Meditation for Restful, Refreshing Sleep

Times are stressful. Here is a easy meditation to help you with your sleep.

MEDITATION FOR A RESTFUL, REFRESHING SLEEP

POSTURE:Sit comfortably. The spine straight. 
Place the hands in the lap. Palms up, with the right hand over the left. The thumbs are touching and point forward.

EYES:Focus the eyes at the tip of the nose, with the eyes half closed.

BREATH:Inhale in four equal parts, while mentally reciting the mantra “Saa Taa Naa Maa” on each part of the inhale. The mantra is mentally chanted four times for a total of 16 beats.

Hold the breath in, while mentally reciting the mantra “Saa Taa Naa Maa” four times, or 16 beats.

Exhale in two equal parts, while mentally reciting “Wha-hay Guru.” Wah-hay is recited on the first part of the exhalation, and Guru is recited on the second part of the exhalation.

TIMING:Continue for 15 minutes to 62 minutes.

COMMENTS:Practice this meditation in the evening to help you enter into a deep, restful sleep. You will wake refreshed. When practiced regularly, your sleep becomes deep and relaxed. Rest allows nerves to regenerate. After a few months, you will breathe in the same rhythm as the meditation while sleeping. 

Meditation for Restful and Refreshing Sleep

From "Allowing Inner Peace" Kundalini Yoga Manual for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

It is Up to You to Create Your Beautiful Story

The power of your story will dictate how you act
and react to the environments around you.

Whether you have a meditation practice or not, remind yourself to pay attention to your thoughts as you act and react to situations. You will find that you replay over and over the same narratives to describe your experiences and interactions. 

The power of your story will dictate how you act and react to the environments around you. 

Are you are living the life of hard knocks? Or are you living a life that is polishing you from coal to diamond?

Today, turn your attention to the language you use and the thoughts you have that explain your life and the world around you. Story is so embedded in our experience that it’s often invisible, but this is where we can truly make a difference. 

Our personal stories impact our emotional wellbeing and human experience. Our thought processes follow the same training principles that we use to train our bodies. 
In other words, stories are “muscular.” Each telling is a repetition, whether out loud or in our mind. With repeated tellings, the story becomes more powerful in our experience, leading the way for our observations, expectations, attitudes and behavior. 

Once we understand the true depth and power of narrative in our lives, we become a lot more mindful of the stories that we tell and listen to.

Feeling Stressed?

Information blasts from every side. Revolution. Coup. Who? What? How?

It doesn't take an expensive workshop to ease stress. 

Find some stones and stack.
Stack.
Chant.
Clear your mind.

Meditation During Revolution: Inner Conflict Resolver Reflex

The week grind on. Everyone that I know is stressed. Talk of revolution and politics cut into every conversation. As the rush of revolution adrenalin subsides, we are left sorting through a deluge of information.

Stories. Replay. Analysis. Videos. Tweets. Facebook. 
What to believe? Who to believe? Rumours run Rampant!

Years ago, long before Twitter and Facebook, I remember Yogi Bhajan telling us of the coming Age of Aquarius. He warned us that we would be overwhelmed with information. All secrets would be revealed. All lies exposed. Everyone would know everything about everyone. I sit here once again after another wave of millions of people came together outside my front doorstep. I not only hear my teacher's words, but experience his vision. 

The flood of "news" is overwhelming. Media hyped stories with points of view jabbed in from every angle: images challenge images; words reversed; words spewed.
Writers and commenters confuse us with propaganda, changing media strategies, and retelling of events ad nauseam. We take sides. We push. We pull. We argue. We agree. We judge. We stalemate.  

The cacophony holds us in confusion. Emotions get stuck in deadlock.
Maybe you find yourself in anxiety. Maybe you find yourself in hopelessness. Maybe you find yourself fear. Maybe you find yourself in euphoria.

Our inner conflicts block our ability to think and act clearly. We want to find the Truth, but we don't know how to navigate through the depths of information. 

I say, take a break.
Turn off your television. Log out of your internet. 
Take a seat. Pause. Take your breath. 

When you depend on your mind to discern what is true, it will lead you to duality. Our minds are not equipped to handle the flood of information coming at us. The mind is expert in volleying back and forth with arguments for and against. 

When your breath pattern changes it disturbs your prana, your life force. This disturbance puts us into an inner conflict. Our energy gets scattered. Rather than being centered, the energy moves distressed through our being. We are are unable to determine our own course of action. We are unable to discern our Truth. 

