Life Yoga
“Verily, there is no merit higher than Yoga, no good higher than Yoga, no subtlety higher than Yoga; there is nothing that is higher than Yoga.”
Yogasikha - Upanisad 1.67
Five Sutras for the Aquarian Age
Recognize that the other person is you.
There is a way through every block.
When the time is on you, start, and the pressure will be off.
Understand through compassion or you will misunderstand the times.
Vibrate the Cosmos, the Cosmos shall clear the path.
Yogi Bhajan
"First yogically controlling the mind, developing the power of intelligence, discerning its inner light, the Solar Creator brought the sacred fire up out of the earth." Upanishads 120
The technology of yoga dates back several thousands of years, and is considered to be among the oldest known systems of health practiced in the World today, an ancient technology totally
indicated as a means of reducing the ever increasing stress of modern life and can be practiced by anyone, irrespective of age, health, life circumstances or religion. It is believed to be one of
the safest, quickest and most efficient ways of reducing stress, anxiety and nervous tension and it is not a requirement previous practice to achieve results and feel benefits in the very first
class. Thousands of medical studies have been performed confirming the benefits achieved from the regular practice of the physical postures, the breathing exercises and the meditation techniques
in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, regulating heart rate, and even decelerating the aging process.Through the practice of yoga, one can achieve the integration and balance of the
physical, mental and spiritual energies that enhance health and well-being.
When the body and mind are in harmony, creating a balance between movement and stillness, inner peace is experienced and an expanded state of consciousness can be achieved. Kundalini yoga as
taught by Siri Singh Sahib better known as Yogi Bhajan Ph. D. is known as the Yoga of consciousness. “In this yoga form we systematically train our mind and attune our body to hold higher
frequencies of energy.” Kundalini refers to the awakening of the energy of our consciousness, our vital energy or our maximum creative potential as a human being. Kundalini yoga
strengthens the body, elevates the consciousness and expands the heart to transform your life. As we enter the Age of Aquarius, the practice of yoga is becoming an absolute neccesity for
everyone as a means of coping and adapting to the higher frequencies of energy and consciousness. As the world becomes increasingly more complicated and invasive of ones personal
space, it becomes increasingly more indispensable to learn to practice a meditation technique as a means of attaining inner peace, health, happiness and harmony. Yoga must be experienced to
truely understand and words can never express what can experienced in just a few minutes of a yoga class. I believe that if more people on the earth spent ten minutes a day meditating, without a
doubt we would be able to achieve a world based on peace and happiness. Peace must begin within and then must spread in ever expanding waves to reach to every corner of the planet.
Different components involved in a Kundalini Yoga class
Asanas are stretches or physical postures designed to ease and release physical or muscular tension, as well as to activate different body systems such as the digestive system, circulatory system or nervous system. Body awareness is achieved by establishing communication between mind and body and the mind is silenced to prepare for meditation. The asanas sistematically apply pressure on the intermal organs thereby improving circulation to these organs and achieving rejuvenation and renovation of all the body systems.
The practice of chanting Mantras is considered the “yoga of the mind”. A mantra is a word or a syllable or a phrase in one of the sacred languages like Sanskrit or Ghurmuki or sometimes in English, which elevates or modifies consciousness through its meaning, the sound itself, rhythm, tone and even the reflexology of the tongue on the palate.
Mantras can be chanted in a normal strong voice, or in a whisper or mentally or silently.
Pranayama or breathing exercises are practiced to channel and direct the flow of prana and thereby alter consciousness and the physical state. The most common yoga breath is calming in nature and is a slow, deep, full breath, the breath of fire, energizing and detoxifying (2-3 breaths per second), alternate nostril breathing (left is tranquilizing and right is energizing) to create balance and harmony in the hemispheres of the brain.
Meditation involves the stilling of the rational, reasoning dualistic egotistical mind to allow the neutral mind to focus awareness on inner reality beyond intellectual concepts, and on outer reality beyond physical, earthly objects. Meditation uses many techniques to achieve this purpose, and produces a calm, sensitive, less emotional, alert, intuitive, effective, efficient and self controlled personality and an enhanced sense of being and consciousness. Meditation practice may take many forms, utilizing different components such as the mantras, mudras, pranayama, gazing, visualization and silence.
Consistent meditation promotes inner peace, happiness and higher consciousness or a transcending of the limitations of normal consciousness.
Mudras
A gesture or position of the fingers or hands, that locks and guides energy flow and reflexes to the brain.
Bandas
The Bandhas are the locks applied to body areas, which direct the prana and the apana. The locks are the basic techniques that accumulate the effect of the asana or kriya. They allow an equilibrium to be established, that has enormous impact on the entire system of the body and the mind. Each body ock has the function to change the circulation, the nervous system and the flow of cerebral fluid in the spine.
Jalandhara Bandha - Neck Lock
Uddiyana Bandha - Diaphragm Lock
Mulbhanda - Root Lock
Mahabhanda - All three locks are applied together