How to Meditate?

Meditation allow you to access to your inner

It took me a long time to understand what meditation was for and how to learn to meditate … and finally meditation is easy. I had decided that it was not for me because I liked to move all the time, my life was a headlong rush to channel my frustrations brought by daily life (work, str e ss, fatigue, bad breathing…).

It was a way for me to fill my inner emptiness since in our societies you always have to take care of yourself. Emptiness is scary… So I was not yet ready to respect myself, to love and cherish my body and my soul.

After a few years, time that made me understand, health misadventures, I evolved and realized that I needed a break for my well-being and respect for my body.

It was my body that spoke. So rather than continuing on the path of acting at all costs, forgetting myself and my joy, I started yoga and meditation.

I admit that these 2 practices allowed me to observe myself better: to become aware of my behavior in life. I realized that I had taken habits that made me unhappy, that went against my joy and my balance, I had indoctrinated myself…. and above all I had forgotten to breathe.

These breaks that I give myself today balance me, I control my emotions much better, my ideas are clear and I no longer experience the unexpected as a source of stress or anxiety. I welcome the situations that come my way.

The stress of work, fatigue, bad breathing, eating on the go…it’s over!

So meditation for what and how long

I am my own observer. Meditation and yoga allow me to readjust myself to the hassle of life. I no longer experience them as stress, I welcome them because life is that, it’s a more or less pleasant flow of information that happens to you. Will stressing or being unhappy change anything in the situation that arises? No, then you have to welcome it, very often these worries are not that serious…and as they say tomorrow is another day. Then isn’t life short enough?…so let’s live there instead of making ourselves unhappy!!!

Ah this damn thought: but when? I don’t have time, my schedule is overloaded…

The exercises that I propose to you are designed to fit into any schedule…even a busy one. We are all running after time. That a meditation lasts 5, 10 or 15 minutes or more is as useful for our well-being as meditations of long duration.

At what time of the day?

Meditation gives access to self-control and transcendence of emotions

Morning meditation

The ideal is to practice early in the morning between 4:30 and 6:30 and before breakfast. The mind is not yet cluttered, one is relaxed, the air is clean and the world is still asleep. It’s a good time without phone and email. There is also a sense of calm. But according to our will, meditation can be done at any time of the day!

Midday meditation

It can allow you to take a break after morning professional obligations, to take a moment for yourself.

To share this moment of meditation with a colleague

If the evening is busy and even more so if you have children or invite friends

I will help you to start meditation and give you tools to start your practice.

Evening meditation

It’s the end of the day, professional obligations have disappeared, you are more relaxed and have more time to spend. You are more likely to do it correctly and adjust it to your needs.

The benefits of meditation:

As I was telling you for me, meditation has allowed me to tackle the difficulties of life with more

serenity
less stress and
anxiety
improve our communication with ourselves and others
we see more clearly in our actions, our behavior
focused more we are aware of what we are we are more objective with regard to awkward situations…
and we end up realizing that we have to let joy flow into our lives
it’s giving yourself time for yourself, becoming aware of yourself, of your feelings, decluttering your mind and cultivating your inner being.

So you try?

Meditation generates benefits in the background, it can be practiced without particular difficulty and above all without taking up considerable time in your daily life.

Nor should you be told that with each meditation you do you will have the answers to your questions…no, she is like a sister, a friend who helps you to put things into perspective, to see the situation with hindsight and realize with the time finally that the answer is in you…

How to start meditation?

Have an inquisitive mindset, it’s discovery…new experiences. At first we can feel frustrated because we are so conditioned to live at a frantic pace that doing nothing is banished from our lives.

Meditation is not a competition…forget the race for results by telling yourself: “I absolutely have to meditate, that I stay focused, it irritates me I can’t stop thinking…I can’t control anything…. In short, see…these are moments that we experience as a beginner….but meditation is not a race for professional objectives, on the contrary it totally accepts imperfection, it even values it!!! And between you and me… let’s forget our conditionings of modern society and accept each other.

How to prepare yourself to meditate?

Meditation is the time when you respect yourself by taking care of yourself

COMFORT IS the KEY

Put your phone on silent or off to avoid its vibration…and in another room to avoid thinking about it.

You won’t be able to avoid all the noises obviously, if you hear something, just integrate that noise into a conscious approach, while being aware of that sound and without anxiety.

FEEL COMFORTABLE !!! FOR THE QUALITY OF YOUR MEDITATION

Create your little corner of meditation just for you. This will help keep this ritual enjoyable. It must be as comfortable as it is warm. This is your oasis…

Always have a meditation blanket or shawl and socks on your feet due to your immobility

POSTURES AND ACCESSORIES

The back :

Stand up straight without any tension or rigidity.

To keep your back straight, imagine that your head is held up by a wire attached to the ceiling. The head is as if connected to the sky. The buttocks and pelvis are well placed on a horizontal plane. This invisible line thus connects the earth and the sky through our body.

We often forget the fact that our body influences our mind. Slumped, our mind is not as clear as if we were standing up straight. If your body is comfortable, your mind will be too. They are both linked and work together.

If your mind is restless, your body will be uncomfortable.

And you lack of comfort, you won’t be able to calm your mind either. If you feel uncomfortable repositioning yourself, living a meditation alone or in a badly positioned group is a source of stress and brings no benefit!

If you feel tension in the back, you can use a wedge to place under the beginning of the buttocks or simply a cushion.

You don’t want to sit on the floor: use a meditation bench

Legs:

You can sit on the ground cross-legged or use a chair if your knees are painful (this will be just as beneficial for meditation. No muscle tension should settle permanently.

You can also meditate in a lying position by placing a cushion under your knees to limit the lumbar arch to the floor and under your head if necessary, but you risk to fall asleep.

If meditation posture is to difficult to maintien, prefer to sit on a chair.

The eyes

They are preferably half-closed and the gaze is directed downwards 1m50 in front of you, if you prefer closed them. The head remains straight in line with the body. Thus, the gaze is calm and peaceful

The mouth

Slightly open to avoid tension in the jaws

Hands

Relaxed shoulders, relaxed arms to rest your hands on your knees

You are solid as a mountain, regardless of the thoughts and emotions that pass through you. You are present there.

The difficulties or rather the opportunities that you may encounter…

Some people will seek complete silence because they tell themselves that concentrating is easier! But nowadays, finding silence is rather difficult and rare. We most often live in towns and even in the countryside, there is always a tractor passing by…the noise of a mower…Unless we find ourselves at an altitude of 3000m…but again nothing is guaranteed. So see the noise as an opportunity because it is a way to “zap” our ideas which tend to remain fixed.

Meditating in silence and alone is the best way to find ourselves, to get used to ourselves without being disturbed by the distractions of life.

Exercice: acclimate yourself to silence

Even 5 min of meditation is a good starts for your mental and physical health balance

Today, rare are the times when you find yourself alone and in silence…or even never. So, it’s time to give it a try. For the first few times, allow yourself 5 minutes of silence without outside disturbance.

1- Find a time when no one is home

IT’S YOUR TIME

2- Put your laptop on silent or in airplane mode (silent mode is reduced to vibrate mode and suddenly even if it vibrates you will lose silence and tranquility.

Turn off the music.

3- Motionless, take a walk around yourself observing your interior, be aware of your attitude and gestures, then walk quietly towards a place in the room that attracts you…your library, your kitchen, and look at the objects arranged. Look, touch, move them while remaining aware of what you are doing.

4- Now how do you feel about this silence: are you uncomfortable? Don’t dwell on the thoughts that cross your mind, let them pass. There it is simply a matter of feeling and not analyzing

5- Your feelings can evolve between the beginning and the end of this moment for you. You may even appreciate this moment of pause, this moment of mindfulness.

