Saturday, November 7, 2009
Ho o pono pono
The power to change the world from the inside out.
I wanted to introduce you to this amazing, inspirational concept described in the article below.
Within this article lies the inspiration that forevermore shatters a sense of individual powerlessness. Joe Vitale tells the story of the absolutely amazing Huna practice of Ho’o pono pono of Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. We are powerful agents of change as we learn to utilize the energy of true love and forgiveness.
Two years ago, I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients–without ever seeing any of them. The psychologist would study an inmate’s chart and then look within himself to see how he created that person’s illness. As he improved himself, the patient improved.
When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best self-improvement master cure the criminally insane? It didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t logical, so I dismissed the story.
However, I heard it again a year later. I heard that the therapist had used a Hawaiian healing process called ho ‘o pono pono. I had never heard of it, yet I couldn’t let it leave my mind. If the story was at all true, I had to know more. I had always understood total responsibility to mean that I am responsible for what I think and do. Beyond that, it’s out of my hands. I think that most people think of total responsibility that way.
We’re responsible for what we do, not what anyone else does–but that’s wrong.
The Hawaiian therapist who healed those mentally ill people would teach me an advanced new perspective about total responsibility. His name is Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. We probably spent an hour talking on our first phone call. I asked him to tell me the complete story of his work as a therapist.
He explained that he worked at Hawaii State Hospital for four years. That ward where they kept the criminally insane was dangerous. Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. The staff called in sick a lot or simply quit. People would walk through that ward with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. It was not a pleasant place to live, work, or visit.
Dr. Len told me that he never saw patients. He agreed to have an office and to review their files. While he looked at those files, he would work on himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal.
‘After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed to walk freely,’ he told me. ‘Others who had to be heavily medicated were getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being released were being freed.’ I was in awe. ‘Not only that,’ he went on, ‘but the staff began to enjoy coming to work.
Absenteeism and turnover disappeared. We ended up with more staff than we needed because patients were being released, and all the staff was showing up to work. Today, that ward is closed.’
This is where I had to ask the million dollar question: ‘What were you doing within yourself that caused those people to change?’
‘I was simply healing the part of me that created them,’ he said. I didn’t understand. Dr. Len explained that total responsibility for your life means that everything in your life- simply because it is in your life–is your responsibility. In a literal sense the entire world is your creation.
Whew. This is tough to swallow. Being responsible for what I say or do is one thing. Being responsible for what everyone in my life says or does is quite another. Yet, the truth is this: if you take complete responsibility for your life, then everything you see, hear, taste, touch, or in any way experience is your responsibility because it is in your life. This means that terrorist activity, the president, the economy or anything you experience and don’t like–is up for you to heal. They don’t exist, in a manner of speaking, except as projections from inside you. The problem isn’t with them, it’s with you, and to change them, you have to change you.
I know this is tough to grasp, let alone accept or actually live. Blame is far easier than total responsibility, but as I spoke with Dr. Len, I began to realize that healing for him and in ho ‘o pono pono means loving yourself.
If you want to improve your life, you have to heal your life. If you want to cure anyone, even a mentally ill criminal, you do it by healing you.
I asked Dr. Len how he went about healing himself. What was he doing, exactly, when he looked at those patients’ files?
‘I just kept saying, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’ over and over again,’ he explained.
That’s it?
That’s it.
Turns out that loving yourself is the greatest way to improve yourself, and as you improve yourself, you improve your world.
Let me give you a quick example of how this works: one day, someone sent me an email that upset me. In the past I would have handled it by working on my emotional hot buttons or by trying to reason with the person who sent the nasty message.
This time, I decided to try Dr. Len’s method. I kept silently saying, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you,’ I didn’t say it to anyone in particular. I was simply evoking the spirit of love to heal within me what was creating the outer circumstance.
Within an hour I got an e-mail from the same person. He apologized for his previous message. Keep in mind that I didn’t take any outward action to get that apology. I didn’t even write him back. Yet, by saying ‘I love you,’ I somehow healed within me what was creating him.
I later attended a ho ‘o ponopono workshop run by Dr. Len. He’s now 70 years old, considered a grandfatherly shaman, and is somewhat reclusive.
He praised my book, The Attractor Factor. He told me that as I improve myself, my book’s vibration will raise, and everyone will feel it when they read it. In short, as I improve, my readers will improve.
