The human bodies and Earth body are all changing to accommodate our increased spiritual energy. We have an infinite number of spiritual vibrations to use in our transformation. Cosmic and Earth energies can be consciously manipulated to heal ourselves and our planet. Another powerful energy called Kundalini energy is also emerging from individual bodies and the planet. All of our spiritual energies transform lower physical vibrations to a higher spiritual energy for us to use in our creative process. We need to bring the body energy up to accept our high spiritual vibrations. This requires awakening to our spiritual nature.

A major lesson for spirit is how to bring your physical body to an awakened state to receive spirit without harming the body. Meditation is the way to turn within, know yourself, and heal in a safe and controlled manner. By learning to meditate and doing so daily, you awaken as spirit and heal your body. Many energies are available to help you get back to yourself, the spirit. Kundalini energy is one vibration to use to transform the physical to spiritual energy. I wrote a book on Kundalini that describes how to do this and refers to meditation as a foundation of healing. The following is an excerpt:

“The human body is an alive, dynamic vehicle for the soul. We, as spirit, have invested a great deal of energy in the physical world and in our bodies. Many beings have lost their awareness of themselves as spirit because they have invested so much of their energy in the physical world of matter. Many have come to believe they are their bodies and that there is nothing but the physical world.

“This sleeping state is what many people on Earth are now experiencing. The lack of awareness of the spiritual nature of all things and the spirituality of humanity is the main cause of disturbance on this planet. The lack of spiritual information is perpetuating this state of unawareness. While many people seek God, they seek God outside of themselves instead of within. This outward focus for spiritual information and guidance can cause confusion and create power games and control games instead of spiritual awakening of the individual soul.

“For the soul to reawaken to its spiritual nature, it must realize that it is not its body and does not have the characteristics of the body. The body operates in time and space, is limited by effort, competition and ethics, and is mortal. The spirit operates outside of time and space, does not have competition, ethics or effort, and is immortal, to list a few of the differences. The soul needs to learn to have affinity for its body to create fully through it since the affinity for the body’s characteristics helps the soul work through the medium of the body.

“The differences between spirit and body cause a great deal of confusion for many people seeking spiritual information and awakening. The person may start her spiritual opening with good intentions and end up focused on an ego trip, in pain, or in fear because she did not know the difference between spirit and body. Trying to make the body like the spirit is impossible, and trying to make spirit like the body is also impossible. Unfortunately, many people get caught in exactly that pattern. This attempt to make one like the other disrupts the natural affinity between a spirit and its body. It can make the body afraid of spirit and cause spirit to spend its energy outside of the body.

“To bring the body back to an awakened state, it is essential to recognize the differences between spirit and body and not try to make the body be like you, the spirit. A spiritually awake body is very different from a spiritually awake soul. The body’s natural characteristics are intensified when the body is healed. Thus, the sexuality, emotionality, and other physical characteristics are stronger and require more spiritual attention to turn them to spiritual use. The differences between spirit and body are the same whether the soul or body is asleep or awake. The body is still mortal and the soul is still immortal. The body uses effort, time and space, and spirit does not. An awakened body is one through which the spiritual energy flows easily, and healing is constantly occurring as the spirit takes responsibility for its intensified energy field. If spirit wakens its body and does not care for it, the body can be a powerful vehicle that is out of control.

“Bringing the body to an awakened state requires healing it by clearing the lies, foreign energy, misinformation, past-time energy, and other inappropriate energies from it. It means clearing anything from your body that is not in agreement with your spiritual nature such as hate, fear, pain, and the ego that covers all of your mistakes. An awakened body is an alive body, unencumbered by the energies which deaden it, such as pain and the other energies already mentioned. Once a body begins to awaken, the healing focus must be increased so the disturbances stored in the body do not get you off your spiritual path. An awakened body is an exciting challenge to use. It is like riding a healthy, spirited horse instead of a sick, jaded one.”

My book on meditation teaches five of the ancient spiritual techniques to use and is the foundation for spiritual work. Spiritual energy is increasing in everyone and everything. Learn to understand yourself as spirit and your spiritual energies to regain control of your creativity. Learn to ground, center and meditate to help you create in this time of planetary spiritual awakening. Meditation prepares your body for the rising Kundalini energy which is part of the 2012 transformation process. Now is the time to meditate and take charge as spirit. Source

I wanted to become more flexible but more importantly at a cost of $200 per month, I wanted to maximize its value. I had everything that I needed; yoga mats, 2 liters of water with electrolytes, a towel and a change of clothes. