Is abundance just a disguised word for "money?" Can money be used for a good cause? Do you wonder why some Master Yoga Teachers, Gurus, and Swamis frown on the idea of Yoga teachers "talking up" the concept of practicing Yoga for abundance?

The reason is quite simple: Most people think of material wealth first. Why? This is an example of survival instinct, and money is a part of survival; but there are many more types of abundance for Yoga students to learn beside money.

Physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional abundance are worthy of note, but the desire for a better life, by acquiring material wealth, is hard to put out of your mind. Let's look at each aspect of abundance from a Hatha Yoga student's point of view.

Physical abundance could be seen as physical prowess. This is why Hatha Yoga has become so popular outside of India. When a new student becomes proficient in Hatha Yoga, he or she feels better almost immediately; sometimes to the point of ego bolstering and this is not a direction for Yoga teaching to take.

The physical senses are our most primal and can be realized without any difficulty. Your friends, family, and coworkers may even notice the changes that are happening to your body due to Hatha Yoga practice.

Mental abundance can easily be seen as intelligence. However, a person's intelligence cannot be demonstrated, unless it is successfully projected and proven through the use of good communication skills. Union by knowledge, which we know as Jnana Yoga, will also require much more work than most people would initially think, and communication is a necessary skill required in order to share knowledge.

Sadly, spiritual abundance is becoming rare in some cultures. The spiritual connection to God cannot be seen, but can be felt. Unfortunately, we try to measure the spiritual world with scientific instruments from our physical world.

How can you measure prayer or the benefits of prayer? How does science explain miracles? Science often remains baffled or claims miracles do not exist. Science is useful, but has created the "virtual world" for a generation who may end up lost in computer games, obesity, poor health, and unconstructive use of time. However, we know the virtual world exists because we can see it.

Emotional abundance is most often taken for granted. Our family and friends provide security, but we wish for more material wealth. When death or illness knocks at our door, all the money in the world may not be enough.

If you have emotional abundance, you are truly rich. When you have material wealth, emotional abundance may be very hard to find because you do not know who your friends really are. Money attracts people, but those people might not have friendship in mind. Many of the financially wealthy are givers, and there will always be someone who wants to take advantage of it.

Now, you see that abundance is many things, but the most valuable treasures in life can be attained by the financially poor. If, or when, you mention abundance in a Yoga class, start with the most important forms of abundance first. If you find yourself with too much material abundance, give the excess to a worthy cause.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

For exceptional benefits to the thyroid and parathyroid, it is arguable that other asanas would be more effective, especially if held longer. For example: The shoulder stand, (Sarvangasana), held for a longer duration, would be more beneficial for sending oxygenated blood to the thyroid and parathyroid.

However, the condition of a Yoga student's neck should be a prime concern when performing the shoulder stand. Therefore, in this instance, the standing forward bend with a chin lock, performed in a Sun Salutation, is much less risky.

The Sun Salutations will help eliminate toxins from your body. By creating healthy circulation and speeding up the elimination systems, within your body, the Sun Salutations work like a tonic. All of this physical movement, that occurs while practicing the Sun Salutations, will thoroughly oxygenate your blood and open your breathing passages.

In turn, the body is more relaxed, flexible, and stress is reduced. Yoga students, who perform Sun Salutations on a regular basis, will sleep better at night and become much calmer.

Just remember to allow a few hours between the end of the Sun Salutations and the beginning of bedtime. This will allow your body and mind the time to wind down and relax. Also, this is just one more good reason to practice Sun Salutations during the morning hours.

Strength, muscle tone, and coordination are also benefits that Yoga students can expect to see and feel. During my experience while teaching Yoga classes, I have noticed that students, at any age, noticeably improved in strength, muscle tone, and overall coordination, when they regularly practice Sun Salutations.

Some of them even loss weight, but diet is also a large factor in this. Yet, some that did not lose weight did lower body fat. We know this because privately- trained Yoga students do have their body fat checked when they start. This is not a requirement, but it is an option. Some Yoga students must see and feel the physical benefits first, in order to "stick with the program."

Mental health benefits of Surya Namaskar are many, but when anxiety and stress are lowered; the quality of life goes up. With this in mind, the odds of becoming depressed are drastically reduced. Some Yoga students practice Sun Salutations just to keep depression "at bay."