Inner Conflict Resolver Reflex 

This meditation resolves many conflicts and is an automatic reflex for survival. The effect is certain, gradual, and simple.

Kundalini Yoga Meditation: Inner Conflict Resolver Reflex

Inner Conflict Resolver Reflex

POSTURE: Sit in an Easy Pose, with a light jalandhar bandh.

EYES: Close the eyes 9/10ths of the way.

MUDRA: Place the hands over the chest, with the palms on the torso at the level of the breasts. The fingers point toward each other across the chest.

BREATH: The key to this meditation is attention to the breath. Inhale deeply and completely for 5 seconds. Exhale completely for 5 seconds. Hold the breath out for15 seconds, by suspending the chest motion as you pull in the Navel Point and abdomen.

TIME: Begin with 11 minutes. Build up to 31 or 62 minutes.

TO END: Inhale deeply and stretch the arms up over the head. Relax the breath and shake the arms and hands for 15-30 seconds. Relax.

~~~~~~~~~~~

This breath pattern holds the breath out three times as long as it is held in. So, the body senses a lack of prana in vital areas of functioning and asks how it can quickly and optimally reorganize itself to respond to this survival threat. The fibers of the Pranic Body extend and re-channel the prana to form a new pattern filled with clarity and action potential. 

Your built-in computer can calculate your total resources and the level of challenge, then design a strategy to prepare and use the mind and body effectively.
Be honest with the breath timing, and the meditation will be honest with you.  

- Yogi Bhajan

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Meditation during Revolution: Meditation for a Calm Heart

The last few nights have been challenging to keep a focused mind and focused breath. Military helicopters flying overhead. The energy pulsing from Tahrir. Constant checking Twitter to find out where gun fire is coming from. I can't settle into sleep. Nervous. Anxious.
 During the day, we can see the people in the streets. At night, we can only hear gun fire and shouting. A battle is being waged, but I don't want my fear to play into the scene. I am in the middle of this war zone. But, I chose to be calm for those that are not calm.
Rather then fret, I practiced a meditation that I frequently teach in class. I practice it when I find it hard to be calm and find center.

Meditation for a Calm Heart 

POSTURE: Sit in an Easy Pose, with a light jalandhar bandh. 

EYES: Either close the eyes or look straight ahead with the eyes 1/10th open.

MUDRA: Place the left hand on the center of the chest at the Heart Center. The palm is flat against the chest, and the fingers are parallel to the ground, pointing to the right. 

With the right hand, make Gyan Mudra (touch the tip of the index (Jupiter) finger with the tip of the thumb). Raise the right hand up to the right side as if giving a pledge. The palm faces forward, the three fingers not in Gyan Mudra point up. 

The elbow is relaxed near the side with the forearm perpendicular to the ground. 

BREATH: Concentrate on the flow of the breath. Regulate each bit of the breath consciously.
Inhale slowly and deeply through both nostrils.
Then suspend the breath in and raise the chest. Retain it as long as possible.
Then exhale smoothly, gradually, and completely. When the breath is totally out, lock the breath out for as long as possible. 

TIME: Continue this pattern of long, deep breathing for 3-31 minutes.
To End: Inhale and exhale strongly 3 times. Relax.

When you hold the breath in or out for "as long as possible," you should not gasp or be under strain when you let the breath move again.

Invoke the spirit of Mother Earth with your own body.

As I travel from one part of the earth to another part of the earth, I set my intentions for connection. A dear friend recommended this meditation to me a few years ago after having a frightful incident during the revolution. I use it now when I need to connect to the earth before I travel. ps: do this on the ground, not a tree stump ;-0

Old Gypsy Way of Calling on the Spirit of Mother Earth

This meditation will connect and calm you.

Posture: Sit in Easy Pose with a straight spine, and a light Neck Lock.

Mudra: Raise the arms up 60 degrees from horizontal, elbows and wrists straight. Stretch the body forward slightly from the plane of the body. The angle of the palms follows the angle of the arms. The fingers are straight and together, thumbs relaxed.

Visualization: Imagine a flame at the Heart Center. Do not move.

Breath: Breathe consciously, long and deep.

Time: 3 minutes.

To End: Inhale deeply with a prayer for the loftiness of Creator Mother Earth and peace. Hold for 15 seconds. Exhale. Inhale deeply. Feel in your heart the blessing of the Divine Mother. Hold for 15 seconds. Exhale. Inhale deep. Feel the taste of the sweetness of life. Hold for 15 seconds. Exhale.

Yogi Bhajan originally taught us this meditation on July 4, 1994

Vision of a New Paradigm