The questions you ask yourself when you meditate

My thoughts spring up, my brain is a real factory of thoughts…

It’s inevitable, perfectly normal and human. We think back to work, to a friend, to a situation, to a deadline to meet… in short, worries.

Thoughts come and go for no reason. You think without having decided, about something that has nothing to do with the present situation: you imagine yourself making a phone call, or something else… How difficult it is to stay in touch with what is is here. You left your body. It doesn’t matter: you are gone and come back to your posture and breathing in the present moment. It doesn’t matter if you come back 1 time, 10 times, 1 thousand times per session… Just come back.

And be kind to yourself, meditation is not a struggle or gymnastics against our thoughts. When you realize that you are no longer in connection with your body, in the here and now, bring your attention back gently, without judgment using your breath. Often, we try to abstract our thoughts at all costs. We struggle on our cushion with violence, even anger in front of our mind which does as it pleases. Abandon this approach. True peace is being open to whatever arises. “No matter how many thoughts arise, let them come.” This attitude is key.

It depends on the person, some concentrate their mind more easily and naturally than others, who conversely rehash. It doesn’t matter ! Adapt, and accept that. By being kind, patient with yourself and with practice, it will become natural to stop paying attention to it. Integrate the meditations when your mind is confused and restless, it’s time to reconnect and calm our mental dispersion through mindfulness.

Find your body:

There are thoughts and also noises, getting used to the various sources of stimuli (heartbeat or car noise…). We must integrate these noises into our meditation and not let them discourage us. They are part of life…and meditation. When you hear a sound during meditation, focus your intention on the experience of hearing. Try not to have any inner dialogue on the subject. The reality is a simple, no-frills experience. When you hear a sound, pay attention to the process of hearing.

Our mind is playful, it tests our patience by letting thoughts arise. Our mind responds because it is not used to this practice. It’s like starting a new sport… at first we don’t necessarily take pleasure… we change our habits… Meditation is not intellectual, it confuses us because we are used to analyzing each situation and its simplicity of practice disturbs us. It is enough just to be there… without history.

This involves finding full and complete attention to our sensory perceptions. Just be mindful of what you are feeling without expecting what you should be feeling. The important thing is not to feel what we would like or to reject what we don’t like, but to enter into a relationship with what is when it happens. You may feel ants in your legs, itching, readjust yourself, this is the best time to respond to your body’s messages.

In short, we adapt to the moment as it is.

Here a guided meditation …Take breath and enjoy.

Don’t forget: give yourself the time to appreciate these meditations “it is by forging that one becomes a blacksmith”

References

Meditation: Process and effects

Brief, daily meditation enhances attention, memory, mood, and emotional regulation in non-experienced meditators

The relative impact of 15-minutes of meditation compared to a day of vacation in daily life: An exploratory analysis

Effects of Different Stages of Mindfulness Meditation Training on Emotion Regulation

Benefits of meditation and mindfulness practices during times of crisis such as COVID-19

Discovering the Self

Discovering the self brings to perfect happiness. All fears are overcome when Self-knowledge is acquired

Knowledge of God is not as commonly discussed in India as knowledge of the true Self.

Self-knowledge reveals knowledge of the true nature of the Absolute and of Supreme Deity.

Realizing our true Self, or Atman according to Vedanta philosophy

Ordinarily we use the word ‘self’ in the sense of ego, but the term ‘self-knowledge’ does not mean mere knowledge of the ego.

The ego in us is the doer, the thinker and the perceiver. That which performs all the functions of body and mind is generally known as the “I” or ego; but it is only the reflection of the Absolute Brahman, which is the source of all intelligence.

The ego is the image of that divine spark within us which gives it vitality and makes it do all mental and physical work. So when we speak of knowledge of the Self, we mean not just knowledge of the lower animal Self or ego, but also of the higher Self. The higher Self is identical with the Absolute which is at the base of the phenomenal universe.

Absolute Substance or Brahman is beyond space and time, therefore it is formless and immutable. When it manifests as an individualized, self-aware entity, it is known as the ego.

It also appears as an object of consciousness, so it is called matter; the Absolute Being, however, is neither matter nor the same as the ego. It forms the background of our ego; therefore, it is our true Self.

When we realized this, we knew God and the relationship that the phenomenal universe has with him. And the best method to become aware of this Absolute Being is to realize our true Self, or Atman, as it is called in Sanskrit.

Some people think that self-annihilation is the ideal of Vedanta philosophy, but it is not. The true Self, according to Vedanta, can never be destroyed.

If self-annihilation were the ideal then the Self would be subject to change and destruction, it cannot be the same as the Absolute Being.

How then is it possible for anyone to think of his annihilation?

Vedanta philosophy, on the contrary, teaches that the true Self is absolutely indestructible and immutable.

The destruction of the Self is just as impossible as the destruction of the Absolute. Therefore, self-annihilation cannot be the highest goal and ideal of life. Only self-knowledge helps us to realize absolute Truth and achieve perfection. It is considered the highest wisdom.

When Socrates asked the Oracle of Delphi “What is the highest knowledge?” the answer came, “Know thyself.”

By the word “self” here is meant not only the ego, but the true Self. The same knowledge of the real Self has been glorified in India since the earliest Vedic period.

Self-knowledge as the highest ideal of life

Vedanta, the rationalist part of the Vedas, describes self-knowledge as the highest ideal of life. If we want to know God, we must first know our true Self; we must ask ourselves who and what we really are, where we come from and what we become after death?

These questions are of vital importance. Ordinary people cannot solve such problems, their minds are too busy with the affairs of the phenomenal world.

Buta serious seeker of Truth, who is dissatisfied with the knowledge of material objects, wishes to go beneath the surface of phenomenal appearances and stop until the ultimate goal, the reality which underlies all phenomena, be discovered.

His goal is to find the right solution to these problems by knowing the true nature of his ego as well as the universe. He may begin with the objective world, but gradually, as he advances step by step and goes deeper and deeper in his search for Truth, he eventually returns to his own Self.

Because the true Self is the center of the universe. The phenomenal world, which consists of objects of sense perception, can be compared to a great circle whose circumference is found in gross material forms and whose innermost center is Atman, the true Self.

The nature of this true Self, according to Vedanta, is infinite.

It is neither limited in time nor conditioned by spatial relations. The scriptures describe God as the center of the universe, but Vedanta says that the Self or Atman is also the center of the universe, and the true Self is one with Divinity.

The moment we realize the Divine Self within us, we understand that the domain of the same Atman extends to the sun, the moon, the stars and even the most distant planets, whose light puts hundreds and thousands of years to reach us.

Wherever there is existence, whether on the physical or mental plane, there is also the manifestation of this Divine Self.

That by which we know the existence of the external world, by which we are aware of our body, our senses and our mental powers, is our true Self. It is not far from us, but it is beyond the reach of the mind and intellect.

The Self is beyond all vibration

The Self is described in the fourth verse of the Isha Upanishad thus: “It (the Self) is beyond all vibration, it moves without moving…”

Our senses have never reached it, it has transcended them all. Although immobile, it transcends the mind and the senses. It is the source of all mental activities, sensory powers and the various forces of nature. “Modern science tells us that the whole world is the product of matter and material forces. Matter, again, is nothing but a certain state of motion or vibration of a substance whose true nature is unknown and unknowable. A particle in the universe is in constant motion or vibration.

What we call heat or light, sound or taste, smell, touch or any old sensory object, is nothing but a state of vibration of the same unknown substance.

William Crookes says: “At thirty-two vibrations per second it is shown that we have the first beginning of audible sound, and that sound ceases to be audible when it reaches something less than thirty-three thousand vibrations per second. second.

The vibrations of heat and light rays are almost inconceivably faster. They are expressed in no less than fifteen digits, while the vibrations in a single second of the newly discovered radium are expressed in more than nine thousand millions of millions.”

