Prana is at the very foundation of all existence, the vital energy that acts as the active creative principle. Correct and consistent practice of Pranayama leads to experiential knowledge of the working of Prana. However, the key point is to learn it from a master and practice it with diligence and consistency.
When the mind of the disciple connects to the mind of the guru - that is deeksha. The disciple surrenders his mind to the guru and the guru accepts. When the mind of the guru and the disciple become one, then we say that the disciple has been initiated by the guru. They share an intimate, deep relationship. This alliance is at the level of the heart and thence whatever is within the guru, will naturally start to pervade into the disciple.
The festival of navratri is indeed very hallowed and venerable. This lasts for nine days and involves performance of daily rituals, spiritual practices and worship of the goddesses. It is universally accepted that although known individually as Durga, Kali, Saraswati, and Lakshmi - they simply represent different forms of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy, the divine feminine creative power.
The festival of navratri is indeed very hallowed and venerable. This lasts for nine days and involves performance of daily rituals, spiritual practices and worship of the goddesses. It is universally accepted that although known individually as Durga, Kali, Saraswati, and Lakshmi - they simply represent different forms of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy, the divine feminine creative power.
Mind is a marvelous melodramatic entity. It cannot live without its glamour, controversies and frustrations. In fact it can’t do without creating and spinning new ones. The mind should be awarded a Noble prize for the best inventions, for creating hell and heaven successfully and continuously! One moment you are in heaven and the next moment you are in hell! That is the power of your mind.
Asanas are going to bring the much needed health, vigor, vitality, energy and strong immunity. When you do pranayama, you are not only breathing deep and taking in more oxygen, but you are taking in more of the pranic energy which is the cosmic energy. And when you do your mantra chanting or when you do some kind of meditation and most importantly, when you listen to such words, this wisdom makes your mind stronger.
You think of yourself to be either male or female, but are you aware that consciousness is neither feminine nor masculine? The gender bias is more for the anatomy and the physiology. It has nothing to do with the mind, it has nothing to do with the consciousness, and it has nothing to do with the energy. All these distinctions are only at the level of the body.
Have you heard about global warming? You may say- yes we have but how does it relate to us. Now the truth is that it relates to all of us. Earth is the giver and sustainer of life but humans because of their ignorance are unintentionally harming the ecological balance of earth. Have you ever ...
Yogic Asana is not exercise! Exercises work on your skeleton and muscles where as asana works on your cardiovascular, endocronological, circulatory, glandular, eliminatory and lymphatic system. When you do forward, backward bending and spinal twists, you are energizing your spine, making it flexible.
As enshrined in our holy epics and scriptures the 'Woman' - an embodiment of affection, benevolence and compassion has been, since ages, extolled as an angel. Woman is an embodiment of love, grace and compassion.
Energetic, vibrant, lively, effervescent i.e. youth and the dynamism of Meditation makes them more creative, peaceful, intelligent, confident and ready for life. The youth meditation retreats conducted by Anandmurti Gurumaa stands as a loud and clear testimony to this. Anandmurti Gurumaa is a contemporary master loved by youngsters for her modern thoughts.
If you have the grace of the guru, the mind can come within your command. Here, the word ‘guru’ implies knowledge, and also any external guru always connotes knowledge. A knowledge-less person can never be a guru. A liar, an imposer, a person bereft of knowledge can be an ascetic, but not a guru.
I am here to touch the chord in your heart, to stir strings that may result in the yearning for the divine. Once this happens, once this hunger burns you up it will consume you and will push you to search for the divinity – for the master, for someone to lead you on this sacred path of mysticism.
The Self is pure consciousness. Your true self is the purest of pure. It is the witness. How is the self a witness and when is it that? When are you aware of your pure self? If you are not aware of the ‘self’, and although the self cannot and will not lose its identity ...
Mind divides itself into three things: the observer, the object and the observation. It identifies itself with the observer first i.e. the body; then perceives objects as different from itself and due to the process of observation it creates different relationships with those objects.
I will give you the key to lifelong happiness and if you can keep it carefully, then please do so. The key is: whenever your mind becomes still there is happiness and enjoyment, and each time the mind is shaken then sorrow, tensions and worries surround you. You begin to go from one place to another looking for objects that would give you pleasure.
If you want to transcend something then transcend your mind, because as long as your mind is present, there will be conflict. There is attachment only because of the mind; there is greed only because of the mind. The mind is responsible for its own journeys; it is the mind that is the cause of ignorance. The mind is the cause of everything. Therefore leave the mind itself.
According to Ayurveda a spark of consciousness is present in every living cell. As the new baby begins to take physical form, sparks of consciousness in the individual cells unite - igniting self-awareness within the unborn child. In Ayurveda this flame of awareness is known as agni; it becomes brighter as the level of biological sophistication rises.
Every action has a reaction which creates a chain of follow up actions. What you sow you reap; though you sow one seed, it grows into a thousand new seeds which further give rise to new seeds and new trees. This is the eternal law of karma. There is a cause for every effect and every effect has a cause.
Light and darkness can never exist together. Where there is light, there can be no darkness - and where there is darkness, there can be no light. And the mind is darkness personified! That is why it is said that you must free yourself of your mind.
In today's stressful style of living relaxation is like a dream. It's just like a mirage. Everyone wishes to relax. And everyone is too stressed up to relax. People try to find their relaxation in different manners. Someone goes out to watch a cinema or to watch a theatre. Another person goes to a music concert. And yet...
Meditation is moving in the inner zone of emptiness, where stress can never touch you. It is exploring the inner space where you remain absolutely untouched from all ill effects of mind and samsara. This inner space is there and we need just the right method to move there, once you have understood and experienced nothing can bring you down from that timeless zone.
I read the story of a man who was looking for a guru - master. He saw an ascetic sitting under a tree and went close to him. "Can you tell me who is the best guru as I am looking for one." The mahatma - sage replied, "Well, what can I say! You can search and maybe you will find the best guru."
Thinking is a continuous process to an extent that we don't need liberation from any external entity but our own mind. What is the meaning of mind? The mind means thoughts and, the existence of this mind is a mere illusion. It is very easy to understand the concrete thing, but how can one understand the functioning of the mind which is just a mirage, and yet rules our world and our actions.
Know this as the truth: no one can make you rich, no one can fulfill you, and no one can give meaning to your life. The fact remains that no one but YOU can do this for yourself. So stop hankering for appreciation from other.
Q: What is the difference between faith and blind faith? Gurumaa: When you follow others without using your wisdom, it can be called a blind faith. Normally faith is blind because once you know a thing then there is no need to have faith, whether blind faith or just faith, since now you simply KNOW. ...
Through the ages, people have been unhappy in their relationships. Speak to any father, he complains about his children; speak to any husband or any wife, they have complaints for each other; as long as they are being diplomatic, they will keep up a very sound face, a beaming smile and a false story to explain their happiness.
God is not the name of an entity which is away from us living somewhere in the sky in some far remote place in the cosmos. For the seers who understood the Truth- God is Truth. Truth and God are synonyms; when I say God it means Truth, when I say Truth it means God. God exists in every core of an atom.
Sex is a very small part of your bio-energy. It is given by nature to all beings. No one trains you to feel sexual. Yet you know it is there. What is required is to understand it and to face all the feelings that it arouses, rather than resorting to the centuries-old habit of repression and suppression.
The nature is working for the enlightened ones and it is also working for those who are not enlightened yet those who are unenlightened will be enlightened one day.