Last week, a friend sent me this link :

New Reality Transmission dot com

Despite the link leading me to an Adobe Flash web site...and that I dislike Flash web sites...I clicked through the long presentation that is essentially a call for uplifting group consciousness. It's also a good numerological date for group meditation. 11-11, kinda catchy. Here's the summary:

On 11-11, 2010, one million people across the globe will mentally project a unified vision of a new paradigm for our species... a new reality.  The very real physics that connects human consciousness with molecular structure will be harnessed en masse during the largest scale simultaneous manifestation transmission in recorded history.

I do hope that you will find yourself on the 11th of November at the time of 11:11 taking 11 minutes to envision peace. And then for the next 11 days thereafter, take 11 minutes of your day to join in this group meditation. Envision the true cooperative hearts of our planetary family coming together like millions of rain drops into a serene sea of water.

May we move from fear to peace. From dis-connection to connection. We are one. There is only one.

**** November 11 2010 group meditation ******

Welcome to a New Year

Today, a dear friend forwarded me two documents. I am posting one of them here to share in the hopes that if you are visiting this blog, you will take time to read:

Ho'oponopono -- Healing Through Radical Total Responsibility
The idea of Ho’oponopono is to work directly with The Divinity, saying to
The Divinity incessantly:

“I Love You; 

I am sorry; 

Please forgive me for {whatever is going on in me} that I perceive this in a certain way. 

Thank You.”

Then, allow The Divinity to make the corrections, which is to transmute the garbage (memories) in subconscious mind back to Zero. From that Zero (void), Divinity can come forth.

Dr. Hew Len says that he was originally trained to go out and help people, but then he realized that that doesn’t work:
What works ultimately, is when I realize that the world is within me, and that to change the world, I have to change it within myself.

I have to change whatever is going on in me (my memories), which requires taking 100% responsibility.
The Ho’oponopono process is: “I Love You; I am sorry; Please forgive me for whatever is going on in me that I perceive this in a certain way; Thank You.”, and allow The Divinity to do whatever, with NO expectations.

I have come to the realization that the world is what is going on in me.

When a “problem” comes up in my life, I say: “I Love You; I am sorry; Please forgive me for whatever is going on in me that is causing me to feel this pain; Thank You.”.

Built into the “I Love You” is the process of repentance and forgiveness, and that is my responsibility.

Divinity’s responsibility is to say: “I have heard you”, and then: “I am going to take care of that for you, and I am going to erase it when I feel it is right and perfect to ME to do so”.

My job is very simple: - I take 100% responsibility for whatever is going on in me, and Divinity will do whatever needs to be done.

If I knock, the door will open. If I ask, I will receive.

the mind is only moved by 2 Laws: Memory and Inspiration

Dr Hew Len points out that the mind is only moved by two laws: Memory or Inspiration.
When I say to The Divinity in me: “I Love You; I am sorry; Please forgive me for whatever is going on in me that I perceive this in a certain way; Thank You.”, Divinity knows what the garbage (memories) are, but it is not something that I know.
I know that my intellect has no idea of what is going on, because out of 15 million bits of information available, my conscious mind is only aware of 14/15 of them.

Dr Hew Len says that nothing can happen to us unless it is already in our data bank (subconscious mind), because that is the Law of Cause and Effect.

So I look within myself, and ask The Divinity to erase the causes in me (whatever these memories are) what would cause me to see the world in a way that The Divinity didn’t create it.

I know that Divinity created the world perfect.:
I say to The Divinity in me: “I Love You; I am sorry; Please forgive me for whatever is going on in me that I am experiencing this; Thank You.”

Q: What gets erased by The Divinity so that my problems stop?
A: I have no idea: - That’s The Divinity’s job, not mine! – I am not doing The Divinity’s job.
Divinity erases; I am just saying: “I Love You; I am sorry; Please forgive me for whatever is going on in me that I perceive this in a certain way; Thank You.”

By saying to that which is in me “I Love You”, I am allowing The Divinity to transmute the errors (memories) in me.
“I am saying to The Divine in me: “I Love You; I am sorry; Please forgive me for this pattern in me; Thank You.”, because I want to disengage from my memories, and allow The Divinity to erase those memories”:

The Divinity is releasing and erasing the memories in me that cause me to perceive things to be a certain way.