The whole world consists of the vibration of atoms, or the tiniest particles of material substance, but above and beyond all that vibration there is Absolute Reality, the true Self, which is the source of knowledge, intelligence and consciousness

. Self that we know that there is such a thing as vibration

Who knows that the world is vibration

“Motion produces only motion” is one of the laws of nature which has been confirmed by the modern scientists. Movement cannot produce knowledge.

Knowledge is something which is not the effect of movement or vibration, but it is what enlightens our mind and makes us see and understand that it is there is such a thing as motion or vibration .

Therefore, the Upanishad says, “That which is not vibrating is our true Self.”

Search within and see that which is not vibrating, but who is the Knower of all vibrations and actions.

“It goes faster than the mind.” “We know that the mind is the fastest thing in the world.

Thought travels faster than electricity or any other current that exists on the physical plane. William Crookes explains that “thought vibrations that come from the brain can really take place where it becomes impossible to estimate the vibrations that are caused by the subtlest forces of physical nature.”

Further, he adds, “If we can somehow realize the concept of ‘a force capable of creating thousands of trillions of vibrations in a second, and if we add to this idea that the speed of these vibrations thunders by their rapidity, we see quite easily that thought can put a belt around the earth in an infinitesimal fraction of time.

“We can exchange messages wirelessly between here and another part of the world, but thought transfer is faster than that.

What is faster than the mind is the true Self.

Our true Self can go faster than the stream of thought and even where the mind cannot reach. He is still traveling.

The Self or Atman forms the background of the mind, so the Self is faster and faster than the activity of the mind.

The mind cannot go anywhere without depending on the Self, knowing it. It remains absolutely inactive when separated from the Self.

“The senses never reached him, he transcended them all.”

The senses cannot reveal it; the powers of the senses cannot express the true nature of the Self, because they are limited by time and space. Whereas the knower of time and space must necessarily be beyond the reach of the senses.

When we see the sun, the very sight depends on self-awareness, that is, we must be aware that we are seeing something, and the consciousness must depend on our true Self.

The sun will not be seen if our mind and eyes are separated and cut off from the Self, the source of knowledge, intelligence and consciousness. Based on this source of consciousness and intelligence, our mind functions, our senses perform their functions, and the body moves.

“It (the Self) moves and it does not move; it is far and also near. He is inside and also outside of it all. “

When the body moves, the source of intelligence, or our true Self, appears to be moving, but in reality does not move.

All of life is a mystery.

We strive to find an explanation by studying nature, but nature confuses us further, science does not help us, it takes us up to a certain point and leaves us there without showing anything beyond it, without telling us what to do and where to go of our relative knowledge.

When properly analyzed, it appears as a partial expression of absolute knowledge, which is the true nature of the true Self.

Relative knowledge, however, will not help us solve the riddles of the universe.If we wish to know the ultimate Truth of the world, we must go beyond nature and seek the explanation in the realm of the Absolute

Nature is called in Sanskrit Maya

It deceives us, yet we live in nature , and our body, our senses and our spirit are part of nature.

The more we study nature, the more we are deceived; we are not arriving at a definitive solution. Scientists have come to certain conclusions in which nothing is concluded. Science tells us that the ultimate goal of everything is unknown and unknowable.

Here the Vedanta comes and advises its students to study not only nature but our Self or Atman.

Then all confusion will be removed and Absolute Truth will be attained.

Nature shows us that the Self moves when the body is in motion, but in reality the Self is still. Nature makes us feel that the Self is very far from us, but it is the closest thing we have, closer than that body and mind that we consider closest; our true Self, however, is actually the closest of all. “He dwells in faith just like his soul or his inner nature, but he is outside of everything.”

How is it possible ?

If he lives inside, how can he live outside?

Space exists inside and out. Take the space in this room, which is confined by its walls.

This space appears as inside the room; but what are the walls, are they separated from the space?

No. They exist in and through space.

The space of the walls limits the space that is inside the room; but does it actually limit? No. It’s outside too. Can we limit infinite space?

Never. Likewise, if we try to limit our Self by our mind, we fail, because the mind is not big enough and strong enough to keep the Self out.

The powers of the senses cannot limit it, the physical forms can never divide it, because each of them exists in relation to the Self.

The Self or Atman, when properly realized, appears boundless and infinite.

We say we are finite beings, but in reality we are not finite.

“He who realizes all beings in the Self, and the Self in everything animate and inanimate, (objects of the universe), never hates anything or any being.”

Hatred proceeds from an imperfect relative knowledge, which makes us perceive objects as separate from each other.

But when we see our true Self in others, how can we hate the other without hating our own Self?

It would be impossible for the Self to hate itself.

As it is impossible to hate our true Self, it would be impossible to hate the Self of any being.

This is one of the results of self-knowledge, where self-knowledge is that there can be no feeling of hatred.

When hatred is gone, jealousy and all other selfish feelings, which we call wicked, disappear.

What’s left?

Ordinary love, which opposes hatred, vanishes; but Divine love begins to reign in the heart. True love means the expression of unity. As love of the body makes us feline with the body, love of the true Self makes us feel one with the true Self.

And if we see this Self in others, we cannot help but love them as we love our Self.

We now understand the meaning of “Love your neighbor as yourself”. It is not an extraordinary teaching. Vedanta has always taught this truth.

Christ was the only one who also taught in this way, but they do not know that this is the very basis of Vedanta ethics.

Love means the expression of unity in thought, word and deed.

“Where all beings have become one with the Self, what illusion, what pain can there be for one who has once achieved this oneness?”

Self-knowledge leads to the realization of oneness with all beings.

When all beings appear as parts of one universal Self, there is no illusion, fear or sorrow, for there can be no other thing besides the Self or Atman to grieve for. or from which we can suffer.

Grief and fear arise as long as there is a sense of duality or multiplicity. Isha Upanishad, verse 7.

If all objects of fear and grief become one with the all-pervading Divine Self, then fear and grief must disappear.

But as long as we think of other beings that exist outside of our Self, we cannot avoid the grief and suffering that arise because of them.

In absolute unity, however, there cannot remain fear, grief, suffering, separation, or self-delusion. This is another risk of self-knowledge. Some people may think that Vedanta teaches us to be selfish, but that is far from true.

The lower self dies, the self disappears, and with its disappearance all egoism is destroyed.

The word “Self” should not be taken for the lower self or selfishness.

Atman means, the higher Self, which is our divine nature.

This Atman (the Self), which is the center of the universe, is omnipresent.

Wherever our mind goes, the Atman goes.

Itis the source of the light of intelligence ; he is pure, spotless, sinless.

Here the Vedanta teaches that we are not soaring in sin and iniquity, but that our Atman or true Self is sinless.

By this, he is not encouraging to commit sinful acts, but he is telling us thatthe moment one acquires Self-knowledge, from that moment one ceases to do anything wrong..

The Atman is in the body, but it has no body. It is formless, that is, beyond gross and subtle forms. There are forms we can only see through the most powerful microscope, even these tiniest forms do not affect the Self.

He is beyond all forms, but at the same time he can appear in any form, and all forms that exist.

Atman is beyond any nerve activity or brain function.

Materialists hold that when the brain and nerve centers vibrate, self-consciousness is produced. But the Vedanta contradicts their statement by saying, “Beyond the reach of the nerve centers and untouched by the powers of the brain.”unaffected by changes in the body; there may be variations in the color or shape of the physical body, or the body may be diseased or have a mutilated part, but that disease or mutilation will not produce any change in the true Self or Atman.

Therefore, self-knowledge frees from nervousness and other physical ailments. The word “Kavi” means poet, and also means the seer of things. Self is described as the greatest poet in the universe, it is one of the most beautiful expressions and attributes one can give to one’s Divinity.

He is the poet. His poetry is the universe.

He is also described as the greatest entertainer. His art we see in sunrise and sunset. The sun, moon and stars are none other than the infinite space paintings by the artist Almighty.