‘What about the books that are already sold and out there?’ I asked.
‘They aren’t out there,’ he explained, once again blowing my mind with his mystic wisdom. ‘They are still in you.’ In short, there is no out there. It would take a whole book to explain this advanced technique with the depth it deserves.
Suffice It to say that whenever you want to improve anything in your life, there’s only one place to look: inside you. When you look, do it with love.
Joe Vitale
Source:
http://successultranow.com/inspiration/inspiration/hoo-pono-pono-the-power-to-change-the-world-from-the-inside-out/
I wanted to introduce you to this amazing, inspirational concept described in the article below.
Within this article lies the inspiration that forevermore shatters a sense of individual powerlessness. Joe Vitale tells the story of the absolutely amazing Huna practice of Ho’o pono pono of Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. We are powerful agents of change as we learn to utilize the energy of true love and forgiveness.
Two years ago, I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients–without ever seeing any of them. The psychologist would study an inmate’s chart and then look within himself to see how he created that person’s illness. As he improved himself, the patient improved.
When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best self-improvement master cure the criminally insane? It didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t logical, so I dismissed the story.
However, I heard it again a year later. I heard that the therapist had used a Hawaiian healing process called ho ‘o pono pono. I had never heard of it, yet I couldn’t let it leave my mind. If the story was at all true, I had to know more. I had always understood total responsibility to mean that I am responsible for what I think and do. Beyond that, it’s out of my hands. I think that most people think of total responsibility that way.
We’re responsible for what we do, not what anyone else does–but that’s wrong.
The Hawaiian therapist who healed those mentally ill people would teach me an advanced new perspective about total responsibility. His name is Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. We probably spent an hour talking on our first phone call. I asked him to tell me the complete story of his work as a therapist.
He explained that he worked at Hawaii State Hospital for four years. That ward where they kept the criminally insane was dangerous. Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. The staff called in sick a lot or simply quit. People would walk through that ward with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. It was not a pleasant place to live, work, or visit.
Dr. Len told me that he never saw patients. He agreed to have an office and to review their files. While he looked at those files, he would work on himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal.
‘After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed to walk freely,’ he told me. ‘Others who had to be heavily medicated were getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being released were being freed.’ I was in awe. ‘Not only that,’ he went on, ‘but the staff began to enjoy coming to work.
Absenteeism and turnover disappeared. We ended up with more staff than we needed because patients were being released, and all the staff was showing up to work. Today, that ward is closed.’
This is where I had to ask the million dollar question: ‘What were you doing within yourself that caused those people to change?’
‘I was simply healing the part of me that created them,’ he said. I didn’t understand. Dr. Len explained that total responsibility for your life means that everything in your life- simply because it is in your life–is your responsibility. In a literal sense the entire world is your creation.
Whew. This is tough to swallow. Being responsible for what I say or do is one thing. Being responsible for what everyone in my life says or does is quite another. Yet, the truth is this: if you take complete responsibility for your life, then everything you see, hear, taste, touch, or in any way experience is your responsibility because it is in your life. This means that terrorist activity, the president, the economy or anything you experience and don’t like–is up for you to heal. They don’t exist, in a manner of speaking, except as projections from inside you. The problem isn’t with them, it’s with you, and to change them, you have to change you.
I know this is tough to grasp, let alone accept or actually live. Blame is far easier than total responsibility, but as I spoke with Dr. Len, I began to realize that healing for him and in ho ‘o pono pono means loving yourself.
If you want to improve your life, you have to heal your life. If you want to cure anyone, even a mentally ill criminal, you do it by healing you.
I asked Dr. Len how he went about healing himself. What was he doing, exactly, when he looked at those patients’ files?
‘I just kept saying, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’ over and over again,’ he explained.
That’s it?
That’s it.
Turns out that loving yourself is the greatest way to improve yourself, and as you improve yourself, you improve your world.
Let me give you a quick example of how this works: one day, someone sent me an email that upset me. In the past I would have handled it by working on my emotional hot buttons or by trying to reason with the person who sent the nasty message.
This time, I decided to try Dr. Len’s method. I kept silently saying, ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you,’ I didn’t say it to anyone in particular. I was simply evoking the spirit of love to heal within me what was creating the outer circumstance.
