A Natural High - getting more of a good thing!

​Dear All,

There is a popular myth that everybody only uses 10% of their brains*. Science has shown this myth to be a false one and that, in fact, we are using 100% of our brains. But what if there is some unintended truth in the original myth?

You could be using 100% of your computer but you'd clearly be missing something if you were doing this without an internet/wi-fi connection. This is what has been shown in sahaja yoga. The kundalini energy is that internet/wi-fi connection.

In the past couple of weeks we've looked at specific practices of 5000+ year old hatha yoga, compared it to our related experience in sahaja yoga meditation and can see how the physical wellbeing we're getting may be just a little bit of what could become a lot for many people in the future, whether or not they practice yoga or meditation.

But it's not just about improved physical health and looking younger. The kundalini, through your daily practice of meditation, is also switching on some lights in the brain.

Neuroscience knowledge about the brain is at the beginners stage. In this 14-min clip: Brain science of the future, Shri Mataji explains the connection between the cervical plexus ('vishuddhi') and the limbic system/brain ('sahasrara') and how the kundalini energy awakens dormant faculties in the brain.

The faculties that Shri Mataji refers to in particular are : 'the attention becomes enlightened' and 'collective consciousness'. We've discussed both these faculties previously but just to remind you: the enlightened attention is the attention that has the power of action in it and collective consciousness is being able to feel your connection to the whole. So these are two things you can do now that you couldn't do before.

Also described by Shri Mataji in the clip is the flow from the top of the head that creates the feeling of relaxation when you meditate. It's this sense of relaxation which can develop, with the daily practice of meditation, into the meditative bliss or natural high that some of you may feel. There's even a basis for this in science.

For a long time scientist couldn't understand why there are opioid receptor sites in the brain. Opioid receptors are what bind to the active  ingredient in recreational drugs to give the feeling of a high**. Surely, human beings weren't designed to all become drug-takers? Then scientist discovered that the body produces it's own opioids or endorphins that can come from eating chocolate, falling in love or running (runner's 'high').

But these don't sustain, may have side-effects and are drugs of another sort. The potential for the high that the brain has built into it is what is being actualised when the sahasrara is being opened out by the sahaja yoga meditation.

Recently, Science and Social Science have become engaged in the study of anti-aging and human happiness respectively. Both could be on the right track. And you have a headstart. To get more of a good thing and get to your natural high just keep meditating :o).

See at group meditation on Tuesday.

Regards

*We only use 10% of brain myth - Neuroscience for kids

** Drug action in the brain

Yoga of the hands & why the open hands in meditation.

Dear All,

You may recognise the respectful form of greeting shown above and  used in India and most parts of south-east asia. What you may not be aware of is that the hands placed together like that and positioned in front of the chest is a simple and effective way to balance your left and right sides(see: Achieving Emotional Fulfillment.), and encourage the flow of the kundalini energy to the crown of head, making it easier to meditate.

If you're at home while reading this, you could try it right now. Just press both palms together and place against the centre of the chest; and now close your eyes and see whether you can feel the flow of vibes in sahasrara(crown chakra). The heart chakra and sahasrara chakra are directly connected; so if the heart chakra opens the sahasrara chakra will automatically open as well. You only need to do this for a few minutes.

The hands used in this way is an example of mudra(compare to last weeks khecari mudra) - a yogic gesture which has the power of changing or increasing the flow of subtle energy. This one is called Anjali Mudra. Mudras are extensively used in Bharata-natyam, a form of Indian classical dance, which is a kind of musical mime using the hands(mudras), facial expression, sculptural poses and rhythmic footwork to depict some aspect of divinity.

In the dance clip below, Urmila Sathyanarayanan is portraying Shiva Nataraj ('Lord of Dance')- see notes, who is the archetype of the left heart chakra. 

Another common use of the hands in sahaja yoga meditation is when we place them palm-open on the laps to meditate. Why is that done rather than the typical yoga meditation position of thumbs touching index  finger ?
​
Shri Mataji explains the purpose of the open palms here and also puts into proper context the use of yoga asanas and pranayama(breathing). In answer to a question from the journalist, Shri Mataji makes reference to the predictions contained in some highly accurate, ancient astrological text - 'the Nadi Granth' - by Bhrigu Muni, wherein , amongst other things he says :

“Human beings, their old age will disappear, their body will remain as it is, and they will have a body which is divine.”

 

See you at group meditation on Tuesday.

Regards

Notes:

Shiva Nataraja

​By MicheleLovesArt (Tropenmuseum - Shiva Nataraja (6274-1)) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Bliss on the tip of the tongue - Khecari mudra + changed format of meeting

​Dear All,

Continuing our look at physical aspects of sahaja yoga meditation to coincide with National Yoga Month, here is Shri Mataji teaching some sahaja yogis the 'khecari mudra' in Vienna, Austria 1985 : Khecari Mudra .

What is the 'khecari mudra'?

Well, according to the extraordinary claims found in a 600 year old Indian text* relating to hatha yoga,as well as other sources,  the khecari mudra ('mudra' means yogic 'gesture') was the Queen of all mudras, the highest and the root of all other mudras. By the practice of this mudra, it was possible to catch on the tip of the tongue the nectar flow from the crown of the head and by so doing conquer disease, death and achieve immortality.

Oh, and by the way, also achieve raising of the kundalini. And be able to fly!