The true Self or Atman is above good and evil, beyond virtue and vice.

How can he be above good and evil?

Good and evil, however, are two relative terms.

Evil exists in relation to good, and we cannot separate one from the other.

If we want to take the good, we should also take the bad.

Thus, with virtue and vice, one cannot exist without being linked to the other.

The Absolute Self is above all relativity and therefore it is above good and evil, above virtue and vice. “There is no other seer but this Atman, no other knower.

The vast majority of mankind do not know this great truth. Preachers do not teach it, because they themselves do notand

If God is the Knower of all, then the Knower in us is part of God.

Vedanta tells us to realize first the individual knower then the Knower of the universe will be known. The Atman or the true Self is never the object of knowledge, but is always the subject.

The cosmic or universal Knower is the same one whom people worship as God. Thus by the light of Vedanta we can see God near of our souls; but in the scriptures of the special religions it is made aloof. It is driven far from our reach.

Vedanta draws it nearer than anything we possess. Though this Atman permeates all, yet it is beyond of everything; he dwells in all things

The Attributes Generally Given to God

It is never about phenomenal conditions. descends the changes of nature, but it permeates nature. It is its own cause, the cause and the effect are identical there. Our Atman has no cause yet it is the cause of everything, and at the same time it is beyond the law of cause and effect.

The Self has existed by itself since the beginningless past and will continue to exist through eternity.

“All relative knowledge is only a partial expression of that wisdom which constitutes the nature of the Atman. Now we see that the attributes which people generally give to God, such as.

He is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, infinite, are also given by Vedanta to the true Self. The true Self is the soul of our souls. Self-knowledge reveals that the attributes of God are also the attributes of the Atman.

“Those who do not realize this Self, dwell in the darkness of ignorance and pass through the misery and sufferings that exist in this darkness. Isha Upanishad.

They are always fearful and unhappy.

They fear death and all that threatensexistence, and they make their life miserable by attaching themselves to a particular form of manifestation which they are afraid of.

losing earthlyfind them, and they consider that this earthly life has no other higher purpose or ideal. The life of these people is nothing but a continuous chain of fear and unhappiness.

Those who are rich fear losing their wealth; those who have a reputation and a high position are afraid of losing them. While every man or woman suffers from the fear of sickness and death. Do you believe that these people will ever experience true happiness on this earth? No.

Only those who have become absolutely free from fear are truly happy.

Perfect Happiness: when Self-Knowledge is Acquired

Perfect happiness comes and all fear is overcome when Self-knowledge is acquired. For this reason, each of us must make constant efforts to acquire it in this life.

The light of Self-knowledge dispels the darkness of ignorance and sets us free from fear, sorrow, misery, birth and death, and from bondage, imperfection and weakness. illusion. And which proceed from ignorance.

This ignorance is also the mother of selfishness.

It has the power to veil the divine and absolute Atman and make us identify our true Self with the material body. So when we are forced by the inscrutable power of ignorance (Avidya) to forget our true Self, to regard ourselves as the sons or daughters of mortals, we become finite and subject to limitations as understood by the term “selfishness”.

Self-knowledge destroys ignorance and makes one absolutely altruistic. Blessed is who lives in the sunshine of Self-knowledge, having risen above the clouds of fear and selfishness that gather in the night of ignorance.

What is this world?

It is produced by ignorance and bound by fear.

Self-knowledge destroys all worldliness, brings spiritual strength and makes one fearless, as God is fearless.

The moment we realize that God dwells within us, how can we be afraid?

How can we be afraid of death when we know that death simply means passing from one body to another, and our true Self or Atman is immutable?

Those who do not possess the knowledge of the Self are miserable and will explode again and again on this plane of ignorance until they have learned to realize their true Self.

Self-knowledge is the only source of happiness.

This will lead to perfection and freedom.

You may seek freedom, but how can you get it when you have become a slave to fear and earthly conditions?

You are part of the Divinity.

Feel it, realize it, and all those tics will disappear and you will be free.

Alignment of this freedom through knowledge of the Self will bring you the realization of your oneness with Divinity.

Then you will be able to say: “This light which is seen in the sun is in me, and what is in me is in the sun.

I am Lord of body, senses and spirit, and all phenomenal objects, the light of the universe, through me shine the sun, the moon, the stars and the lightning.

I have realized my true Self.

I’m the true Self of the universe and therefore I am a with the Absolute.”

Namaste

Julie

Pitta dosha and remedies

In this article I want to focus on Pitta dosha because Pitta has started to increase in our body due to the coming of summer. I will give you advices and remedies related to diet and body, mental and spiritual health. All of them can be very useful if you have a Pitta Dosha Body Type.

If you don’t know your body type you can learn about Prakriti here.

Common observation on Pitta people

Pitta Skin and remedies

Pitta type have a warm body and you can feel when you touch them. They have excess facial marks, freckles, wrinkles and black moles.

Care for your skin: uou can use facial sandalwood paste, rose water, licorice creams.

Care for your body: practice massage of your body skin with coolant oil such as Coconut oil. Try to wear a cap or use an umbrella whenever going under hot sun.

Pitta hair, nails, hair growth and joints and remedies

Hair is most of the time soft with less quantity on scalp, mustache and body and are grey early. You can also have loss of hairs and be bold.

Daily oil massage with Mahanarayana oil is beneficial for your loose and soft muscle.
If you do not have time for full body massage, at least apply a bit of oil to the knees and lower back, 30 minutes before bath, everyday.

Pitta Talk

You are smart and have sharp talk. People feel you like an expert with a sharp mind. Sometimes you can intimidate while you are talking and you try to control the discussion with your own words. Sometimes you can also monopolize conversations.

So it is better to be friendly, less argumentative and give others the chance to express their opinion. To resume: listen more.

Pitta sleep and remedies

As a pitta person you sleep less to moderate. If you feel that you miss sleep and you are little bit nervous do head massage with amla oil once a day and apply it to your feet before going to bed. It keeps the body and mind calm and induces deep sleep.

Pitta eyes

You often feel burning sensation in eyes so you can use rose water or cucumber slice to relief. Another preparation called triphala ghrita can be used.

About your sexual health

Pitta people have low quality semen and ova and a low sexual appetite and less off-springs.

To enhance semen and sexual desire, sweet, coolant aphrodisiacs are useful. Eat dry fruits such as dates, raisins and almond. You can also add cucumber, ash gourd, saffron, and organic milk in your diet. Herbal preparation are also used according to the conditions.

Pitta Mental aspects and remedies

It is difficult for Pitta people to face difficult situations, he is getting angry quickly but calm down also quickly

Then it is necessary to counter this natural nature of Pitta by practicing Yoga, pranayama and meditation.

Cold or hot sensitivity

He has lot of difficulty to manage the heat from outside but also from food like spices.

It is recommended to avoid direct sunlight in the afternoon and the excess of spices.

Hunger and thirst of Pitta

If you are Pitta prakriti mainly, you have excessive hunger, thirst and a strong digestion power but you are prone to gastritis.

Then you should always carry a bottle of water with you and avoid fasting.

For your meal, don’t use too much spices and take food at regular intervals.

Don’t eat heavy foods such as non veg, oils and fats, ewd only in small portions.

Conversely, avoid light food to digest because as a Pitta person you will feel hungry very quickly.

You can eat large quantities of food but control over-eating. Be always aware in your diet plans. You can also include a few bitter vegetables such as gourd, bay leaves, turmeric etc…

Pitta and Exercise

Please, practice moderate amount of exercise otherwise Pitta will increase to high if you exercise hard every day or often in the week.

And sweating due to excess of exercices is not recommended for your skin and your overall health.

Diet for Pitta

Ayurveda principles follow the basics of Nature. Main remedy for Pitta is to avoid everything hot.

