Those who do care about their lives and want to live it the healthy way, what could be a better way to de-stress from the distresses of life than to relax in the soothing and therapeutic balm of India’s Yogic and Meditation practices.
The Four Paths of Yoga
The various Yogic practices have been traditionally classified into the four Margas (paths). These four paths are:
- Jnana Yoga or Jnana Marga which is the Yoga of wisdom and develops the Intellect or will
- Bhakti Yoga, the Yoga of devotion, opens the heart
- Karma Yoga, the path of action of selfless service.
- Raja Yoga, the royal or psychological which involves the mind. A branch of Raja Yoga, which is Hatha Yoga, prepares the Yogi for the higher stages of Raja Yoga.
DIFFERENT YOGA MEDITATION TECHNIQUES:
Yoga Nidra - for total relaxation
Yoga Nidra is a unique Psychic development technique. Yoganidra is at the root of a great number of relaxation techniques. Yoganidra is a sleep without sleep.
It is also a powerful tool of personal transformation allowing us to free ourselves from the grip of negative thinking to make up for the lack of sleep, to boost our energies in case of nervous fatigue and to release our capacities for concentration and memorization. Doctors, Psychologists and educators will derive numerous benefits from the fantastic resources of yoganidra.
Procedure- Shavasana Position, Relaxation of the muscles by rotation of consciousness, Breath awareness and resolution, opposite feelings Image visualization, Returning to Shavasana
Vipassadhana - for perfect equilibrium
Vipassadhana is based on Vipassana Meditation, where one moves his awareness from top to bottom and from bottom to top witnessing all the sensations but without reacting to any kind of sensation. Sensation may be painful or pleasurable one should be indifferent as nothing is permanent in nature.
Procedure- Shavasana / Meditative posture, Breath awareness, Resolution, Rotation of consciousness being indifferent to the sensation, Breath awareness, Returning to normalcy.
Cyclic Meditation - to experience bliss
Based on the principle of stimulation - relaxation combined, enunciated in Mandukyopanished. The cyclic meditation brings very deep relaxation and a feeling of well being to one and all.
Much easier to perform, combine the asanas, breathing rhythms with expanding awareness, sensitization, deep relaxation and body apartness(witness)
Procedure- Shavasana-Prayer, Getting up from left, centering, Parshva chakrasana, Pada Hasthasana- 'Mmm' chanting, Ardhachakrasana- 'Aaa" chanting, sitting & lying on back without hand support, Deep relaxation- body apartness.
Pranic Energization Technique - to strengthen the immune system
Prana (vital force) is the bridge between our body and mind. In this technique using our will power to channelize our Prana in a particular direction & to particular parts within the body for stimulation and energization there by to strengthen the immune system with positive attitude.
Procedure- Meditative posture/ Shavasana, Relaxation, Breath awareness, witnessing the imbalanced flow of Prana(breath), Correctional breathing, Positive resolution, Channelization of Prana, Returning to breath awareness
Naada Anusandhaana (exploring the internal sound)
Chanting the Sanskrit letters A - U - M and Om feeling the internal vibrations in the corresponding parts of the body and ultimately throughout the body, taking us to a state of blissful awareness.
Procedure- Meditative posture/ Shavasana
Chanting 'Aaa' three times with normal low and high pitch and experiencing the vibrations in the lower parts of the body.
Chanting 'U' three times with normal low and high pitch and experiencing the vibrations in the middle parts of the body.
Chanting 'Mmm' three times with normal low and high pitch and experiencing the vibrations in the head region.
Chanting A-U-M with 1:1:1 proportion three times and experiencing the vibrations in the respective areas.
Chanting OM with 1:2 proportion three into three times and experiencing the vibrations of OM throughout the body
