saturday, he or she may take it on one of the above appropriately listed days.

Directions for Oil Bath

Note: When using castor oil, first place the bottle in warm water to thin out the oil for easier application.

1. Apply ample amount of oil to your head, rubbing into the scalp and through to the ends of your hair.

2. Leave oil on the head for the allotted time. For your first oil bath, leave the oil on your head for only five minutes. Continue increasing the time weekly by five minute increments until the oil is left on the head for a full two hours (a 6 month process); this is the maximum recommendation. At this juncture, you should practice two hours weekly, not exceeding this time.

Important: Years of accumulated heat should safely be relieved in stages. Therefore, it is essential to carefully follow the time recommendation. Inappropriately increasing the prescribed minutes may lead to a cold, vomiting, chills or diarrhea, all of which are symptoms of too much heat rising too soon.

3. Having completed your allotted time for oil on the head, generously apply oil to the whole body. As you rub oil over your body, take time to rub and massage elbow, knee and shoulder joints, along the spine and into any areas that are chronically sore. You need not apply oil to the face. This step should take an additional five to ten minutes.

4. Take a very hot shower or bucket bath. Let the hot water run over the scalp as you massage the existing oil deeper into the crown. Continue to rub the oily skin focusing on the joints and spine. This is an important step as the hot water opens pores and draws internal heat from the skin and joints. This shower may last five to fifteen minutes.

5. Apply soap and shampoo, or soap nut and green powder mixture to remove oil. After turning off the shower, lather up with soap on the skin and shampoo in the hair to remove almond oil. If castor oil is used, then apply soap nut and green powder mixture rubbing the paste over the whole body and through the hair and scalp. Be careful and avoid getting soap nut powder, dry or wet, in the eyes or nose, as it will cause a burning sensation. As you rub the paste over the skin, it will turn from dark to light green which indicates that the oil is being absorbed.

To make the paste, in a large bowl mix equal parts soap nut powder and green powder with enough water to create a paste with a honey-like consistency. Soap nut is active in absorbing the castor oil and can make the skin feel very dry. Green powder leaves the skin and hair feeling soft and smooth.

6. Take a second shower or bucket bath to remove oil and lather or special paste. Take this shower at a warm, comfortable temperature and use enough soap and shampoo to remove the almond oil. If you are washing off soap nut paste and castor oil, be sure to close your eyes when rinsing your hair; you'll probably want to follow up with shampoo. This shower lasts up to ten minutes.

You have successfully completed oil bath.

7. Wash the shower/bath area. The shower floor will be very slippery and the drain may be clogged a bit. Scrub the shower area well to avoid slipping and pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to keep it open. If you have used soap nut paste, you may be faced with a muddy mess. Clean all surfaces and be sure to pour boiling water down the drain.

8. Rest over the next few hours, avoiding hard work, strong sun and swimming in or drinking cold water. For the daily ashtanga practitioner, it is important to take a full day off, allowing the body and mind to rest and rejuvenate for the coming week of practice, study, work and family life.

If the desired results of oil bath are not felt at first, don't give up. Continue to include this time-honored treatment in your weekly schedule and be confident in the radiant health benefits it bestows.

By Kimberly Flynn Williams.

Vinyasa: “O Yogi, Do Not Do Asana Without Vinyasa.”

“To begin the practice of yoga, an aspirant should first do the Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutations), and then proceed to the asanas. The Surya Namaskara and the asanas must be practiced in the correct sequence and follow the method of vinyasa. If they are not, or the movement of rechaka and puraka is neglected, no part of the body will become strong, the subtle nadir will not be purified, and, owing to the resulting imbalance, the body, sense organs, mind, and intellect will not develop. They may even become further imbalanced. 

If the asanas and the Surya Namaskara are to be practiced, they must be done so in accordance with the prescribed vinyasa method only. As the sage Vamana says, ‘Vina vinyasa yogena asanadin na karayet (O yogi, do not do asana without vinyasa).’ When yoga is practiced with a knowledge of its proper method, it is quite easy to learn, but practiced without such knowledge, it becomes a very difficult undertaking, Therefore, aspirants should not forget to learn the method of vinyasa, as well as of rechaka and puraka, and to follow it in their practice.”