Within an hour I got an e-mail from the same person. He apologized for his previous message. Keep in mind that I didn’t take any outward action to get that apology. I didn’t even write him back. Yet, by saying ‘I love you,’ I somehow healed within me what was creating him.
I later attended a ho ‘o ponopono workshop run by Dr. Len. He’s now 70 years old, considered a grandfatherly shaman, and is somewhat reclusive.
He praised my book, The Attractor Factor. He told me that as I improve myself, my book’s vibration will raise, and everyone will feel it when they read it. In short, as I improve, my readers will improve.
‘What about the books that are already sold and out there?’ I asked.
‘They aren’t out there,’ he explained, once again blowing my mind with his mystic wisdom. ‘They are still in you.’ In short, there is no out there. It would take a whole book to explain this advanced technique with the depth it deserves.
Suffice It to say that whenever you want to improve anything in your life, there’s only one place to look: inside you. When you look, do it with love.
Joe Vitale
Source:
http://successultranow.com/inspiration/inspiration/hoo-pono-pono-the-power-to-change-the-world-from-the-inside-out/
Labels: healing, ho o pono pono, inspiration
Friday, August 15, 2008
EFT Simplified
Part I
This is a one-of-a-kind healing technique that I came across quite by accident. Since I started practicing it, it has changed the way I think, feel and even how I interact with life and the outside world in general. Hence I am eager to share what I have learnt through a series of articles…..I will also attempt to share it on a scientific level where I hope to discuss how exactly the body stores information and how our cells are receptors and agents for storing this information…and how we can ultimately reprogram our bodies and minds so that we can work our way to freedom from disease, pain, chaos and catastrophe.
As the name itself suggests, this wellness technique frees the practitioner from negative emotions and memories held by the body for too long. Stuff that you really don’t need but keep anyway, out of ignorance, can be cleared out of your system forever.
Basically, this system works on the premise that when there is a build of negative energy, it upsets the body’s natural state of equilibrium and creates dis-ease. When we experience an intense sadness, for example, and we don’t deal with it right away, then it accumulates within the body and causes physical pain. The Yogis always knew there was a correlation between thoughts and physical feelings. That is to say, every thought has a corresponding sensation on the body. These can be broadly classified as pleasant and unpleasant. However, when there is a burst of negative emotion triggered by traumatic memories, for example, there is also an intense negative sensation on the body. Therefore, the reverse is also equally true. Sometimes, we feel the pain before we remember the event. That is why when we go through intense physical pain and eventually heal, we feel a sense of relief emotionally. It cuts both ways, I guess.
So what exactly is EFT? I quote
“EFT is based on a new discovery regarding the body's subtle energies. Simply stated, it is an emotional version of acupuncture, except needles aren't necessary. Instead, you stimulate well established energy meridian points on your body by tapping on them with your fingertips. The process is easy to memorize and is portable so you can do it anywhere. It launches off the EFT Discovery Statement which says...
"The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."
Gary Craig www.emofree.com
It is my understanding that EFT helps us reprogram the mind and body by cleaning out unwanted memories and feelings so that energy can flow freely and you feel well and happy. It is freedom in the true sense, because you are no more the captive of your negative thoughts and feelings. The technique will slowly help you change the way you think, feel and look at life. Your relationships will improve as will your health, both physical and mental. You can use EFT to kick old habits or deal with addictions that have a limiting effect on you.
EFT works with the body’s acupressure meridians and points by tapping on them and simultaneously inserting affirmations and positive feedback to the self. It has the power to change the way you think and feel about yourself. Your affirmations include total acceptance of the problem, emotion, feeling or pain and working from there on, to releasing and letting go of the issue on hand. From self-acceptance to complete freedom, you can walk the road to wellness and experience deep and lasting joy.
In future postings I will talk more about the technique itself and its applications in many different situations from trauma healing or dealing with illness, old memories that debilitate us or patterns that prevent us from getting what we want out of life, to simple every day issues. I look forward to sharing this amazing method with all of you.