As Shri Mataji pointed out in various of her lectures, there was a great deal written about hatha yoga and raja yoga that was far from accurate. Possibly because the authors of the books were writing not from personal experience. The analogy Shri Mataji used to illustrate this, was of someone trying to turn the steering wheel and the wheels of a car without first turning on the ignition . The ignition being the initial awakening of the kundalini energy.

So, for our purposes, we can ignore the fantastical abilities the khecari mudra was said to bestow, and, instead, focus on the much more simpler one which is to activate the vishuddhi chakra in the throat. It's the vishuddhi chakra which , when clear, allows us to feel the vibes on the hands and around us. This is the 'sixth sense' that it has been predicted all human beings will have at some point.

The khecari mudra, as taught by Shri Mataji then is practiced by curling the tongue back in the mouth without touching the palate; pressing the chin against the chest and breathing in by pushing the chest out and stomach up; keeping the attention at the top of the head while the eyes remain open. The counterpart to this is to again curl the tongue back in the mouth; raise the head and look up; insert the index fingers(vishuddhi fingers) into the ears (the ears representing 'directions of space'/'akash'/ ether/ vishuddhi element) and keeping attention on sahasrara chakra.

While the regular practice of kechari mudra, which takes 2 minutes, won't cause you to fly, it will improve your vishuddhi chakra so that you can more easily feel vibes. When you are better at feeling vibes then it's an excellent way of helping you make better decisions and choices in almost everything. The truth of things is to be felt; not rationalised.

Changed format of meeting - focus on meditation:

Following our move from the large hall into the smaller space in The Hut and our slightly awkward first meeting there, we're adopting the suggestions some of you offered:

1.  Chairs - rows running length-wise to hall (rather than width-wise as at first meeting). This allows a comfortable amount of personal space for everybody and provides room for the workshops. It also allows easier entrance and exit from the hall.

2. Noise - Sam has kindly made a pact on our behalf with the downstairs hall users, who have agreed to be as quiet as possible when they leave their meeting. We're also keeping the door and cubbyhole into kitchen closed during our sessions. The ceiling windows will be opened instead.

3. Time - Since the meeting has been reduced to one hour (7:30 - 8:30pm) we are having to be smarter about the use of the time . So the emphasis is being placed on actual meditation and collectively achieving the thoughtless awareness state because it's in that state that all the magical stuff happens, even for the new-comers.

 In order to be able to do that, we're dispensing with the introductory talk and the video as fixed features of every single meeting. Instead they'll be an opportunity for you to develop your principal of guru if you want by explaining the mechanism of the kundalini, chakras and vibrations to any new-comers you happen to be working on in the 1-on-1 workshops. Shri Mataji's video talks will continue to be pushed out over these weekly emails as occasional short clips that you can watch in your own time whenever convenient. In the experience of many of us, listening to video talks can be incredibly powerful . The effect they can have on our own vibrations is described by the sanskrit word , ' karyanvit' which means 'it just works' ie listening to a talk(while thoughtless) can clear your chakras. You can avail yourself of the treasure trove of talks on youtube.

See you on Tuesday.

Regards

​* Hatha Yoga Pradipika

The Art of Sitting - Sahaj Asana

​Dear All,

At an international seminar in New Delhi, India, some years ago, a local resident told me that he once had what can probably only be described as a 'cosmic' experience during his regular practice of sahaja yoga meditation.

Apparently, his kundalini shot up so strongly that he only remembered two things: the tremendous sense of peace, joy and the panoramic view of everything  and coming out of the meditation the next day; having sat on the spot for some twelve hours or more.

Being polite, I didn't enquire whether he had missed work that day and what excuse he had given to his employer. But it seemed pretty impressive that anyone could sit still in one spot for that many hours and not need a comfort break.

Reflecting on our friends experience and comparing it to any similar experiences we may have had ourselves, it seems that the key to any sustained sitting in meditation is not only how  comfortably we're sitting, but also how effectively we're sitting.

Indeed, there's an art of sitting as far as meditation is concerned and in Zen, the words for 'meditation' and 'just sitting' are combined in the word 'Shikantaza' . In Sahaja Yoga meditation the most comfortable sitting is the most effective by definition, because then you are not distracted by a forced sitting position, and that's why sitting on a chair to meditate, as a matter of convenience, is fine.

However, if you haven't already tried this at home, then experiment by sitting on the floor to meditate. The simplest cross-legged position to sit in is the 'Sahaj Asana' shown above in the photo of the sahaja yogis in Brisbane, Australia. This posture is both comfortable as well as  beneficial to the mooladhara(root support) and swadisthana(pure attention and creativity) chakras. You may straight away feel the effect of this on how easier your meditation becomes.

In the west, the practice of sitting cross-legged on the floor disappears in childhood, which makes it difficult to sit that way later on. By contrast, children in India, China and other Asian countries grow up regularly sitting cross-legged on the floor. Sitting in such a way that the crossed legs form a firm triangular base for an upright spine can only improve attention, concentration and groundedness.

To help ease ourselves into learning how to sit in Sahaj Asana, if our legs are a little stiff and also remembering that this month of September is National Yoga Month, we could do some hatha yoga. Here is Shri Mataji giving guidance on doing baddhakona asana  which increases flexibility in the thigh muscles and knees which then makes  sitting in Sahaj Asana very easy: click here.

 

See you at group meditation on Tuesday.