~ From Yoga Mala (Sri K.Pattabhi Jois)

“Vinyasa” means breath-synchronized movement or the marriage between the breath and the movement. By practicing the vinyasa system, an intense internal heat is produced that purifies muscles and organs, expelling unwanted toxins, and increases the circulation. The balance between breath and movement eventually brings balance to the practice, creates a balance of strength and flexibility, and encourages the practice to become a moving meditation. The vinyasa is carried out after nearly every asana during the practice and aside from bringing balance to the body and mind, it brings the body back to a neutral position before starting the next posture. The vinyasa always begins and ends the journey, wiping the slate clean to begin again.

The Oil Bath: An Ayurvedic Home Remedy.

Oil bath is a traditional, weekly Ayurvedic home remedy still practiced widely in India.

Shri K. Pattabhi Jois routinely recommends oil bath to his yoga students especially for the relief of back and knee pain as well as stiffness. Weekly oil bath reduces excess internal heat (pitta in Ayurveda) particularly in the joints, liver and skin. This heat is generated by poor lifestyle, including consumption of oily, processed and difficult to digest foods, alcohol and tobacco, in addition to stress, air pollution and inadequate sleep. This imbalance increases with the heat generated by yoga practice and hot climate. Eating an over-sufficiency of healthy foods that are deemed “heating” in Ayurvedic terms, also adds to this imbalance.

Sun Salutation!

The Anatomy of an Aura

Auras: whether you think of them as a mysterious field of energy surrounding the human body or just a pretty, colorful mental picture, there’s a lot more to the aura than meets the eye (or doesn’t). Did you know that the aura actually breaks down into separate, distinct layers?

There are seven of them, to be exact. Seven, like the number of chakras? Exactly right! Each layer corresponds to a chakra and has its own qualities and characteristics. Each also has a tie and effect on the other. Together, they blend to form the total aura that you can learn to see for yourself, with much practice and patience.

Thanks to Psychics Universe, we can look at the breakdown of the seven layers, and gain a further understanding into how the energy in and around the human body affects us.

Take a look at the diagram to see a basic understanding of what each layer looks like, as well!

1. The Etheric Layer

This is the first layer closest to your physical body. It emanates from the root or first chakra and forms the connection between your physical and higher bodies. It extends anywhere from one quarter inch to two inches outside the physical body. This layer can indicate potential diseases that will develop in the physical body.

2. The Emotional Layer

This layer corresponds to the solar plexus chakra and resides about one to three inches away from the body. As the name implies, this is where your emotions come into play. How you feel or perceive to be your feelings will show up on this layer. Any blocks or negative emotions will be seen here, usually as holes or dark spots.

3. The Mental Layer

As this name implies, the third layer relates to the solar plexus chakra and is dependent upon the vibrations or your thoughts and mental processes. It extends about three to eight inches away from the body.

This layer is also influenced by your ego and will power. If you have any self-doubts or limiting beliefs, they will show up here. Likewise if you are confused or lack mental clarity, this layer will be out of balance.

4. The Astral Layer

The astral layer relates to the heart or fourth chakra and is located about twelve inches from the physical body. This layer brings together the lower three and the higher three auric layers, acting as a bridge between the denser physical vibrations and the higher spiritual ones. It is also called the astral body or the entrance to the astral plane.

This is considered the layer of love. Here we understand and express our feelings and relationships with others. Although the second layer pertains to emotions, the fourth gets into the higher octaves of care and compassion. Negative expressions can result in judgments and attacks on the self and others, also known as “hardening your heart.”

5. The Manifestation Layer or Etheric Template

This layer corresponds to the throat or fifth chakra and extends about eighteen inches from the physical body. Here is where you manifest things out of ether into the world. It is the blueprint for everything you create on the physical plane, including your identity or personality.

Negative effects can result in changes on this layer that eventually show up as negative thoughts, emotions, physical disease and distorted personality aspects.

6. The Hologramatic or Celestial Layer

The third eye or sixth chakra corresponds with this layer, approximately twenty-four inches away from the physical body. Your perception and intuition are highlighted here.

Projections and illusions can be understood or distorted based on positive or negative vibrations. It has been said that we exist in a hologram—how you perceive it depends on your consciousness and connection with the divine.

7. The I Am Layer or Ketheric Template

The seventh and final layer is associated with the crown chakra, our ultimate connection with all that is. While the sixth layer is also higher consciousness, the seventh represents unity consciousness—the point where you and the Universe become one. It extends about three feet away from the body.

Negative expressions on this level result in feelings of superiority, isolation and separation from God, others and even the self. Conversely, divine expression will result in true bliss and serenity.

Beginning Yoga: Where to Start?