EFT simplified – Part II
Dealing with pain
Please remember that none of these articles are meant to teach you this technique without a teacher being physically present. They are simply meant to assist you in finding techniques that might be the one for your healing work. Also, It is meant to provide insights into how the method is meant to be used, how it can work. I hope you enjoy reading it and find it helpful in your own healing journeys…… But above all, it is meant as a sharing because of how much it has inspired me…..remember also that all this sharing is from someone who is relatively new to the technique, but has, nonetheless had tremendous success using it…
please refer www.emofree.com
As I have already discussed previously, pain can sometimes be a factor of our own emotional baggage. We have to first acknowledge the pain, accept what we are experiencing and work from there. The question that has be asked many times, however, is whether EFT work for emotional healing only and thereby fix the physical and mental pain related to the emotion factor or will it simply fix physical aches and pains as well, whether or not there is an emotional component involved? This question is complex and has no definitive two-plus-two-equals-four answer. However, EFT tapping has tremendous benefits anyway you look at it. One thing is if you practice diligently, then it becomes a mechanism to align your energy on a regular basis and this naturally builds the body’s immunity. If you are picking it up for a particular pain that you have suffered for a long time (like chronic joint pain) its effectiveness will vary, but regularity certain will help thaw whatever is behind those aching bones. It takes patience, dedication and the belief that healing is occurring, slowly, but surely. Then there is pain associated with infections, bacterial or virus and that is when we will have to augment the healing from medicines by using EFT.
Practicing EFT is a multi-dimensional approach to healing. Firstly it involves acceptance of the problem. Once you accept that you have a particular pain, you work on accepting the body and self with the pain – “Even though I have this pain, I completely love and accept myself…….” This is good enough to start with. There are a multitude of phrases that can be used which you will either spontaneously discover as you practice or it will be brought to your attention by other practitioners.
The entire process involves tapping on a set of acupressure points to release any blocks in the flow of energy that is causing disease, pain or an excess of emotion, for example and by inserting affirmations, simultaneously into your body. These affirmations actually come alive when used in combination with tapping (I will go into the biology of thought vibrations and affirmations in my future postings). Remember that accepting yourself and speaking the language of love to your body and mind, is a very liberating practice in itself. Add to this the healing power of affirmations - the effect cannot be discussed, it can only be felt.
After a few rounds of this exercise (I have not attempted to instruct step by step as that is not the aim of this article – it is more an attempt to give you a brief insight into EFT), you will get a hint as to which way you are headed with your healing. Your body will direct you to either stop or to proceed. The body’s intelligence is your best guide in your healing path, so allow yourself to be led by it (it doesn’t matter what method of healing you are following). Do as many rounds as you think you need to and then stop when you feel you have had enough.
Remember that you are clearing out layers of encrusted negative energy and emotion - it often peels off gradually. Give yourself time, work at an even pace and consistently. Now sit with your eyes closed for a few seconds and experience the effects of your practice. Notice your breath, even be with it for a bit. This practice of breath awareness makes you more sensitive to your own thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. The breath is a bridge between your body and mind. Traverse that bridge as frequently as possible so that you get very familiar with the workings of your mind and its manifestations on your body. The breath is key – (http://bindumandalayoga.blogspot.com/2008/07/breathe-your-negative-emotions-away.html). Gradually, as you practice, you will find yourself opening up to the healing and EFT will start to reveal itself to you. Patience is the key. But then, so is persistence.
I have noticed that during any healing therapy that we follow, keeping a journal helps tremendously. It helps uncover many more layers of hidden angst or pain. You can use your dairy as a tool to help yourself become more aware of your own life story that is embedded in your body.
Drink plenty of water. That always helps remove physical toxins that invariably get loosened during healing. The emotional toxins can continuously be eliminated with more EFT and awareness of both breath and the emotion itself, when you are not using EFT.
This is a one-of-a-kind healing technique that I came across quite by accident. Since I started practicing it, it has changed the way I think, feel and even how I interact with life and the outside world in general. Hence I am eager to share what I have learnt through a series of articles…..I will also attempt to share it on a scientific level where I hope to discuss how exactly the body stores information and how our cells are receptors and agents for storing this information…and how we can ultimately reprogram our bodies and minds so that we can work our way to freedom from disease, pain, chaos and catastrophe.
As the name itself suggests, this wellness technique frees the practitioner from negative emotions and memories held by the body for too long. Stuff that you really don’t need but keep anyway, out of ignorance, can be cleared out of your system forever.
