Archive for May 1st, 2008

Written By Annie Besant

Purusha does nothing, but from Purusha there comes out an influence, as in the case of the magnetic influence. The three gunas, under this influence of Purusha, undergo a marvelous change.

I do not know what words to use, in order not to make a mistake in putting it. You cannot say that Prakriti absorbs the influence. You can hardly say that it reflects the Purusha.

But the presence of Purusha brings about certain internal changes, causes a difference in the equilibrium of the three gunas in Prakriti. The three gunas were in a state of equilibrium. No guna was manifest.

One guna was balanced against another. What happens when Purusha influences Prakriti? The quality of awareness in
Purusha is taken up by, or reflected in, the guna called Sattva rhythm, and it becomes cognition in Prakriti.

The quality that we call life in Purusha is taken up by, or reflected, in the guna called Rajas – mobility, and it becomes force, energy, activity, in Prakriti.

The quality that we call immutability in Purusha is taken up by, or reflected, in the guna called Tamas – inertia, and shows itself out as will or desire in Prakriti. So that, in that balanced equilibrium of Prakriti, a change has taken place by the mere propinquity of, or presence of, the Purusha.

The Purusha has lost nothing, but at the same time a change has taken place in matter. Cognition has appeared in it. Activity, force, has appeared in it. Will or desire has appeared in it.

With this change in Prakriti another change occurs. The three attributes of Purusha cannot be separated from each other, nor can the three attributes of Prakriti be separated each from each.

Hence rhythm, while appropriating awareness, is under the influence of the whole three-in-one Purusha and cannot but also take up subordinately life and immutability as activity and will.

And so with mobility and inertia. In combinations one quality or another may predominate, and we may have combinations which show preponderantly awareness-rhythm, or life- mobility, or immutability-inertia.

The combinations in which awareness-rhythm or cognition predominates become “mind in nature,” the subject or
subjective half of nature. Combinations in which either of the other two predominates become the object or objective half of nature, the ” force and matter ” of the western scientist.

[Note: A friend notes that the first is the Suddha Sattva of the Ramanuja School, and the second and third the Prakriti, or spirit-matter, in the lower sense of the same.]

We have thus nature divided into two, the subject and the object. We have now in nature everything that is wanted for the manifestation of activity, for the production of forms and for the expression of consciousness. We have mind, and we have force and matter.

Purusha has nothing more to do, for he has infused all powers into Prakriti and sits apart, contemplating their interplay, himself remaining unchanged. The drama of existence is played out within Matter, and all that Spirit does is to look at it.

Purusha is the spectator before whom the drama is played. He is not the actor, but only a spectator. The actor is the
subjective part of nature, the mind, which is the reflection of awareness in rhythmic matter.

That with which it works — objective nature, is the reflection of the other qualities of Purusha – life and immutability–in the gunas, Rajas and Tamas.

Thus we have in nature everything that is wanted for the production of the universe. The Putusha only looks on when the drama is played before him. He is spectator, not actor. This is the predominant note of the Bhagavad-Gita. Nature does everything.

The gunas bring about the universe. The man who says: “I act,” is mistaken and confused; the gunas act, not he. He is only the spectator and looks on.

Most of the Gita teaching is built upon this conception of the Samkhya, and unless that is clear in our minds we can never discriminate the meaning under the phrases of a particular philosophy.

Annie Besant

Written By Michael J Mckay

One of the most important aspects of yoga practice, rated even more highly than yoga moves themselves, is the ability to concentrate. Concentration is placed so highly because it in itself promotes relaxation by preventing our ever wandering minds from ‘flitting’ onto subjects/matters that have been affecting us throughout the day. These jumbled thought-processes disallow us from focusing.

By concentrating on focusing our thoughts and actions on our breathing, we can purge these chaotic influences that are constantly present which by definition cause an increase in our stress levels. The majority of people don’t understand how powerful concentration is in bringing about a state of total relaxation. We need to attain this state to effectively practise our yoga techniques.

We are not talking about forced concentration here, as this would deviate from that which we wish to achieve in our yoga quest. We seek relaxed concentration, whereby our thoughts are returned to a clear mind, unburdened with the usual worry or concerns in our lives. We must cast these aside and allow our mind time to relax and recover.

As with all things the more we practice our yoga techniques, the ever lessening amount of time in concentration is required to bring about the required relaxed state. During these times our mind becomes increasingly relaxed, to the extent that even when we are not performing yoga our minds and bodies are relaxed. This is the physical and mental state which we should be in, and for which we essentially practice yoga.

There are varying yoga techniques, whose teachers apply methods to help you concentrate and attain that state which releases the damaging things in our lives. Their techniques may be superficially different but there aim is identical.

It is common knowledge that damaging effects on our emotions will without doubt have similar negative effects on our physical bodies. It follows that whatever you believe is what you will receive, and having a chaotically unfocused mind will without doubt have detrimental effects on our overall health. It will also prevent us from practicing yoga effectively!

