Brahmari Sadhana is the practice of Brahmari pranayama, with the mantra Soham. In Sanskrit Brahmari is bee, and the pranayama is akin to a bee humming. It comes from the humming sound made while exhaling. Brahmari pranayama is the life-force that vibrates the whole brain by control of the pituitary gland. Continue reading
Be your own light.
Heraclitus’s famous analogy of life to a river: “Upon those who step into the same rivers, different and ever different waters flow down.” Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher. The central idea of his philosophy was the unity of opposites and the concept of change. He observed the world as being in a state of constant flux. Nothing remains the same and the world is impermanent. It is changing continuously. Our ignorance is responsible for this false perception. Adi Shankara calls this ignorance avidya and to remove this we need that light, which is from within. Continue reading
Merging of Soham with Hamso.
Start rhythmic breathing. Breathe in and out with full awareness. As you breathe in, be aware of the breath passing down from the navel. As you breathe out, be aware of the breath passing up from the navel. Be aware of soundless, peaceful and relaxed breathing. Continue reading
The individual sounds of So and Ham.
In the first stage, one synchronized Soham with the breath. In the second stage, one synchronized Hamso, with the breath. Now in the third stage the introspection is upon the individual sound of So with the ingoing breath and Ham with the outgoing breath. After So there is a pause again and after Ham. Be aware of the two individual sounds and do not unite them. Continue reading
During the first stage of Ajapa japa, one introspects upon So with ingoing breath and Ham with outgoing breath. Now in the second stage, the process is reversed. Continue reading
Following the spiritual life in today’s society of consumerism and materialism without creating discord and imbalance in our daily life is not an easy goal. The principles of Vedanta are too complex for us. We require some sadhana which is easy to understand and accept. Tantra is the middle way, and its master principle is: Continue reading
Fear is everywhere. We are terrified of Covid; the wars all over the world are causing sadness and disturbance in our lives. Forest fires have caused terrible damage and there is flooding in different countries. The biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. It is essential for us to face these fears. Continue reading
It is a question which is dominant in our mind and sometimes we never find the answer? It leads to dissatisfaction and frustration. The answer is within us. We have to know how to find it. It is not easy and the key to this lock is Yoga. Yoga means balance between the body and mind. Continue reading
Anger is present everywhere. How do you see anger? What is its color? Black, red, purple or white? Now think about these colors. Black is a color which symbolizes power, sophistication and also evokes images of death, misfortune and evil. Yet we say black with rage. Red is a color of passion and energy. Yet it also represents anger. Purple is a color of spirituality and imagination. Yet it is also said purple with rage. Last is white which is associated with purity and innocence. Again we say white with rage. All these colors have such powerful associations and when we express annoyance, all these colors become negative in their representation. Continue reading
Our individual consciousness is known as awareness. It is immortal and it is mixed with sense, body and mind awareness. This awareness is the form of ‘I am’. With this comes awareness of my body, my senses, my mind, and my identity. We learn how to purify our awareness in the sadhana of Yoga. Continue reading
Today in the morning I was playing the chants in the garden. The birds started singing and whistling when Krishna Das was singing Hanuman Chalisa. They enjoy his singing, whether it is in Goa, Delhi or Germany. The crows like a harder voice and they cawwed to their hearts content with Aditya Hyrdayam. We soon had a bird band. Continue reading
In all forms of Hindu worship, one form is used and that is joining our hands in Namaste. The palms of the hands are simply placed together in front of the chest. We are bowing to god. This act shows respect to the gods, and it also expresses our humility. Continue reading
Purusha and Prakriti emerged from the split. The kundalini is the subtlest form of energy and indivisible part of pure consciousness. Energy and consciousness have separated and united to create the cosmos and they are striving to unite in our physical body. Continue reading
What are we looking for? Are we tending our mind and body? Do we see an unruly, unkempt garden or do we see beauty, bird song, buzzing of bees, colours and fragrances? Are we pulling the weeds out, and leaving the roots in? Are we disgusted with our lives and are we exaggerating what are we encountering? We have to grasp firmly what we are seeking? Continue reading
In these extraordinary times, we are all spending a great deal of time with ourselves. Self-exploration is the process to find out what is invaluable to us by self-introspection. What is right for us, and how do we accept ourselves as we are. We live in the universe which is composed of space, air, fire, water and earth. It is also our composition. Continue reading