Basically, this system works on the premise that when there is a build of negative energy, it upsets the body’s natural state of equilibrium and creates dis-ease. When we experience an intense sadness, for example, and we don’t deal with it right away, then it accumulates within the body and causes physical pain. The Yogis always knew there was a correlation between thoughts and physical feelings. That is to say, every thought has a corresponding sensation on the body. These can be broadly classified as pleasant and unpleasant. However, when there is a burst of negative emotion triggered by traumatic memories, for example, there is also an intense negative sensation on the body. Therefore, the reverse is also equally true. Sometimes, we feel the pain before we remember the event. That is why when we go through intense physical pain and eventually heal, we feel a sense of relief emotionally. It cuts both ways, I guess.
So what exactly is EFT? I quote
“EFT is based on a new discovery regarding the body's subtle energies. Simply stated, it is an emotional version of acupuncture, except needles aren't necessary. Instead, you stimulate well established energy meridian points on your body by tapping on them with your fingertips. The process is easy to memorize and is portable so you can do it anywhere. It launches off the EFT Discovery Statement which says...
"The cause of all negative emotions is a disruption in the body's energy system."
Gary Craig www.emofree.com
It is my understanding that EFT helps us reprogram the mind and body by cleaning out unwanted memories and feelings so that energy can flow freely and you feel well and happy. It is freedom in the true sense, because you are no more the captive of your negative thoughts and feelings. The technique will slowly help you change the way you think, feel and look at life. Your relationships will improve as will your health, both physical and mental. You can use EFT to kick old habits or deal with addictions that have a limiting effect on you.
EFT works with the body’s acupressure meridians and points by tapping on them and simultaneously inserting affirmations and positive feedback to the self. It has the power to change the way you think and feel about yourself. Your affirmations include total acceptance of the problem, emotion, feeling or pain and working from there on, to releasing and letting go of the issue on hand. From self-acceptance to complete freedom, you can walk the road to wellness and experience deep and lasting joy.
In future postings I will talk more about the technique itself and its applications in many different situations from trauma healing or dealing with illness, old memories that debilitate us or patterns that prevent us from getting what we want out of life, to simple every day issues. I look forward to sharing this amazing method with all of you.
EFT simplified – Part II
Dealing with pain
Please remember that none of these articles are meant to teach you this technique without a teacher being physically present. They are simply meant to assist you in finding techniques that might be the one for your healing work. Also, It is meant to provide insights into how the method is meant to be used, how it can work. I hope you enjoy reading it and find it helpful in your own healing journeys…… But above all, it is meant as a sharing because of how much it has inspired me…..remember also that all this sharing is from someone who is relatively new to the technique, but has, nonetheless had tremendous success using it…
please refer www.emofree.com
As I have already discussed previously, pain can sometimes be a factor of our own emotional baggage. We have to first acknowledge the pain, accept what we are experiencing and work from there. The question that has be asked many times, however, is whether EFT work for emotional healing only and thereby fix the physical and mental pain related to the emotion factor or will it simply fix physical aches and pains as well, whether or not there is an emotional component involved? This question is complex and has no definitive two-plus-two-equals-four answer. However, EFT tapping has tremendous benefits anyway you look at it. One thing is if you practice diligently, then it becomes a mechanism to align your energy on a regular basis and this naturally builds the body’s immunity. If you are picking it up for a particular pain that you have suffered for a long time (like chronic joint pain) its effectiveness will vary, but regularity certain will help thaw whatever is behind those aching bones. It takes patience, dedication and the belief that healing is occurring, slowly, but surely. Then there is pain associated with infections, bacterial or virus and that is when we will have to augment the healing from medicines by using EFT.
Practicing EFT is a multi-dimensional approach to healing. Firstly it involves acceptance of the problem. Once you accept that you have a particular pain, you work on accepting the body and self with the pain – “Even though I have this pain, I completely love and accept myself…….” This is good enough to start with. There are a multitude of phrases that can be used which you will either spontaneously discover as you practice or it will be brought to your attention by other practitioners.
The entire process involves tapping on a set of acupressure points to release any blocks in the flow of energy that is causing disease, pain or an excess of emotion, for example and by inserting affirmations, simultaneously into your body. These affirmations actually come alive when used in combination with tapping (I will go into the biology of thought vibrations and affirmations in my future postings). Remember that accepting yourself and speaking the language of love to your body and mind, is a very liberating practice in itself. Add to this the healing power of affirmations - the effect cannot be discussed, it can only be felt.