If you follow me, if not and interested, please subscribe to my ayurvedic and yoga tips for your health here, you know that ayurveda classifies body constitution based on three factors: Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

Now you know that people with Pitta predominance will have features such as feeling excessive heat most of the time, having frequent stomach and digestion related disorders, who see fire in their dreams, having redness in eyes, face, palms and feet. These are only some key features.

Pitta food remedies

Below you have a list of food that should be a part of your pitta diet. All those food are calming pitta:

Ghee – Click to know How to make ghee according to Ayurveda
Azuki bean is coolant and sweet in taste and useful for heavy periods.
Lotus seed
Sugarcane calms Pitta and clean kidney and bladder cleansing.

Pointed guard is good for liver.
Date used daily calm pitta.
Fennel seeds also good natural mouth freshener herb.
Grapes

Neem leaves or powder: chew neem leaves if you find some or make an infusion. Neem improves the skin.
Turmeric – used it regularly in your cooking. Anti- cancer property and scientifically proven.
Rose water, rose petals. Also helpful to reduce acidity
Coriander is an excellent natural cleanser.

Cucumber, can be also use forface pack
Amla take it with jaggery.

Coconut and coconut oil

General rule is that all sweet tasting food are Pitta pacifying in nature.

Fruits: sweet apple, sweet grapes, apricots, sweet berries, guava, ripe sweet mangoes, water melon, papaya, sweet orange, pears, plums, prunes, ripe black currant fruit, water chestnut, sweet mango.

Vegetables: sweet, astringent and bitter vegetables like ssparagus, cooked beets, carrot, green beans, corn (fresh and organic), cucumber, dandelion, kale, lettuce, parsley, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, wheatgrass, sprouts,

Grains: barley, granola, oats, pancakes, rice basmati and wild, spelt sprouted, wheat bread (no white wheat), tapioca, ghee, cheese, cottage cheese…

Legumes: black beans, kidney beans, mung beans, mung dal, pinto beans, soya beans, soy cheese, soy milk, tofu, almonds soaked and peeled.

Foods to avoid for Pitta type

Sour mango, mustard, fenugreek, cinnamon, chillies, pepper, asafoetida, cumin seeds, black cumin, flaxseed oil, thyme, tulasi, basilic, fenugreek, pepper-grass…

All of these foods are basic example, of course you have other food which can increase your Pitta.

And if you are a high Pitta person, check here for the ideal dynacharya.

Dont’ forget food is the first key for healthy living.

Sat Nam

Julie

References

What to know about Ayurvedic medicine

Adapted yoga to improve physical function and health-related quality of life in physically-inactive older adults: a randomised controlled pilot trial

Effect of Ayurveda intervention, lifestyle modification and Yoga in prediabetic and type 2 diabetes

Efficacy of Integrated Yoga and Ayurveda Rasayana on cognitive functions in elderly

Ayurveda Rasayana as antivirals and immunomodulators: potential applications in COVID-19

Ayurveda and yoga in cardiovascular diseases

Benefits of Ayurveda and How it can enhance the quality of your life!

Yagna therapy

Yagna is an excellent practice that addresses many needs in our lives. It is a practice that can be easily integrated into our lives and for many curative and preventive benefits.

Many of us want to live healthy and sustainable lives. Many of us are also aware that our environment is crucial to our health.

And we can ask ourselves, what can I do for the environment?

Because we realize the influence of our environment on our health and well-being.

How can I protect myself and my family from pollution and its harmful effects on our health?

What can I change or bring to my lifestyle to be in harmony with nature?

Yagna’s philosophy

Yagna is done to impregnate oneself with good qualities

Find the inner union between the body and mind and the outside world by gathering around the Yagna.

Using our resources for the needy (money, time, knowledge, special skills)

Nature follows the principles of Yagna. No one keeps anything for himself.

In the Indian tradition, the environment is seen as an extension of our body and each has an impact on the other.

It is through our environment that we can feed, breathe, drink, take energy, and all this forms our body, our processes and our health.

Look at the water cycle, everything is transformed and then redistributed, so it is with our body and its environment.

Same with our body. The food produced by our environment is ingested by the mouth, arrives in the stomach, redistributes after transformation in the blood then the blood, the organs and our excretions return to the environment. And the environment produces new crops to continue the cycle.

We understand that the healthier and purer our environment is the more it nourishes us.

Our emotions and thoughts are also influenced by our environment.

Ayurveda has already defined the impact of the environment on our Vata, Pitta, Kapha doshas, as well as our thoughts, emotions and feelings.

What are the origins of Yagna

All Indian scripture describes importance of Yagya or Yagna. The Vedas describe in detail the benefits of yagna in curing various diseases and fulfilling one’s needs.

Aranyak
Ramayana
Mahabharat
Bagwat Geeta
Purana
Sikh, and other religions
Upanishad Brahmana

Different applications of Yagna

We can perform Yagna for different purposes

For generation of Subtle energy,
Spiritual purposes
Material purposes
Mass consciousness purification
Environment balance and purification
Improvement of ailments and diseases

Yagna therapy is also mentioned in Atharvaveda:

For long healthy life and cure of diseases (3/11/1-8)
For worm infections (1/8; 5/29/4; 5/29/6,7,8,9)
For fever (1/12/2,3; 5/22/1,2; 5/22/10/13)
For mania (6/111/2)
For goiter (6/83/1-4; 7/78/4

Yagna Therapy involved many important components which provide healthy state which are discussed later in this article.

Medicines and herbs are vaporized by offering them into the sacrificial fire and they come in the body by inhalation, by gaseous form, through the nose, then the lungs and the pores of the skin.

Yagna is largely uses in Ayurveda like dhoomapana treatment

The inhalation of specific herbal medicinal-smoke (Dhoomapana) are done for various ailments:

fever,
pregnancy,
poisonous animals’ bites, etc.
and for diseases: mania, epilepsy, worm infections, syphilis, etc.

The inhalation of medicinal-smoke of a specific herbal-powder combination of neem leaves, Vacha (Acorus calamus), kushta (Saussurea costus ), haritaki, sassam (mustard), and gulgulu (Commiphora mukul-Engl.), destroys extreme fever in patients.

Etudes and proprieties of used plants

During Vedic time, yagna therapy was largely used for health benefits, improvements and treatments of ailments and diseases.

It is a very sophisticated therapeutic system

It exists 30 formulations of herbal mixtures for all diseases.

Mental health: insomnia, OCD, depression, mental retardation, mental-illness, epilepsy, schizophrenia, …

Reproductive conditions: dysmenorrhea, for pregnant women, impotency, infertility

General: fever, air-purifying (anti-Viral), obesity

Diseases and Organ: cancer, diabetes, thyroid, high blood pressure, asthma, tuberculosis, kidney diseases, liver diseases, H.I.V., skin diseases, eye diseases, neurological diseases, paralysis, piles, arthritis.

Here some of the studies of therapeutical properties of plants

Acorus calamus Linn.: phytoconstituents and bactericidal property – PubMed (nih.gov)

A review of therapeutic potential of Saussurea lappa-An endangered plant from Himalaya – PubMed (nih.gov)

Terminalia chebula Retz. Fruit Extracts Inhibit Bacterial Triggers of Some Autoimmune Diseases and Potentiate the Activity of Tetracycline – PubMed (nih.gov)

Guggulipid of Commiphora mukul, with antiallodynic and antihyperalgesic activities in both sciatic nerve and spinal nerve ligation models of neuropathic pain – PubMed (nih.gov)

Terminalia chebula Retz. Fruit Extracts Inhibit Bacterial Triggers of Some Autoimmune Diseases and Potentiate the Activity of Tetracycline – PubMed (nih.gov)

How Yagna works

Different names can be used for Yagna: Homa or Agnihotra

What are the causes of diseases?

Health is prime most need of everyone.