I only work on the garbage (memories) in me that causes me to experience things in a certain way.
Divinity created everybody perfect, what is not perfect is the garbage (memories) in us.

When I say to The Divinity: “I Love You; I am sorry; Please forgive me for whatever garbage there is in me, that is causing me to experience rudeness; Thank You.”, The Divinity is then willing to reach down into my subconscious mind, and erase those memories, bringing me back to The Zero State.

The Universe was created out of the void, so when my mind goes back to Zero, I am free.
Out of this Zero State, Divinity then sends inspiration, so that I know what to do.

I am not here to save anybody; I am just here to clean my own stuff (memories).
Source: Zero Limits – By Dr Vitale and Dr Hew Len; News for the Soul Internet Radio..
*****

Step into those thoughts and go through them

It's the shortest day of the year and the longest night of the year. I'm preparing my sacred space for the next few weeks of my own personal workshop. As I have been mopping the floors and dusting my meditation area, I have been chanting with "Destiny" a recording of Yogi Bhajan.

"Love is Love"

"I have no body, I have no mind, I have no spirit,

I am just the breath of God, the breath of life,

breath of life, breath of God."

The sun is setting behind the mountains and the sea is looking beautiful and calm.

I stumbled upon this entry from yogicwisdom.blogspot.com -- quotes from Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

"When something bothers you too much in the mind, you want to talk. This is in between. I tell you, when something bothers you in the mind, get into action---work. You will see that gives a bigger relief."

Action. <<--->> Work. <<--->> Chant.

++++++


**

KY meditation for when you don't know what to do

What It Will Do for You

When you don’t know what to do, try this meditation. It is very simple, but very powerful if done correctly. It coordinates both areas of the brain, gives you powerful insight and coordinates the mystery of spiritual phenomena into the mastery of the three bodies (physical, mental and spiritual). Though it looks simple, it solves many complications. It is sometimes called gyan mudra kriya.

How to Do It

Sit straight, crosslegged or in a chair. Relax the arms down by the side of the body. Bend the elbows and raise the hands up and in until they meet at the level of the chest. The fingers of each hand are extended and joined in a relaxed way. Cross the hands with both palms facing toward the chest. One palm rests in the other and the thumbs are crossed. The fingers point up at a comfortable angle. (The position of left and right hand is interchangeable for this exercise.)
Look at the third eye, then bring the eyes to the tip of the nose.

Inhale through the nose, then exhale through the nose.
Now, inhale through the mouth, and exhale through the mouth.
Next, inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth.
Finally, inhale through the mouth, and exhale through the nose.
Continue this sequence.

All breaths should be deep, complete, and powerful.
When breathing through the mouth, purse the lips almost as if to whistle.

Start practicing this kriya for 11 minutes and gradually increase the time to a half hour.

Taught by Yogi Bhajan on March 2, 1979

Meditation to Change the Ego

Posture: Sit in Easy Pose, with a light jalandhar bandh. (Read how to apply this body lock after YB comments below.)

Eye Position: Fix the eyes on the knuckles of the thumbs. Narrow the eyelids.

Mudra: Keep the spine straight and the chest slightly lifted. Relax the arms down at the sides. Raise the hands in front of the center of the chest at the level of the heart. The palms face toward each other. Curl the fingers into a loose fist. Keep the thumbs extended and point them upwards. Bring the hands toward each other until the top segment of the thumbs touch along the side of the thumbs. The rest of the hands stay separated.

Breath Pattern:

Bring your concentration to the breath. Create a steady breath rhythm with the following ratio and pathway:

INHALE through the nose slowly. The length is about 8 seconds.
HOLD in the breath for about 8 seconds.
RELEASE the breath through the nose in 8 equal strokes.
HOLD the breath OUT for 8 seconds.

Once this pattern is set, you can gradually increase the time from 8 seconds to as long as you like. If you increase the time, keep the time equal in each section of the pranayam.

Time: Begin this practice gradually. Start with 3 minutes. Increase the time to 31 minutes by adding 3-5 minutes per week of practice.

To end: At the end of a session, inhale deeply, stretch the hands over the head, and open and close the fists several times. Relax the breath.

Comments from Yogi Bhajan:
This meditation has many effects. It can be used to combat tension and hypertension. It also creates a deep concentration and a detachment that allows you to observe your attachments. Once you identify your attachments, you can let them go by dis-identifying with them, or by giving the object of attachment to the Infinite, the Cosmos, or God.