After a few rounds of this exercise (I have not attempted to instruct step by step as that is not the aim of this article – it is more an attempt to give you a brief insight into EFT), you will get a hint as to which way you are headed with your healing. Your body will direct you to either stop or to proceed. The body’s intelligence is your best guide in your healing path, so allow yourself to be led by it (it doesn’t matter what method of healing you are following). Do as many rounds as you think you need to and then stop when you feel you have had enough.
Remember that you are clearing out layers of encrusted negative energy and emotion - it often peels off gradually. Give yourself time, work at an even pace and consistently. Now sit with your eyes closed for a few seconds and experience the effects of your practice. Notice your breath, even be with it for a bit. This practice of breath awareness makes you more sensitive to your own thoughts, feelings and physical sensations. The breath is a bridge between your body and mind. Traverse that bridge as frequently as possible so that you get very familiar with the workings of your mind and its manifestations on your body. The breath is key – (http://bindumandalayoga.blogspot.com/2008/07/breathe-your-negative-emotions-away.html). Gradually, as you practice, you will find yourself opening up to the healing and EFT will start to reveal itself to you. Patience is the key. But then, so is persistence.
I have noticed that during any healing therapy that we follow, keeping a journal helps tremendously. It helps uncover many more layers of hidden angst or pain. You can use your dairy as a tool to help yourself become more aware of your own life story that is embedded in your body.
Drink plenty of water. That always helps remove physical toxins that invariably get loosened during healing. The emotional toxins can continuously be eliminated with more EFT and awareness of both breath and the emotion itself, when you are not using EFT.
Labels: alternative therapies, cleansing, EFT, emotional healing, healing, pain, therapy, toxins, wellness
Yoga tutorials
As part of the body awareness series, I am offering yoga tutorials to people who have the inclination but not the time. I am trying to make it simple, yet effective for people to practice. They are not intended to replace a teacher or a regular practice. They are merely tips to help improve your day from one with no yoga or stretching to one with a little bit to go on….
They have been specifically designed to assist the individual interested in finding alternatives to a long practice on a busy day.
Early morning pranayama:
Pranayama they say is best done in the morning. However, it is not always possible to do so. Therefore, whatever time you wake up, take a minute or two before you leave the bed and turn your attention to your body first. We tend to stretch before getting up. That process of stretching can be done with complete awareness and it will make stretching more pleasurable. It will only take you five minutes to do all of what has been suggested here. This will probably be the best five-minutes of your day – an investment into your health, with the promise of results imminent.
Now turn your awareness to your breath at the nostrils. Stay there for a few seconds. Keep your awareness on your breath and simultaneously become aware of the movement of your abdomen in tune with your breath. Stay with that for the next few seconds. Still focus on your breath and take your awareness to the movement of your chest in tune with your breath. Now feel the abdomen and chest at the same time. Your breath is creating a wave-like formation where your abdomen and chest rise as you inhale and drop when you exhale. Remain aware of this for the next few seconds. This is a very good start to pranayama. It is called yogic breathing and can be done laying down flat on the back or lying on your back with knees bent, and feet flat on the ground.
This pre-cursor to pranayama is also called the yogic tranquilizer and with good reason too, because it completely relaxes the practitioner. When you become familiar with this technique, you can add a small visualization. As you keep your awareness on the breath and the bodily movement, you can visualize yourself to be a lotus floating on water. Visualizations are very relaxing for the mind and tend to relax the nervous system as well.
Like I mentioned earlier, do it after you wake up but before you get off the bed. It’s a very effective awareness technique. Don’t be misled by how simple it is. Try it for a week, uninterrupted before you expect any results. If you are doing it just for the extra zing of energy, then u will definitely start to see signs of that. If you are doing it because you want to feel more energetic and lively, but also more well at a deeper level of your being, then I would say, give it a fortnight at the least. When you do this regularly then you will begin to benefit in ways that you did not really expect.
After a point, the healing becomes very personalized. It is not a one-size-fits-all formula. Of course, the technique is the same no matter who practices it, however, the results will vary on the need of the person doing it. The energy with which you approach your practice will also make a big difference. Expect it to work. It will.