Science indicates two reasons for unhealthy state

External factors : pollution in air, water and food due to chemicals, pesticides, radiation, plastics, quality of breathing air…

All of this contribute to various diseases: cancer, skin diseases, lung diseases, digestive allergies or ailments…

Internal factors: negative thoughts and emotions, individually and collectively. It contributes to mental and emotional diseases like depression, stress, hormone and immune dependent diseases.

And both factors cause imbalance in the physical, mental and emotional well-being causing diseases.

Yagna: needs of the time

Yagna is a therapeutic system which can act on physical, mental, emotional and social level.

Indian Rishis developed Yagna Therapy which could act on all the levels simultaneously.

Healthy Family
Individual’s physical, mental and spiritual upliftment
Healthy society
Healthy environment

It may seem counterintuitive that yagna actually purifies the air but research on yagnas has shown them to reduce air pollution by reducing the concentration of particulate matter in air and the harmful gases and improving the moisture content in the atmosphere.

They have also been shown to reduce the harmful bacteria in the atmosphere significantly.

After the yagna, the environment is charged with prana and positive energy which nourishes all beings. Thus through yagna, the air around becomes purified, and as one breathes in pure air, one need not worry about pollution, smoke and indoor pollution and the related respiratory diseases common in the urban environments.

It is interesting to know that an average adult eats ~2 kg of food per day, drinks 2-3 litres of water and breathes 11,000 litres of air in a day! Thus the quality of air can have a significant impact on our health.

Similarly it has been shown that Yagna ash can be used to purify water in water bodies and made fit for drinking by increasing the dissolved oxygen content, regulating the pH and removing the harmful bacteria in it.

Yagna ash is also being used to cultivate organic food which is shown to have higher yield and higher nutritional value. With the emerging popularity of kitchen gardens and other methods of growing plants and food at homes or locally, one can explore yagna farming at home as well. There have been successful experiments around the globe on yagna farming with agnihotra by individuals.

Science of Yagna

Yagna also generates those 3 Basic types of energy

Yagna Therapy treats diseases in 3 ways:

● Breathing of herbal vapors treat disease and bring healthy state

Herbal vapors generated from specially designed herbal mixtures for different diseases conditions enter into blood circulation very fast through lung. Fire potentiates and transform the herbal-phytoconstituents into very fine herbal vapors and hence they are delivered deep into diseased organ though blood circulation.

● Yagna Therapy heals negative thoughts and emotions

● Improves prana shakti (life-force vital energy)

Life is dependent on Prana. During disease Prana (vital force) goes down. Sun is the main source of Prana. Hence to connect and charge patient’s prana Yagya Therapy is performed during sunrise and sunset because all procedure and components of Yagya Therapy are woven such a way that patient get connected with Sun energy.

Research has shown that electromagnetic radiations from devices are greatly reduced in the yagna environment. One experiences a great sense of relaxation and the mind feels fresh and free from constant engagement.

During yagna is a greatly energizing and spiritually uplifting process. Thoughts and emotions are purified. The mind calms down and a sense of serenity dawns. The atmosphere feels vibrant. One experiences positive energy during the whole day. The aroma of the yagna fumes is also quite refreshing and sometimes acts as a natural perfume

Benefits of Yagna Therapy

Increase vitality in the air and all forms of life
Increase anti-oxydants
Cleaning environment
Purify water
Aromatherapy
Reduction in radiation
Purifies blood
Helps in diabetes, high blood pressure
Relieve stress
Removes negatives emotions like anger, jealousy, hatred…
Biological removal of pathogens
Increases negative ions
Parjanya varsha – soil nourishment
Subtle effect – remove animal instinct and awaken divinity
Cure different diseases especially mental diseases

Yagna and Hindu scriptures

In the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Shree Krishna explains the philosophy and different kinds of yagna.

The vedas describe yagna as a means to fulfil one’s desires, attain happiness through health, wealth, peace, strength, fame and protection from natural calamities, diseases, and all unforeseen events. The vedas give different kinds of yagnas for fulfilling the various needs and desires of beings.

In chapter 3 of the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Shree Krishna says that the creation is sustained through yagna and by individuals performing their swadharma (our true nature).

He further states that it is through yagna that the divine forces and nature are pleased and nourished and they in turn nourish us and fulfil our desires. Thus by mutually serving and taking care of each other, there is prosperity and abundance everywhere and well being for all.

Through yagna, one benefits not just oneself but also the environment.

If you wish to practice, feel free to contact me and i will enjoy to share with you.

Since i practice every morning, my mind is calm, i feel more confident and rooted.

Yagya Therapy: the evidences

YAGYOPATHY VERSUS ORAL AND IV DRUG ADMINISTRATION: EVALUATION FOR PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS USING COMPARTMENT MODELING | Journal of Biological Systems (worldscientific.com)

Gayatri Mantra Chanting Helps Generate Higher Antimicrobial Activity of Yagya’s Smoke | Interdisciplinary Journal of Yagya Research (dsvv.ac.in)

Yagya Therapy as adjunct care tended to normalized level of thyroid hormones in 18 thyroid patients after 40 days of treatment | Interdisciplinary Journal of Yagya Research (dsvv.ac.in)

Aromatherapy and Yagya Therapy for Mental Health | Interdisciplinary Journal of Yagya Research (dsvv.ac.in)

Yagya Therapy Treatment Reduced Blood Glucose Level in Diabetic Patients in 2 weeks – a Single Arm Study | Interdisciplinary Journal of Yagya Research (dsvv.ac.in)

A case study of the effect of Yagya on the level of stress and anxiety | Interdisciplinary Journal of Yagya Research (dsvv.ac.in)

Yagya Therapy for Sub-Clinical Hypothyroidism: A Case Study | Interdisciplinary Journal of Yagya Research (dsvv.ac.in)

Yagya Therapy as supportive care in cancer patients improved quality of life: Case studies | Interdisciplinary Journal of Yagya Research (dsvv.ac.in)

Learn Your self and heal with Bhagavad Gita and Veda

Reading Bhagavad Gita help to understand our inner self

Therefore, according to the scriptures, Veda and Bhagavad Gita, the fundamental human problem is misplaced search for something in a place, where it is not available.

And therefore, the intelligent approach is to search for something in a place where it is available.

Now the question is:

Why do the human beings commit such a mistake?

And make the life a soup and go from struggle to struggle to struggle. Why?

The Vedas point out that these three basic needs are available within but hidden.

They are covered like the treasure that is covered under the ground or like the borewell water which is under the ground.

Struggling

One Swami who had an ashram, was struggling for water. Even an ordinary house, needs a lot of water. Imagine an ashram, where several members are there.

And that Swamiji dug all the ground, all over the ashram, to tap some source of water, he could not and he was struggling to get it from outside several places and 10 years he had to struggle sometime he gets, sometimes he does not.

This is a real incident. And one day he was standing outside waiting for someone and one government official from water department came with some hydrometer instrument, which can detect the ground water, it seems.

Then he said, why can’t we try and he asked the Swamiji to move a little bit standing on the gate and he kept the meter and found out that right underneath there is a huge and perennial source of water.

He has dug everywhere except that place.

So that Swamiji was jumping it seems like mokṣa.

Why was the struggle for 10 years. What he wanted he had but it was covered.

Similarly, the scriptures point out, we have the perennial borewell, which has got the permanent; what you call, source of these fundamental needs, viz., security, peace and happiness. But the problem is it is hidden by layers of covering.

And sometimes the water is so deep, we have different layers, one clay layer, some rubble layer, some other layer. Similarly, it is covered. And therefore, what is required to get these three.

What the Bhagavad Gita and Veda point out?

Remove the layers of covering and tap the borewell.

Free your mind and body with discipline, read and understand Bhagavad Gita helps to get peace.

Tap the eternal spring of security, peace and happiness. May you tap from the eternal spring. And this process is called discovery. Discovery means what? Dissing the cover.