With all of the above-mentioned benefits, Sun Salutations should be considered a very valuable part of Hatha Yoga practice. They can even be modified for Chair Yoga practice. Therefore, always consider Surya Namaskar to be an essential part of your class - especially, if you teach a form of Hatha Yoga. Always remember that Surya Namaskar is much more than a warm-up.

© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

With age, the muscles behind the eyes gets weak and our eyesight starts falling. Even tender aged school going children may also be seen using spectacles due to week eyes. Its main symptoms are burning in the eyes, watering of eyes, seeing hazy or dim eyes, short sightedness, heaviness of head, etc.

Yoga offers some yogic sukshamavyama like Netra Shakti Vikasak, Tratak, Asanas and Pranayama. If practiced regularly, the week eyesight can be improved; and along with this, if one is following dietary recommendation; the result will be faster and accurate.

I. NETRA SHAKTI VIKASAK KRIYAS

1. Blinking of eyes: Blink the eyes quickly 10 times close and release - do it at least 100 times in a day.
2. Focusing exercises: Sit in comfortable position with your eyes open. Fix your gaze at the nail of the right thumb - keep the first of the right hand closed with thumb stretched up in level with eyes. Slowly bring the hand near to eyes for a few seconds, then take the right hand away from you while still maintaining the level and gaze as before. Repeat it three times.
3. Candle Gazing: Sit in comfortable position - burn a candle and sit at least 4 feet away from the candle; start gazing at candle if water comes from your eyes then close it and relax. After few seconds, start doing once again. Do it at least 3 times.
4. Palming: Rub the palms till they become warm. Place the palms gently over the eyes, keep both the hands in such a manner that no light would enter the eyes; continue the practice for one-two minutes. Palming revitalizes the eye muscles and improves circulation of eye fluid, thereby improving the vision.
5. Water Cleansing: Take a wide mouthed bowel, full of clean and cold water. Now tilt the head downward - putting the right eye in the water with eyelid open. Roll the eyeball around in the same condition. Do it with other eye in a same manner. Do it at least with both the eyes - 5 times each eye.
6. Up-Down Viewing: Without moving head or the neck, look up and down. Repeat it at least 50 times.
7. Circular movement of the eyes: Keep your head and back straight. Try to rotate your eyes clockwise position - start from 12 o'clock, then 3 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, and so on, until you complete the round. Make 5 rounds - then do it anti-clockwise in the same manner.

II. ASANA:

1. Sarvangasana Method: Lie down on the back and relax completely. Slowly raise the legs, hips and trunk in a continuous movement until vertical. Raise the legs - keeping the knees straight and hips by supporting the arms on the ground - then bend the elbows and hold the trunk in the hand. In this posture, the chin is buried in the upper chest. Retain the position as long as it is comfortable. Then come down slowly. Relax - do it only once.

BENEFITS: Blood supply to the organs in the upper part of the body, such as eyes, heart, face, thyroid, roots of spinal nerves and brain. As a result, circulatory congestion is relieved and hormones flow into blood freely.

CAUTION: Those suffering from High B.P, Heart Ailments, Cervical spondylitis and slipped disc, should refrain from doing this asana.

Yoga Guru Suneel Singh
E-mail: singh22002@yahoo.com

Why can't an uprooted mango plant give us a mango? Because it is separated from its source; it is not in the state of yoga with its origin. If one tries to get a mango forcefully from it, then how much pain will it experience? Can you imagine it? Of course it will be immense.

Yes, exactly that amount of pain is being experienced by all those women who are passing the state of delivery; because they are also distracted from their being. Also they are not in the state of yoga with their source.

When that mango plant is not uprooted from the ground then no extra force will be needed to get mangoes in the right time. Much to the same applies with the women also, that if they are in the natural state of yoga with their source, they need not experience any kind of pain while they are giving birth to their child; because it is already in the nature's law and system to come out easily for a baby from its mother. It is in the very intelligence of this existence.

Hence, a woman in the state of yoga will experience exactly the opposite state of which others are experiencing right now. And it is needless to say, that state will be of immense pleasure and of bliss.

Therefore, it is the golden opportunity for all yoga teachers. So, let's coordinate and design a special kind of yoga course which will certainly help us to meet the millions of women's expectation. Those who are crying today while giving birth will stop their cry and start to feel immense pleasure, peace and a certain kind of contentment of being mother.

To experience a deep contentment after being a mother is the sole right of every woman. But unfortunately, they are lacking this because of not being in the state of yoga. Hence it is the solo chance for yoga teacher to help. Isn't it?

ABHIT

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