They have been specifically designed to assist the individual interested in finding alternatives to a long practice on a busy day.
Early morning pranayama:
Pranayama they say is best done in the morning. However, it is not always possible to do so. Therefore, whatever time you wake up, take a minute or two before you leave the bed and turn your attention to your body first. We tend to stretch before getting up. That process of stretching can be done with complete awareness and it will make stretching more pleasurable. It will only take you five minutes to do all of what has been suggested here. This will probably be the best five-minutes of your day – an investment into your health, with the promise of results imminent.
Now turn your awareness to your breath at the nostrils. Stay there for a few seconds. Keep your awareness on your breath and simultaneously become aware of the movement of your abdomen in tune with your breath. Stay with that for the next few seconds. Still focus on your breath and take your awareness to the movement of your chest in tune with your breath. Now feel the abdomen and chest at the same time. Your breath is creating a wave-like formation where your abdomen and chest rise as you inhale and drop when you exhale. Remain aware of this for the next few seconds. This is a very good start to pranayama. It is called yogic breathing and can be done laying down flat on the back or lying on your back with knees bent, and feet flat on the ground.
This pre-cursor to pranayama is also called the yogic tranquilizer and with good reason too, because it completely relaxes the practitioner. When you become familiar with this technique, you can add a small visualization. As you keep your awareness on the breath and the bodily movement, you can visualize yourself to be a lotus floating on water. Visualizations are very relaxing for the mind and tend to relax the nervous system as well.
Like I mentioned earlier, do it after you wake up but before you get off the bed. It’s a very effective awareness technique. Don’t be misled by how simple it is. Try it for a week, uninterrupted before you expect any results. If you are doing it just for the extra zing of energy, then u will definitely start to see signs of that. If you are doing it because you want to feel more energetic and lively, but also more well at a deeper level of your being, then I would say, give it a fortnight at the least. When you do this regularly then you will begin to benefit in ways that you did not really expect.
After a point, the healing becomes very personalized. It is not a one-size-fits-all formula. Of course, the technique is the same no matter who practices it, however, the results will vary on the need of the person doing it. The energy with which you approach your practice will also make a big difference. Expect it to work. It will.
Labels: asana, body awareness, breath awareness, breathing, healing, pranayama, visualizations, visualize, yoga
Monday, July 28, 2008
30 seconds on the mat
Have you ever considered doing a 30-second yoga practice? Does that sound completely absurd? Well, it really isn’t. I sometimes don’t get even three full minutes a day to call my own, let alone for a yoga practice. I have tried various permutations and combinations in order to do a little yoga everyday. Gone are the days when I could luxuriate on my mat and literally feel every breath or do a beautiful asana practice. Now I have a minute or two.
I don’t mean for this to sound like a rant. Forgive me if it does. I am trying to make mothers feel a little better about not having time to exercise or take care of themselves. So I use that minute or two to do a headstand for 30 seconds, wheel for 15 seconds, standing triangle (trikonasana) for 30 seconds, spinal twist for 15 seconds, and shoulder stand for 15 seconds, not necessarily in that order. Now I have 15 seconds left so I do a quick shavasana. If I have one more minute, I can do two rounds of suryanamaskar and finish off with the tadasana or palm tree pose and then eka pada pranam asana which is a great balancing asana – very good to feel centred (all this before the sahvasan, obviously). Now that is three minutes on the mat. But just look what 30 seconds can do. It can give you a whole new way of seeing things while standing upside down!
So what will you really get out of this practice?
Headstand – rejuvenates the brain cells and the pituitary and pineal glands. Helps improve the quality of sleep and removes inertia and lethargy during waking state. Relieves constipation, rejuvenates the lungs and supplies fresh blood to all organs. No wonder it is known as the king of asanas! And trust me, it can do wonders for your self-confidence as well.
Shoulder stand – important for the optimal functioning of glands and organs, especially the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Provides relief for respiratory disorders of the lungs such as asthma and bronchitis, even breathlessness. It is also a panacea for constipation. The inversion of the body provides fresh blood flow to all the internal organs. Improves self-confidence and in general raises the energy levels of the practitioner. It is to be noted that no inverted asana can be practiced by anyone suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure) or low blood pressure.