Dissing means what, removing the cover.

The Swamiji did not produce water, because water was already there. He only removed the covering which was between him and water. Now the next question is: what are the layers that cover these three, so that I can handle appropriately. If the cover is stone and rubbles, you have to use a different weapon, instrument; if it is wet clay, you have to use an appropriate instrument; depends upon the type of covering.

The scriptures point out that there are three layers covering the spring security, peace and happiness within us is covered by three layers. The grossest, subtle and the subtlest, the finest layer and what are those three layers.

They are known as:

Malam: literally meaning impurity.

No.2 vikṣepaḥ: means a extrovertedness and literally means disturbance; disturbance caused by extrovertedness. Outgoing tendency.

And the third layer : avaraṇam, otherwise ajnanam, ignorance.

Malam, vikṣepaḥ and ajnanam.

Malam or impurity refers to varieties of mental problems, normally enumerated as the six fold impurities; six fold enemies, six fold obstacles to discover our inner joy. And those impurities are kamaḥ, krodhaḥ, lobhaḥ, mohaḥ, madaḥ, matsaryaḥ.

You would have heard kamaḥ, (desire), krodhaḥ, (Anger); lobhaḥ (Greed); mohaḥ (delusion); madaḥ (arrogance or vanity); matsaryaḥ (jealousy or competitiveness). These are the main six fold impurities in the mind. They make the first layer of obstacles in unearthing our inner joy.

Then the second layer of obstacle is, Vikṣepaḥ, the mental restlessness, mental wandering, mental extrovertedness is the second layer of obstacle, because of which I am not able to see; like when the water is turbulent, you cannot see the bottom of the river properly. If the water is muddied, you cannot see. That muddied water has got Malam (impurities).

The turbulent water has got Vikṣepaḥ (obstacle). When these two are there, you do not see what is down below. Similarly when the mind has got impurities and turbulence, you cannot recognize the truth behind.

And the third obstacle is called Ignorance; ignorance of the fact that I am the only source of these three. I am the spring of ananda (extreme happiness), the embodiment of security. I am full of, I have abundance of Shanti. This fact, I am ignorant. Ignorance is the third layer.

Therefore what is required; remove these three layers.

Three layers by appropriate: sadhana.

Bhagavad Gita is knowledge, practice it is liberation.

Sadhana means any discipline or exercise.

You may call it spiritual exercise, spiritual discipline, you have to practice. to remove these three obstacles.

And each discipline is called a yoga.

Yoga means that which unites the seeker with the destination.

Yoga means that which unites the seeker.

Me, with what?

The destination called security, peace and happiness. Like when the treasure-hunter uses different instruments, each one is like yoga because when obstacles are removed, who is united with whom?

The treasure-hunter is united with the treasure. So the hunter treasure-union is caused by this and that one which causes the union is called the Yoga.

The whole Ramayaṇa is compared to a spiritual journey. We have to use three different disciplines or yogas to recover the treasure; to claim my own treasure.

Three different disciplines or yoga to recover the treasure

And the three yogas prescribed in the scriptures.

Karma Yoga : to remove the first layer of obstacle.

The second yoga is called Upasana yoga to remove the second layer of obstacle.

The third one is called Jnana yoga to remove the third layer.

Karma Yogena mala nivrithi, you can understand these three Sanskrit sentences.

These three yogas do not bring anything but it connects me to my own treasure. It helps me claim my own wealth.

Like some people die, without writing proper will, and for the other survivor, to claim the property; it is his own property, their own property, but you have to go through so many procedures, and ultimately, what do you get. You do not get money, you have claimed the money which has been already yours. you are claiming your birthright

Thus three yogas are prescribed.

Karma Yoga is a life style consisting of proper action and proper attitude. What do you mean proper action? Any action which will primarily contribute to the reduction of kamaḥ, krodhaḥ, lobhaḥ, mohaḥ; instead of increasing them. Any action which will help in the reduction of the impurities is called proper action.

And proper attitude is the right attitude towards the action as well as the result of the action. A healthy attitude towards the action and its result which will help me grow through every experience. Healthy attitude is that which will help me.

The 3 Yoga mentioned in Bhagavad gita

Read, understand Bhagavad Gita and make your own opinion.

Proper action plus proper attitude is Karma Yoga.

Karma Yoga removes the first layer of impurity.

Then the second yoga is upasana Yoga; which consists of different types of meditations, different forms of meditations will help in quietening the mind. The extrovert, turbulent, restless, outgoing, wandering, fidgety mind has to have some relaxation. A stress-free mind is the result of Upasana yoga.

Removal of impurity can be translated as attaining purity.

Upasana Yoga will lead to Vikṣepaḥ nivṛttiḥ. Removal of restlessness which can be positively presented as attaining the steadiness of the mind; instead of wandering, the mind is steady and calm.

And then comes the third Yoga called: Jnana yoga.

It consists of enquiry into my real nature.

Do I require Peace from outside or is my very nature is peaceful?

Or am I the ever secure Aatma (soul) ?

Do I need happiness from outside or can I tap it from myself?

So Jnana yoga consists of self-enquiry, Self-analysis, atma vicaraḥ.

And if a person goes through Karma Yoga, Upasana Yogaḥ and Jnana Yoga, all these three layers are removed.

And there is no option in these three, because we have all these three layers; in fact very very thick; thick layers we have got. And therefore, to help us ingoing through these three yoga, and also discover the inner security, peace and happiness, our scriptures guide us and these wonderful scriptures who guide us are called the Vedas.

What the purpose of Vedas?

The Vedas are these wonderful scriptures whose only aim is helping us to tap our own wealth.

Veda means source of knowledge, and these Vedas are revelations from the Source itself. Vedas have down to us through the Riṣhis. Rishis are the receiving centers; just as we have transmission station and receiving station.

Source: Swami Paramathananda’s Bhagavad Gita, Lectures in Chennai

References

Psychiatry and the Bhagavad Gita – Psychiatry in sacred texts – PubMed (nih.gov)

Impact of Bhagavad Gita Course on College Students: A Study Based on Students Feedback – PubMed (nih.gov)

Psychotherapy in the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu scriptural text – PubMed (nih.gov)

Stress and its Expression According to Contemporary Science and Ancient Indian Wisdom: Perseverative Cognition and the Pañca kośas – PubMed (nih.gov)

Physiological patterns during practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique compared with patterns while reading Sanskrit and a modern language – PubMed (nih.gov)

Self-healing: the truth about body energy

Before to practice body cleansing and self-healing, it is always good to have some knowledges which did not come out of a wizard’s hat but from science and long time before from the knowledge of the Rishis [Indian sages] about 4000 years ago.

What you should know about your body energy

We do not have a single physical body, we have bodies, one of which is physical, palpable, and several energetic bodies that originate in the physical body and, less dense than it.

All in this world is composed by atoms.

What is an atom : your body energy healing?

The atom has a central nucleus surrounded by electrons. The electrons are connected to the nucleus by an electromagnetic force…Yes electromagnetic force…We can call that in common language : energy…Right?

The energetic bodies are closely linked to our physical body. They act on the health of the physical body, but also on our psycho-emotional health and aim at that.

We do not have a single physical body, we have bodies, one of which is physical, palpable, and several energetic bodies that originate in the physical body and, less dense than it, exceed it by several meters.

This is why it is important to take care of our energy bodies. To take care of them, it is to take care of its being in its totality in a link body-spirit.

Recharge your energy bodies to heal

There are many ways to recharge your energy bodies

To take care of them is to take care of one’s being in its entirety in a body-mind link.

What you give off and what you feel is directly related to the type of energy you carry.

So you understand that is important to clean like you are brushing your teeth after meals…otherwise wastes will stay there and compromising the balance by creating a nest of bacteria and therefore diseases.