Initially, new yoga devotees will find it very difficult to maintain the required level of concentration for any prolonged period of time; our minds are week and unfocused; this is expected. As mentioned earlier, practice makes the process a lot easier thus the more we practise yoga the quicker we will be able to enter that essential relaxed state of mind. It will eventually become so easy to achieve the desired state that you will not even feel as though you need to concentrate to achieve this state.

That is the natural state of mind that you should be aiming for. It will improve your yoga experience and shape your life for the better.

Start your yoga training today and see the great, long-term health benefits you will receive.

Take action now by clicking here to discover the most effective way to dramatically improve your physical and mental well-being forever.

Written By Guerrelyne Gautreau

Yoga practice increases the body’s metabolism and a higher metabolism burns more calories. As part of a healthy lifestyle, many people have used yoga for weight loss. Yoga incorporates all the body’s muscles, toning and strengthening and with continued practice, muscles burn more calories than fat. In combination with cardio exercise, it could help someone get closer to his or her weight loss goals. If you plan to make yoga your primary form of exercise, you must do a vigorous, 90-minute yoga class at least three times a week. Yoga can be practiced at any age.

Putting on weight, is mainly due to the result of a change in our lifestyle that is conducive to storing calories in the form of fat tissue. These changes can include moving from an active lifestyle to a more sedentary one, changes in diet, increased consumption of fats, sugars and other foods that containing empty calories. Doing yoga regularly can make you feel better about your body as you become stronger and more flexible, yoga helps tone your muscles, reduce stress, and improve your mental and physical well-being as well. Yoga practice can help you firm and help you tone. Your clothes may fit better and , your thighs and arms may appear leaner.

Excess weight gain has become a phenomenon in today’s age, especially when lifestyles have become sedentary, and food has become more liberal with extra calories. To lose weight, it is important to do so, not just by doing diets, or exercise programs, which are just too tedious. A Yoga Routine will stimulate your metabolism, curb appetite cravings, strengthen your body, and increase flexibility. Yoga tones the body in a uniformed manner. It can be practiced at any age to keep the body supple.

According to the literature, yoga should always be done on an empty stomach . The sugar levels in the blood are typically lower allowing you to quickly move from the calories in the muscles to the calories in the fat cells more readily. Performing yoga poses, like any physical activity, burns calories. By practicing yoga, you will become more in touch with what your body needs, and naturally you will want to reduce excess foods and become more aware of better health. Yoga can improve weight loss by establishing a healthy mind-body balance.

Yoga provides balance for the body and the mind. If you are lethargic or depressed, it will stimulate you. If you are frenetic or distressed, it will calm you. Yoga is gentle, connects the body to the mind, and is the ideal exercise for weight-loss. Yoga addresses our relationship with our body, our mind, and our spiritual selves. It is different from other options because it is NOT a weight loss plan. The advantage of doing different Yoga poses also increase muscle tissue. The overall mass of calorie burning tissues in the body has been shown to increase overall metabolism. Yoga can burn loads of calories, but gentler styles may do even more for your waistline. Yoga can be great to improve fitness and to lose weight. Yoga workouts are excellent exercise. Choose yoga for weight loss and generally built muscles and core strength. Yoga can help both with weight loss and improving the cardiovascular system, but the approach may be surprising in that it is different from conventional diets and exercise training. There is a direct and indirect connection between yoga and weight loss. You can lose weight with yoga but more important than that the ultimate goal is that yoga teaches us body awareness. It gives us the opportunity to get in tune with ourselves, to understand and listen to our body and to respond accordingly.

http://unlimitedhealth.blogspot.com/

Written By Rohit Tomar

Yoga can do wonders for people suffering from cervical spondilitis as they not only strengthen back muscles but also help patients manage stress and posture. Cervical spondylitis is one of the most common ailments that effects young and old alike. This problem is generally the result of inadequate exercise of back muscles. The spine, made up of loose discs stacked on top of one another, is supported by the back muscles. When the back muscles become weak, they cannot hold the disc in place. The vertebra come closer, pressing the nerve roots emerging from the spinal chord, and giving rise to this painful condition.

Bad posture too can lead to cervical spondylitis. When the back is habitually held incorrectly, the natural positioning of the spinal disc is disturbed and the healthy S curve is lost. Yoga maintains that stress is the primary cause for cervical spondylitis. Now, even, medical science is holding the same view.

Therefore, for a complete cure, a holistic treatment is essential. To manage stress, there is nothing like yoga nidra and meditation. And to strengthen the back as well as to bring back the S curve, yogasanas are extremely effective. One of such asana is akarnadhanurasana.

How to perform it

1 Stand with legs apart. They should be under the respective shoulders.

2 Take the left foot one step forward.

3 Make fist with left hand.

4 Extend the left arm in the same line as the left leg.

5 Keep the left fist a little above your eye level.

6 Turning your face to the left, tilt it up to look straight at the fist.

7 Extend the right arm to place the right hand.

8 Inhaling and bending the body backward, pull the right hand back to keep near the right ear as if pulling the string of a bow. (The right upper arm should be parallel to the ground). You should feel the firmness at back of the neck.

9 Hold you breath and the posture for as long as comfortable.

10 Repeat five times. Then change position and practice the same on the other side.

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