Trikonasana – removes stiffness in the hips and lower back, it corrects postural defects. Develops the chest muscles and is a very good balancing asana. It also stretches the muscles along the sides of the body from fingertips to toes.
Spinal twist – stretches the spine and keeps is supple. In other words, it is very essential for the sound health of your spine. A healthy spine means a healthy body in general. It also tones the organs in the abdominal region.
Surayanamaskara – refer link below http://bindumandalayoga.blogspot.com/2007/10/sunsalutations.html
Tadasana – improves posture, stretches the spine – it is a great stretch from one end of the body to the other. It is also a good balancing asana.
Eka pada pranamasana – tones the leg muscles and gives one a sense of balance and poise.
Shavasana – this is the simple corpse pose, where you lay down in the supine position with arms and legs outstretched, spread out and limp. Simply relax in that position and review the effects of your asana practice on your body. Be aware of your breath.
Refer http://bodymindyoga.blogspot.com/2007/11/shavasana-corpse-pose.html
You see how three minutes or 30 seconds can do a lot for you on the mat. After 30 seconds in headstand, you will not only get so many benefits related to the asana, you will also value every second that you have much more than before. Now get on that mat right away and give yourself the best three minutes of the day. No amount of time is too little for yoga.
Happy inversions!
I don’t mean for this to sound like a rant. Forgive me if it does. I am trying to make mothers feel a little better about not having time to exercise or take care of themselves. So I use that minute or two to do a headstand for 30 seconds, wheel for 15 seconds, standing triangle (trikonasana) for 30 seconds, spinal twist for 15 seconds, and shoulder stand for 15 seconds, not necessarily in that order. Now I have 15 seconds left so I do a quick shavasana. If I have one more minute, I can do two rounds of suryanamaskar and finish off with the tadasana or palm tree pose and then eka pada pranam asana which is a great balancing asana – very good to feel centred (all this before the sahvasan, obviously). Now that is three minutes on the mat. But just look what 30 seconds can do. It can give you a whole new way of seeing things while standing upside down!
So what will you really get out of this practice?
Headstand – rejuvenates the brain cells and the pituitary and pineal glands. Helps improve the quality of sleep and removes inertia and lethargy during waking state. Relieves constipation, rejuvenates the lungs and supplies fresh blood to all organs. No wonder it is known as the king of asanas! And trust me, it can do wonders for your self-confidence as well.
Shoulder stand – important for the optimal functioning of glands and organs, especially the thyroid and parathyroid glands. Provides relief for respiratory disorders of the lungs such as asthma and bronchitis, even breathlessness. It is also a panacea for constipation. The inversion of the body provides fresh blood flow to all the internal organs. Improves self-confidence and in general raises the energy levels of the practitioner. It is to be noted that no inverted asana can be practiced by anyone suffering from hypertension (high blood pressure) or low blood pressure.
Trikonasana – removes stiffness in the hips and lower back, it corrects postural defects. Develops the chest muscles and is a very good balancing asana. It also stretches the muscles along the sides of the body from fingertips to toes.
Spinal twist – stretches the spine and keeps is supple. In other words, it is very essential for the sound health of your spine. A healthy spine means a healthy body in general. It also tones the organs in the abdominal region.
Surayanamaskara – refer link below http://bindumandalayoga.blogspot.com/2007/10/sunsalutations.html
Tadasana – improves posture, stretches the spine – it is a great stretch from one end of the body to the other. It is also a good balancing asana.
Eka pada pranamasana – tones the leg muscles and gives one a sense of balance and poise.
Shavasana – this is the simple corpse pose, where you lay down in the supine position with arms and legs outstretched, spread out and limp. Simply relax in that position and review the effects of your asana practice on your body. Be aware of your breath.
Refer http://bodymindyoga.blogspot.com/2007/11/shavasana-corpse-pose.html
You see how three minutes or 30 seconds can do a lot for you on the mat. After 30 seconds in headstand, you will not only get so many benefits related to the asana, you will also value every second that you have much more than before. Now get on that mat right away and give yourself the best three minutes of the day. No amount of time is too little for yoga.
Happy inversions!
Labels: alternative therapies, breath awareness, healing, health, postnatal yoga, pranayama, prenatal yoga, stretching, wellness, yoga, yoganidra