It is the same phenomenon with your energy.

If you are surrounded by mostly negative thoughts, a toxic environment, as much by the quality of the air as by the people around you, if you eat mostly junk food, you understand that your energy is not the purest and that it is therefore necessary to do something to preserve and increase your life force.

More you feel stressed more you increase inflammation everywhere in your body.

That’s mean that you increase toxicity in your body.

Improving your health and your energy can be done step by step, quickly and very easily.

Healing is a process but you have to decide your self to do it.

The energy bodies and their roles in healing

The human body, like all matter, is made up solely of energy.

This energy is condensed and palpable. There are also other bodies that are more difficult to see and feel. These different energy bodies are of a faster frequency than the physical human body. They are superimposed on the physical body and exceed it.

The different energy bodies and the physical body are in constant and close relationship. A physical problem has its origin in an energy body.

The human body is energetic before it is biological:

– The researcher Georges Lakhovsky has demonstrated that cells are mini-transmitters/receivers mainly because of their DNA. They are also oscillating mini-systems in more or less close relation with their close environment (like cells, adjacent tissues) and their distant environment (the universe).

– Cells emit photons, therefore light, therefore waves.

– The body uses electricity for its functioning.

– The human body constantly needs cosmic and telluric energy to live.

Moreover, emotions and thoughts are also of a vibratory and energetic nature.

They are “lodged” in the energetic bodies of the human being and directly impact the physical body.

All this explains why energetic care is important for the preservation of the physical and mental health of people, but also of all living beings.

There are 5 layers in our body that we call Koshas in yoga and vedic practices:

Anna-maya kosha : the physical body

This first layer is called the body of food (anna), of organic matter, it is so called because it is made of it and it is dependent on it. Food (including water and oxygen) is the grossest form of prana (vital breath).

In our yoga practice, we interact at the Anna-maya kosha through postures (asanas), movement, tissue manipulation, and fasting.

2. Prana-maya kosha : the vital body

This envelope is made of vital energy (prana) with which it nourishes every cell of the physical body. In it is read the health of the physical body. Before being physical, illnesses have their energy imprint in this body (energy leaks, blockages, depression). This envelope is linked to the blood system and the kapha dosha.

Nadis Prana flows through the ( energy channels) and the chakras. the Prana spine, the sushumna where the main chakras. Each chakra will provide the necessary energy to the organs of its floor.

Prana is declined in 5 Vayus (winds, vital breaths): Prana Vayu, Apana Vayu, Samana Vayu, Udana vayu and Vyana vayu.

They are fundamental for physical, mental and emotional well-being. To act on prana-maya kosha, one must practice pranayamas, kryas, dynamic cleansing exercises such as prana vyayama (breathing exercises) and sukchma vyayama (is the system of yogic practices that loosens your joints and removes energy blockages This system thus has a strong purifying effect, thereby increasing body energy.Yogic Sukshma Vyayamas (Relaxing and Strengthening Practices) are safe, rhythmic and repetitive stretching movements.).

Mano-maya kosha : the mental and sensory body

Is composed of our mind and the 5 senses. It is the second envelope of our subtle body.

This is the system of sensations and emotions, judgments and thoughts that constitute our mind. Manas means “mind” in Sanskrit. All bodies are intimately linked. Thus the agitations in the mind, which is the most unstable envelope of all, disturb the lower koshas (1 and 2) and can block the higher koshas (4 and 5).

Remember, when we are angry our body blushes, the energy spins and we completely lose our sense of intuition and all the more joy. It’s fully against your healing.

The function of the mind is to receive information from the outside via the 5 senses, to transmit it to the intellect which manages and gives the order to act through the organs of action.

This is why yoga works a lot with the mind and the calming of the senses. This envelope is linked to the endocrine system and the pitta dosha.

Vijnana-maya kosha : the body of intellect and intuition

From our inner world arise thoughts, but the things that arise from a deeper and more subtle level are inner certainties that come from our body of wisdom, composed of intuition and knowledge responsible for discernment.

When thoughts subside, our inner voice can speak to guide us. Intuition simply expresses itself through consciousness, the part of ourselves that observes objectively. This is possible when we stop identifying with our thoughts, our emotions and become a witness of our life and our spirit. This envelope is reinforced by the control of the mind.

It is necessary to silence the mind to hear intuition and access the universal divine wisdom that is within us. It is not possible to develop intuition if the mind is agitated. The different techniques to develop this envelope are practices of concentration on the breath, sensation in the body, chanting of mantras, japa, yoga nidra and various techniques of self-observation, meditation.

But, it is also working on our convictions with the sankalpa (positive affirmation) because they create our thoughts, the thoughts create the pranic disturbances and the latter create disturbances at the level of the tissues. When we are in a state of extreme concentration, we fall into meditation and it makes vijnana-maya kosha grow.

This envelope is related to the nervous system and the vata dosha.

Ananda-maya kosha: causal body

This envelope, the 5th belongs to the causal body, the soul. It is our bliss body, composed of bliss, the deepest layer of our being.

It is our personal Self in connection with the Universal Self, filled with ecstasy, goodness, freedom, contentment, joy: ananda.

To penetrate this envelope, one must be in a state of deep meditation.

All our yoga practices exist to awaken us to this body, to our true nature, and so it becomes natural to feel the universal Self and to be awakened to what is beyond ourselves.

This body of bliss, unalterable and luminous, reveals itself after years of assiduous practice, sadhana.

This state of bliss can be felt during kirtan, meditation, yoga nidra.

To make this envelope grow, it is necessary to connect to the source, to watch a sunset, to make a pilgrimage, to be in direct reception with the divine energy of a master, of a place which vibrates very high, to meditate, to sing and kirtans.

Thus the Vedas (sacred Hindu texts over 4000 years old) enlighten us about the complexity of our being!

We see that the physical body and each of the subtle bodies are very dependent on each other. Purification of any of the koshas is beneficial to our spiritual progress and the expansion of consciousness as a whole.

How to heal and improve your health in just a few moments?

With quick and regular practice.

You will elevate health and emotions and then you will be able to heal or improve wounds, illness and imbalances, such their degree of severity.

Feeling more peace, feeling more energy, and in short feeling alive isn’t that bad Finally it is the goal of life… to live fully

Your body is capable of self-healing. We are made with natural self-healing mechanisms.

To activate them, we have to learn to relax, calm down and spend more pleasant moments.

This is simple.

Listen to your body and develop the connexion with it. I shouldn’t talk like that … I’m talking about 2 entities body and mind…but they are one, they have to be one. And if they are one you will feel complete and in peace.

You can find different methods suitable for different personalities:

Learn:

To meditate.
Yoga to feel and reconnect your body to be one : your body plus your mind.
To breath with simple technics called pranayama. It is detoxifying, relieving stress, resolve emotional and physical blockages.
To shift your energy flow and turn into negative to positive feelings.

There is many ways to do it, but I will give you the more easy, quick and efficient way to do it.

How to do a do an energy rebalancing

Exercice: The light shower

You can do this exercise at any time, when you are feeling a little tired or just like that, when the mood strikes you. It is the same basis as the “energy shower” seen above.

– Take the time to center yourself by taking a few deep breaths.

– Visualize a shower over your head. This shower is not sending water, but regenerative energy. Give it a basic golden color, but if it changes color, let it be, you naturally have the intuition to visualize what you need.

– Visualize and feel that this energy swells your aura and enters the cells of your skin, then those of your body more and more deeply.

– Inwardly affirm, “I am receiving universal energy, it is gently recharging me, I am grateful, thank you.”

– Feel your energy swell, your dynamism return, you are gently recharging.

Tip: you can take advantage of the moment in your day when you take a real shower to do the practice. Visualize that the water coming out of the shower head is carrying this universal energy that recharges you.

You want other methods for healing, please dive here 😘