So you’ve never set foot on a yoga mat, have no clue what an asana is and think that bikram is the name of a yoga clothing company. Never fear, we’ve all been there at some point! You have to start somewhere, so start with this fantastic infographic from Health Central!

Yoga has all kinds of benefits, from mental health to bodily wellness. Just a few of the great reasons to start a regular practice are listed on the chart. Plus, you can get a sense for the style of yoga you’d like to commit to trying. Don’t be afraid to experiment, however! Try as many forms as you like, and decide which resonate with you. Yoga is a very personal journey, so take charge and make it your own.

Still a little nervous to head off to a yoga class? In addition to this wealth of information, you can dip your toes in the water, so to speak, and try a few of these beginning videos with some of our favorite teachers to get a feel for what a class will feel like.

Just Chill!!!)))

seeing things....

yoga poses!

rumi!

Spine n Hip Opener Cont....

Why Sex Should Be Treated As A Spiritual Practice.

Mention the word sex and eyes widen and ears perk up. The strong reaction the subject arouses reflects the spicy nature of sexual energy. We may be at the gym feeling tired and depleted, but if someone we find attractive starts working out next to us, our energy level is suddenly boosted. That energetic intensification represents the activation of our Lower Dantian (energy center below the navel), which holds our sexual energy in reserve.

Pure sexual energy is as unstable as dynamite and just as explosive. It can transport us to sublime states of bliss and delight, or cast us into the darkest pits of anguish, terror, and depravity. The volatile and wild nature of sexual energy convinced some religious traditions to view it as an impediment to spiritual development, and to some degree this belief still continues to perpetuate in the popular imagination because of the confusion, heartache, and pain that sexual intimacy can cause.

To demonstrate this, rank the following three words from the most to the least spiritual: wisdom, love, sex. If we took a poll, the top position might be a tossup between wisdom and love, but without a doubt sex would rank last on the list. No one questions the connection between spirituality and love or spirituality and wisdom. But the link between spirituality and sexuality is a harder sell.

From the Qigong perspective, however, the notion that sexuality and spirituality are antithetical is misguided, because sexual energy forms one of the cornerstones of happiness. If we ever hope to secure long-lasting happiness in a loving relationship, we must heal our socially conditioned distortions about sexuality. We must erase the invisible line we draw with our minds around our beltlines, above which lies the greater part of human nature and below which lies the lesser. In essence, we must spiritualize sex.

But how do we redeem sexuality and elevate it to the spiritual status it deserves? How do we reconcile the square of sex with the circle of spirit when sexual pleasure is often responsible for so much shame, trauma, and pain? One place to begin searching for an answer to these questions lies in identifying the fundamental, seemingly irreconcilable differences between male and female sexuality. Those differences swiftly become apparent in the bedroom.

Stereotypically, male sexual energy flares up and is exhausted quickly, like a match, while female sexual energy boils slowly and remains hot for a long time, like a pot of boiling water. These different tempos are a source of shame for men who climax too fast and frustration for women who may not climax at all. This problem is then compounded by the notorious fact that when male sexual energy is activated men often become emotionally unavailable, and the other notorious fact that the female sexual experience is often laden with sentimentalism that men normally can’t relate to.

Obviously, we can’t alter our sexual instincts. What we can do, however, is use spiritual practice to overcome the limitations imposed by nature on our sexuality. In fact, we can transform the inherent mismatch between male and female sexuality into an incredible opportunity for spiritual growth.

Let’s begin by considering the way Qigong can help a man harness his sexual energy. When male sexual energy is aroused, it intensifies locally around the genitals and quickly flows out of the body. That is the natural pattern of male sexual energy. But men can learn to reverse that flow and direct their sexual essence upward, toward the Middle Dantian (energy center at located at the heart level). By doing so, a man accomplishes two goals. First, he diminishes the urge to ejaculate, and second, as sexual energy rises to his heart, passion blends with love and tenderness. A man who masters this skill is able to prolong intercourse indefinitely and deepen his emotional connection during lovemaking.

When female sexual energy is aroused, it naturally flows inward and upward from the genitals toward the heart. Stimulation of the breasts further activates the Middle Dantian (energy center at located at the heart level) and reinforces an emotional response. Unlike men, women don’t need to practice Qigong to integrate their sexual vitality with their love. These qualities mingle naturally, and in this respect, female sexuality is inherently more integrated.

