Is your job ageing you fast ? Massaging away the stress.

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​Dear All,

There's perhaps no more stressful a job than being the leader of the U.S of A and the before and after headshots above, of Obama and Bush, show what it can do to you. Ok, so perhaps your job doesn't involve trying to balance a 17 trillion dollar budget but all it takes for the smile to get wiped off anyone's face is being in a tight spot.Regularly.

When we experience sustained stress over a period of time - especially at work where most people spend most of their time -  then it begins to show on our face as signs of ageing.

According to Ayurveda, there are two types of ageing: 'Kala jara' - timely ageing and 'Akala jara' - premature ageing'. This difference is recognised in western science as chronological age(kalajara) vrs. biological age(akalajara).

For example, two 30-year olds  sharing the same birthday could have different biological ages due to lifestyle and stress. The less stressed one may have a biological age of 21 and the more stressed out one may have a biological age of 40. This has implications on life expectancy, so it's clear that if you look after your body, then your body will look after you. The opposite is also true.(work out your body age below - see notes)

Ayurveda gives several daily practices that can be used to look after yourself and remove akalajara. The easiest of these, that anyone can do, are:  'shiro-abyanga' (head massage), 'pada-abyanga'(foot massage) and 'nyasa' (ghee nose drops).

An explanation of ghee nasal drops has already been given at a Tuesday group meditation session, so for now we'll just look at the head and foot massage.

The therapeutic value of head and foot massage, as far as sahaja yoga meditation is concerned, is that the chakras are mapped on both the feet(see: sustaining thoughtless awareness with footspa detox) and the head(see below), so by massaging them you're improving the state of your chakras. And therefore your over-all health and the depth and quality of your meditation.


 
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Here's a demo clip of the head massage . For the foot massage (best done after footsoak ) just work the oil* well into the toes and the soles of the feet.

See you at group meditation on Tuesday.

Regards

Notes:

* Coconut Oil is especially good for head and foot massage. Almond oil can also be used.

Concept of Ageing in Ayurveda

Chances of getting a stroke "more likely" with longer working hours.

What's your body age?

Overcoming barriers to progress - habits,conditionings & the back agnya

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​Dear All,

If you're finding it difficult to make progress or achieve a break-through in any area of your life, whether career or personal (or even in sahaja yoga meditation - see notes), the state of your back agnya chakra could hold the key. Here's a simple way  to clear the back agnya chakra and help you remove the blocks that may be holding you back in life.

The back agnya chakra is located in the small bump at the back of the head and in medical terms corresponds to the occipital lobe, which controls the eyes, and is part of the cerebral cortex, which is the seat of memory ie store of past events.

All our past experience of things, can influence us at a subconcious level.  The bigger the load of the past we carry with us then the bigger the influence. The bigger the influence then the bigger the brakes or drag on our forward progress. It's like running to catch a flight at the airport while carrying a large, heavy suitcase(not on wheels).

As human beings, we're all creatures of habit and conditioning, so we're all carrying some suitcase with us. It may be a small one for some people and a large one for others. Some people's suitcase could contain not only their own items but also items belonging to Auntie Sally or Uncle Billy ie ancestors. Or books they've read or anything that has entered into the subconcious mind(even advertising -see notes).

 

The suitcase could show as repeated patterns of behaviour leading to the same undesired outcome ie being your own worst enemy; difficulty in sustaining a positive change; clinging to old 'knowledge' or old ways(being stuck in the past) and not fully embracing the new; lacking confidence and having doubts about yourself.

So how do you clear the back agnya chakra and set yourself free from any weight of past conditioning?

Easy.

There are two sahaja yoga methods; which can be used: Mantra or a candle & photo.

1. Mantra
Use of 'Mahaganesha' mantra with left palm  placed on back of the head(on the back agnya). Mantra can be said three times followed by short meditation. The Mahaganesha mantra is : 'Om twameve sakshat Shri Mahaganesha sakshat Shri Adi Shakti Mataji, Shri Nirmala Devi namoh! namah!'

This could be included as part of your daily meditation for about a week and see whether you begin to notice the difference.

2.Candle & photo
Since the back agnya relates very much to the eyes; if you clear the eyes then you're clearing the back agnya. To clear the eyes watch the hands in the photo above through a candle flame without blinking until the eyes begin to water. Then blink hard and let the tears wash the surface of the eyes. This technique has the added benefit of improving the health of your eyes if done regularly. (see: candle treatment for agnya chakra)

With practice and as the back agnya begins to clear some of the common indications are a feeling of lightness in the personality; more optimism about the future; increased motivation and zest for life - this can also be accompanied by de-clattering of your home by throwing out many old items that had just been sitting there gathering dust.

See you at group meditation on Tuesday. And the hand photo above will be available at the meeting to take away with you.

