meditation Archives - yogawithpragya

Yoga

Happiness Is Not in the Gulab Jamun

September 15, 2019

Missing my Sunday runs around the Ulsoor Lake.

I’ve been working on completing assignments for my MSc. The one I’m working on now is about happiness and man’s quest for it.

Lately more and more people reach out to me to discuss how to feel better rather than look better. They are interested in the mental and emotional benefits, rather than the physical benefits of yoga.

According to the Upanishads all beings (humans and animals) are instinctively attuned to sukha prapti (to gain happiness) and dukha niviritti (to overcome the misery). It’s this instinct that drives us. A penthouse, a limited edition car and an exclusive gym membership are the stuff dreams are made of, yet happiness still eludes us. Retail therapy isn’t getting us any closer to sukha prapti.

Psychosomatic conditions are rising at an alarming rate. We’re buying more than ever before but we’re also more sad. If only it was possible to buy away depression. We pin our hopes for happiness on objects of enjoyment and come away disheartened.

The Upanishads dealt with this question centuries ago. They state that man is in search of Reality and Happiness. This search yields answers to question such as the meaning of life, the goal of life and truth. It can drive away existential angst.

So whether it is eating gulab jamuns, getting the latest mobile phone or going on an expensive vacation, we want these because we feel these fulfill a deep seated need within us.

As my Vedas professor lectured: Whether it is eating gulab jamuns, getting the latest mobile phone or going on an expensive vacation, we want these because we feel these fulfill a deep seated need within us. We also want promotions, awards and praise. But the 50th gulab jamun doesn’t taste as good as the first one. The mobile phone loses it’s charm when the next version comes out. A vacation ends. And the desire for awards and promotions is never ending. Happiness is not in the gulab jamun or the mobile phone. Happiness shouldn’t be ephemeral like a vacation.

If only we could prolong the feeling of gastronomic delight of that first gulab jamun, of the excitement of the penthouse and car. Meditation is nothing but the prolonging of that state of bliss. Our happiness is always in response to an external event or object, and so it disappears in the absence of that stimulant. The Upanishads liken bliss to the musk of the musk deer. The deer searches the entire forest for the source of the glorious scent, and ultimately finds that he is the origin. Similarly, our happiness may be stimulated by something external, but the origin of the bliss is within us and therefore always accessible. To connect with this bliss you need to silence the citta vritti (the fluctuations of the thoughts in the mind).

The Upanishads have stated that yoga (beyond just the asanas) is the solution. The Gita states: yoga citta vritti nirodah. Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the thoughts in the mind. When the fluctuations cease, silence pervades. And through this silence you can discover your bliss.

Happiness according to Vedic texts

Taittiriya Upanishad: When speech recedes and the mind reaches not there, one realizes Ananda, the Brahman; there he fears not.

Bhagvad Gita: Mind calmed down, sinless, all passions subdued, the Yogi establishes himself in the state of Brahman, the Supreme happiness.

Brahma Sutra: Brahman is Ananda, as repeatedly emphasized in the Upanishad.

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Yoga

Healthy Body, but Healthy Mind?

November 30, 2017

With the ongoing focus on mental health have you gauged the state of your mental health?

The only way yoga works for you on a physical level is by changing you at a mental level. Daily practice actually changes neural pathways in your brain which rewires you to think differently. Not only are you making a conscious connection between your body and mind, but you are also ensuring that vital hormones (which are responsible for your moods and feelings) are also secreted to your system in optimum amounts. Too little or too much leads to conditions such as Thyroidism, PCOS/D, PMS, anxiety, depression etc.

Exercising and eating a wholesome diet are key to overall good health. But there are a few easy guidelines you can follow to ensure your thoughts aren’t sabotaging your health.

Audit your quality time. Who are the 5 people you spend most of your time with? Do they make you feel good about yourself? Do they lift you up or ensure you’re always down? When those around us respect and love us, we feel stronger and more confident. This is because when you hang out with good friends chemicals called serotonin and oxytocin which cause feelings of well being, are released in your body. So think about the 5 people you’re spending most of your time with and consider making some changes for the better, if required
Journaling. I’ve been a compulsive journal writer since I was in second grade. You’ll still find stacks of my journals in my parents’ home. I was journaling all the way to the time I started working for Infosys. But as time went on and work got hectic, it took a back seat. Until my birthday earlier this year when one of my students gave me The Five Minute Journal. Sitting down to do this every day has actually had a positive impact on me. Use journaling as a means to think through things, vent, gain clarity. Write about whatever comes to your mind, even if its just a re-cap of your day. It feels great to be able to express yourself in a forum where you won’t be judged, where there is no right or wrong. Sometimes seeing your thoughts and feelings physically in front of you is just what you need to feel better.
Affirmations. I would actually club this under the umbrella of meditative practices. Write a few statements (on your phone works just fine) and go back to them often throughout the day. Statements should be positive such as ‘Everything happens for the best.’ Reading such statements often to yourself can change destructive deep seated thought patterns that you may be unconsciously holding on to. Repeating positive affirmations to yourself is a simple way to re-boot your mind set.

These are a few of my go-to tools to stay centred when everything around me is off balance. Like yoga, these tools will take some time and effort to work their magic. But once they do, you’ll have a healthy mind in a healthy body.

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Yoga

Getting More for Less – The Secret

July 11, 2014

I’ve found it. The secret to getting more out of your 24 hours. And it takes as little as 5 minutes to as much as 15 minutes. Promise.