But through spiritual practice both women and men can learn to integrate their sexual energy to even higher levels. Sexual vitality can be directed upward from the heart to the top of the head, where it becomes infused with the blissful quality of sacredness. And from there, sexual vitality can be circulated through the Central Meridian Meridian (the energy channel that unifies the three main energy centers — the Dantians) into the sky, where it is experienced as heavenly ecstasy.

Sexuality that centers on the genitals and the Lower Dantian (energy center below the navel) corresponds to passionate sex. Sexuality that integrates the sexual vitality of the Lower Dantian with the heart-centered energy of the Middle Dantian corresponds to intense lovemaking. Sexuality that integrates all three dantians corresponds to blissful sacred love. And sexuality that integrates the all three dantians and the Central Meridian corresponds to cosmic ecstasy.

Cosmic ecstasy is vastly more intense, pleasurable, and meaningful than even the most passionate sex. Comparing the two is like contrasting a bathtub with the ocean.

There is no surer way to bring long-lasting happiness into an intimate relationship than to ground it in enduring bliss.

Adapted from The Master Key: Qigong Secrets for Vitality, Love, and Wisdom by Robert Peng. Copyright © 2013 by Robert Peng. Published by Sounds True.

~DREAM-YOGA & THE SEXUAL FIRE~

Does our sexual energy play a role in sleep & our states of consciousness while dreaming? Indeed yes!

As our sexual energy is the foundation to all of our psychological, emotional & physical states of well-being, & or otherwise, it is very vital that we know how to wisely manage such a force.

Our dreams reveal unto us the reality of our falsity.

All of our mis-perceptions, delusional projections, & limitations that we identify with flash upon the screen of the mind without hesitation as we slumber.

If we seek to transform ourselves, then we can take the opportunity that dreams have to offer to study ourselves & clearly see what it is within us that requires change. This implies wakefulness of the consciousness, while the body rests in bed.

Yet before you can awaken in the dream world, you must awaken here & now... Dreaming is for those who sleep.

Perhaps you're dreaming now with your "eyes wide shut" as you peruse & scroll along in cyberspace..?- which is none other than the shared dream of this modern humanity...

What do you observe right now within yourself that sincerely needs to change? How is your sexual energy expressing itself in the waking & dreaming states?

Dream-Yoga is one of the Six Yogas of Niguma & Naropa.

Dream-Yoga is a term that means to Unite the (Awakened) Consciousness with the process of dreaming, so as to remain vigil in the internal worlds while the physical body snores in bed.

The Consciousness is awakened by simultaneously applying the 3 Factors:
1. Mystical Death (Purification of the Ego)
2. Mystical Birth (Birth of the Soul through Sexual Alchemy)
3. Altruistic Love for all Beings (Cognizant Love through Comprehending Selflessness)

In the Six Yogas we find the Yoga of the Inner Fire (Tummo), which is none other than the Serpent of Fire~ Kundalini~.
Everyone of the Yogas is powered by the cultivation & mastery of the Inner Fire, & this is accomplished by practicing Transorgasmic Sex.

The Science of Transorgasmic Sex (TOS) produces wakefulness within the consciousness, thus allowing one to transverse the inner realms with ease & grace. The Serpent of Fire is the Key to all siddhis (psychic powers), therefore we offer cult to the Fire through TOS.

The acquisition of siddhis should never be motivated by the ego or personality. In fact, siddhis are only good for the comprehension & dissolution of the ego & false-personality!

The only reason why the Divine Mother Kundalini would provide precious siddhis is for the purpose of outwitting the clever "I", the so-called "myself". The Awakened State allows us to stay one step ahead of the "I", & to deeply study it's awkward & imposing behaviors, all of which keeps the consciousness in slumber.

In fact, the greatest of all siddhis is the dissolution of the "I". Before we can dissolve the "I", we must acquire in depth comprehension of it. Then we offer it to the fire of Devi-Kundalini during the sacred sexual rites of TOS. It is stated in the the mysteries of Esoteric Sexology that She will only dissolve an ego that has been thoroughly comprehended. The secret of comprehension is that we extract a portion of soul-essence that's been trapped in such ego, & the Mother doesn't want to destroy that, only the Klipoth (the empty shell) of the "I".

This is why we employ the sadhana of Dream-Yoga.
With awakened consciousness we can study & comprehend the false "I" while the physical sleeps, & thus speedily reach unto the Shore of Liberation.

If you long to awaken your consciousness, practice Transorgasmic Sexuality; this is the Swift Path of Awakening in one lifetime, for the loving benefit of all living beings .

Blessed be Love!

Blessed are the beings who adore each other!
via Xolah Locia.