622 – Gifts from Yoga

The list is unending of the gifts which I have received from the practice of Yoga. They are too many to enumerate. I will start with the first one. Compassion and empathy. These are words freely used by us and how many of us understand the meaning. I also found them difficult to understand. I imagined being sympathetic was enough and then after maybe shedding a tear or saying, ‘you poor thing’ forgetting about the person and the issue. Continue reading

509 – The umbrella of self-love

The umbrella of love is the new kind of self-love. What is the significance of the umbrella? God is the ultimate umbrella of protection over all of us. Protection arises from love.

What is self-love? Self-love is a state of appreciation for oneself from having a high regard for one’s own wellbeing. Self-love is not inclusive and therefore to understand a new kind of self-love, which is an umbrella, let us examine this quote by C. S. Lewis. Continue reading

507 – The release of prana in powerful words

What happens to us when we say potent words aloud?

Love, our face lights up. We have a warm feeling inside us.
Joy is an expression of delight and jubilation. We smile.
Friendship, when we have affection and respect for someone. We are included.
Compassion being sensitive to others.
Empathy when we relate to others’ problems.
Hate and anger are intense emotions. They result in an adrenalin rush. We frown, look cross and add lines to our face.
Fear triggers another release, when we say that we are afraid, it reduces our level of fear, or it can further exaggerate it. Continue reading

500 – Practice Atmabhava every day – Part 1

The practice of Atmabhava (love for humanity) is like being aware of all the gods 24/7. We have seven days in the week and each day is allocated to a God.

Monday is dedicated to Shiva. Devotees fast for the whole day and can have one meal only. Fasting starts after sunrise. After rising from the bed, one should meditate on Shiva. Then have a bath and offer prayers to Shiva and Parvati. If fasting, wear white clothes. White flowers and white food are offered. Benefit is to receive Shiva’s blessings. Continue reading

336 – Can I evaluate my personality?

When one thinks of oneself then one assesses oneself as being either a very good person or that one is a rude person. It is not possible to evaluate one’s personality according to Swami Satyananda Saraswati. One never looks at one face in the mirror objectively. One may think that one is hideous or drop dead beautiful. It is never possible to see oneself as one is. Continue reading

206 – How to chase your blues away?

When you are far away from your home and you are on your own, you may feel alone and homesick. I remember when I came to Yoga Vidya for the first time, I was enchanted as it was like being in a wonderfully quiet and beautiful place. I had come alone and I was going to teach a new subject, Prana Healing. I was nervous though I had been teaching for many years and had worked in challenging situations. Continue reading

145 – The air element and anahata connection

The air element is moving constantly and the anahata chakra is in the middle. The anahata chakra is described as the unstruck sound. It is associated as the centre for our wellbeing, our feelings, and emotions. Our atma resides in our heart. It is always pure and uncontaminated. Continue reading