Sometimes you will hear strong inner sounds such as drums, bells, whistles, etc. Part of this can be due to pressure adjustments in the skull and eardrums. if the sounds develop in deep meditation, it is a normal adjustment of the neurons in the cortex. This phenomenon will pass quickly and should not distract you from the primary focus and process of the meditation.

(This meditation was originally taught by Yogi Bhajan in July 1979)

JALANDHAR BANDH

Jalandhar Bandh (neck lock) is a basic lock applied during most pranayam (breath control) and meditation practice.

To apply the neck lock:
* Sit comfortably with a straight spine.
* Lift your chest and sternum upward.
* Stretch the back of your neck gently straight by pulling the chin in toward the back of the neck.
* Keep your head level and centered without tilting forward or to either side.
* Keep the muscles of your face, neck, and throat as relaxed as you can.

smile yoga

Hey, you! Why You So Serious?

"The Value of a Smile"
by Dale Carnegie

"It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich they can get along without it, and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.

"It creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in a business, and is the countersign of friends. It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and natures best antidote for trouble.

"Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anyone 'til it is given away. And if in the hurly-burly bustle of today's business world, some of the people you meet should be too tired to give you a smile, may we ask you to leave one of yours?

"For nobody needs a smile so much, as those who have none left to give."

Right Now: Hands off Key Board, sit back in your chair.
Relax your mind, relax your thoughts, relax your body.
Close your eyes. Listen. Feel your breath.
With each breath, find your smile.
Smile inside. Smile into your body. Smile from your body. Smile all over.
Mouth turns up. No need to show teeth.
Radiate from within.

Peace dwells in Silence

Peace dwells in Silence.

PRAYER
God, give us the power to break through our blocks and barriers in life.
Open us,
like the open sea,
to touch the shores of the heart,

And give us the strength of that pleasant breeze,
So that we may hug and kiss the life as it lives among us at this Time and Space.

Give us the values and virtues to be noble,
to be graceful,
And to be glorious in our strength as human beings.

Change our values and virtues from the wrong path,
So we can determine our own path on which we can walk with sincerity
In our physical existence to cover our journey unto our destiny.

In Thy Name we pray.
SAT NAM
(Yogi Bhajan, Women's Camp, Espanola, New Mexico, June 30, 2000)

What Do I Need Most In This Moment?

STOP! Before you click the "Next Blog" button...

Take a deep breath. Clear your thoughts. Ease your finger off the mouse button.
Forget all your "To Dos"

Take another breath.

Follow your breathing with your thoughts and let your heart rate slow.

Now, whisper to yourself, “What do I most need in this moment?”

Sit with that thought.


oo breath in the quiet splendour oo

meditation

My Morning Meditation: Slipped back into forgetting. Forgot what I am.
Loosened a rusty nut. Forgiveness of him. Freedom from the illusion of betrayal.
Stilled my mind. Be my breath.**

Simple Breathing Technique that Will Calm Your Mind, Create Focus

Posture: Sit in an Easy Pose.

Mudra: Let your hands rest over the knees in Gyan Mudra or keep them in Prayer Pose at the center of the chest.

Breath Pattern & Visualization: Let your body feel in perfect balance.
You can sit in this posture without effort. Let all of your attention gather on the breath. Sense the breath as a quality of motion.

How does it move in the different parts of your body as you breathe in a steady and meditative rhythm?

Bring your attention through the one-inch square (2.5cm2) area above the root of the nose where the eyebrows meet.
Then focus the attention through the brow to the Navel Point area.
Concentrate just below the interior of the umbilicus. Feel the motion and life energy of the breath. Visualize the body as luminous.
As you inhale, the light increases in brightness, extend, and penetration.

Let that breath and light merge with the entire Cosmos.
Let the breath breathe you. Experience yourself as a unit and the Cosmos as unlimited.
Feel that you are a part of the vastness. The breath is a wave on a much greater ocean of energy of which you are a part.

Notice the motions and changes in the subtle breath (prana). Do not try to alter it.
Observe it and learn to notice your basline of prana. You are sensitizing your awareness to notice the state of energy and motion in your prana. You must calibrate to this baseline to notice and appreciate the effect of variou s pranayam meditation techniques.