For a while now I’ve been crazy busy. I’ve started teaching more, more students are coming in, they want different things, new things and, most of all, they want results. I’ve been spending a lot of time planning the classes, travelling between classes, my own practice takes a while and then there’s the blog and FB page which are an invaluable source of inspiration and knowledge for me. So I’m constantly on the move, physically, mentally and emotionally. I had started to feel like I was all over the place. The more I tried to get organized, the more disorganized and panicked I’d get. But things got better.

1. A couple of weeks ago I decided I would take 5 minutes in the morning and in the night to think about where I want my life to go. And in those 5 minutes I would also think about the actions I will take today that help me in heading towards that general direction. I started to visualize what I wanted out of my life and started thinking about how my day would contribute to where I want to go. At the end of the day started thinking about everything I did which contributed to making the vision more real to me.

I didn’t realize it then, but visualization is a powerful tool to keep you on track in life. Also, a total of only 10 minutes from my 24 hours was all I needed to remind me of what I believe my purpose is and also, what I want my purpose to be. It only takes 10 minutes of thinking to gain more clarity about how you’re spending your time. I believe it’s helped me weed out all those little things that sap a lot of my precious energy (deciding what to make for lunch or what to wear, for instance). Maybe I started investing this energy into leading better classes and connecting with people more.

2. Once I realized that there has been a positive shift, I decided to add affirmations to my 5 minute routine. I read about affirmations in a book one of my students lent to me. She said the stuff I say about beliefs and actions reminded her of the book and she thought I’d enjoy reading it. I gave myself some time to think about what I really wanted out of life on priority (this was easy since I was spending 10 minutes every day thinking about this), and made a list. I then decided that I would spend an additional 5 minutes meditating upon the list. Over time I realized that thinking about the list made me more optimistic and energetic. Perhaps it’s seeing the things you want in a list in front of you. Sometimes the list makes me smile and laugh, sometimes it give me courage and optimism. But, at the end of my 5 minutes of contemplation, I feel ready to take on my day.

3. Visualizing and affirmations were working for me. And I had made my list in a pretty notebook that was, once upon a time, my diary. I used to be an avid diarist. I have a carton full of my diaries in Delhi. They start from the 4^th grade. I decided that after my 10 minutes of meditation every night, I would write down 3 things that made me happy/grateful. These can be the smallest things (one of my entries is “I’m grateful there was no traffic jam on Infantry Road today and I was able to get to my class on time.” Once I started doing this, I noticed I slept better! I guess thinking about the good things in life ends your day on a good note.

So, if you really want to shift something in your life for the better, give these three things a shot. You’ll get a lot more out of your day for a lot less!

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Yoga

Up the Ante on Your Quality of Life: Practice Yoga Nidra

July 12, 2013

The Yoga

Yoga Nidra, literally translated to ‘Yogic Sleep’, is a way of consciously relaxing the mind-body complex. Regular practice of Yoga Nidra has shown positive results in cases of heart disease, asthma, stress related problems, headaches, migraines, hypertension, depression, insomnia etc. Along with quiet and calm, the practice of Yoga Nidra also brings about peace of mind. The mind is trained to go into the deep sleep phase of the sleep cycle (the dreamless state). However, this is done consciously with the use of emotions, sensations and images. The difference between sleeping and yogic sleep lies in the control of the subconscious mind. In Yoga Nidra there is a full control over the subconscious mind while in sleeping there is none. By being in touch with the subconscious mind it is possible to train the mind to let go of negativity and harmful habits. In fact, it can even be an effective tool to inculcate good habits.

The Science

To understand the difference between Yoga Nidra and deep sleep at a scientific level, it’s important to know about brain waves. At different times of the day, and depending on the brain activity, brain waves of different frequencies occur in the brain. These are:

Beta waves : associated with daily activity. Also associated with stress and tension.

Alpha waves : associated with a relaxed state of mind.

Theta waves : associated with a drowsiness, half asleep state of mind. When you’re half asleep but still conscious of what is going on around you.

Delta waves : associated with deep sleep, the state of sleep which is completely unconscious and, therefore, dreamless. These are the brainwaves experienced during Yoga Nidra. However, unlike in Deep Sleep, in Yoga Nidra, you are consciously sleeping.

In the practice of Yoga Nidra, the brain experiences a conscious and gradual shift from each of these brain waves until it reaches the delta waves consciously. However, simply the occurrence of Delta waves in the brain does not denote Yoga Nidra. It denotes deep sleep, which may also be unconscious. Yoga Nidra will always be conscious deep sleep.

An experiment was first conducted on this in 1971 by a yogi called Swami Rama in Kansas by the Menninger Foundation. Swami Rama basically relaxed into Yoga Nidra while scientists monitored his brain activity. The pattern and duration of the brain waves was pre-decided. In addition to this, scientists kept on asking Swami Rama questions. Results showed that Swami Rama was indeed able to move through the various states of consciousness at will. He was also able to tell them the questions he was asked while in that state as well as the talk that was going on in the lab during the Yoga Nidra!!!

What This Means for You

This is good news for everyone suffering deep-seated psychological issues. The origin of problems in our body is usually the brain. If you are able to tap into that part of your brain which is holding on to negativity and are able to release deep seated and deep rooted tension, then you will be rid of many problems standing in the way of a better quality of life for you.

On the physical level you will see that your sleep improves, your efficiency at work improves, your concentration levels improve. Essentially, you’re upping the ante on your quality of life. So start Yoga Nidra today!

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