Regards

Notes:

The Kundalini is made up of many millions of strands of energy and the number of these that actually rise from the sacrum bone at the base of the spine to the limbic area of the brain determines the depth of self-knowledge a person practicing sahaja yoga meditation is able to achieve(Buddha's nirvana was achieved by the whole kundalini coming up at once). The kundalini awakening is the easy part and many people can get it. But initially just a few strands of the energy come up . Afterwards the real work begins. Which is where the meditation and motivation('pure desire') come in . As a result of conditionings - back agnya- one of three things may happen : the experience of the awakening of the kundalini may not register at all for one person and they may choose not to follow it up; a second person may feel that something has happened to them but because they set the experience in the context of other 'knowledge', practices, or ideas, the uniqueness of the kundalini experience may get so diluted as to fade out. A third person may get over this hurdle, usually because they have read less or not tried many other things before. The barrier for the third person is sahaja yoga 'knowledge' itself because knowledge about the chakras and subtle system seems finite and after it has been understood, then what? So monotony and boredom may set in and the result could be like repeating class 4 over and over . So clearing the back agnya is very helpful.

* See Packard Vance - The Hidden Persuaders about subliminal methods used  in advertising (New York Times Book review 30/12/2007 )

Meditate: Free Download- Meditation MP3 for your iphone/mobile

​Dear All,

At the group meditation last Tuesday there seemed to be agreement that the main reason why it's difficult to meditate is because it can sometimes be difficult to stop thinking. The cure for this is to clear the right swadisthana chakra and here's a reminder of how this is done: Curing excessive  thinking .

On the video clip Shri Mataji blows into the mic. What's that about? As mentioned at last weeks meeting, it has the effect of mantra - ie the use of sound to clear chakras.

In many of the self-realisation programs conducted by Shri Mataji, the blowing in the mic was usually included after the affirmations to awaken the kundalini. And had the effect of helping the kundalini energy to come to the top of the head and lead to a state of mental silence.

Because of this mental silencing effect, even listening to just this sound of blowing can help to achieve meditation. You can experiment for yourself. Here is an mp3 of the sound extended to 10minutes which you can download to your mobile and use for a short 10 minute meditation at home, on the bus or at work during your lunch break:

Click here to listen/download

When listening to the mp3 keep your attention at the top of your head and see whether you notice how you feel on the vishuddhi chakra in the throat. The effect likely to be more noticeable after meditating with this more than once.

See you at group meditation on Tuesday.

Regards

Nourishing yourself through your meditation - The Five Nectars

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Dear All,

At the end of this email there's a simple recipe for easily making a nourishing milk,honey and yogurt-based  ayurvedic drink called 'panch-amrit' ('5 nectars').

 

According to Ayurveda (traditional indian medicine), we are what we eat. Literally. The different foods we eat are broken down in digestion and the resulting nutrients are used by the body to replace and maintain different parts of our physiology - skin, hair, bones, blood etc.

 

The nutrients can be graded and the highest grade of nutrients go to form the body's most vital essence, 'Ojas' , on which a person's energy of life, magnetism and reproductive health depend . The 'panchamrit' is said to build up the Ojas.

 

As nourishing as the pancamrit may be however, it is a symbolic representation of what the subtle body produces naturally in sahaja yoga(kundalini) meditation.

 

In an ancient text about the kundalini, 'The Lalita Sahasranama', this internal subtle mechanics of the  body is described in the following simple way in verse 106.

* 106 * Sudha sarabhi varshini - She who makes nectar flow in all our nerves from sahasrara i.e. she who gives the very pleasant experience of the ultimate 

 'Sudha' in sanskrit means nectar or 'Amrit'( ambrosia ) . The first two images at top are depictions of the Greek Goddess Hebe , the bearer of the pot of nectar. The third image is of Mohini , the Indian equivalent.

When kundalini reaches the sahasrara chakra at top of head and you're in thoughtless awareness state you may begin to  feel a pleasant sensation of vibes flowing from the top of the head, down the sides of your face and then down into your body.  This is the 'Sudha'/Vibrations and how it's broken down and begins to transform your appearance is described here: How effects of meditation can show on the face.

At the group meditation last Tuesday, we rounded off the meditation by bringing the fingers of the right hand together and then pressing the fingertips into the navel/nabhi chakra in the stomach. By doing this we could begin to feel the flow of sudha from the top of the head into the nabhi. Since the nabhi chakra looks after our nourishment and well-being, if you are able to do this regularly  in your meditation at home, then you may begin to see and feel how your meditation is nourishing you.

Incidentally, the power of all your chakras can be improved, in a similar way, by putting your attention on any chakra you wish and letting the vibrations flow into it at the end of your meditation.

Here's the Recipe for Panchamrit: Panchamrut Recipe Benefits and History . Of course, you can make a much larger quantity than that shown in the video clip, by using more of the ingredients in a larger vessel and keeping the relative proportions of the ingredients the same. Once you have prepared it (in silver/china/glass bowl - never in plastic), you can leave it in front of your meditation photo for about 15 minutes so that the panchamrit becomes vibrated. Then drink or store in fridge. It's best digested on an empty stomach, so best time is first thing in the morning or before you go to bed at night.

If you have any questions about making the panchamrit feel free to email me back.

See you at Group Meditation on Tuesday.

Regards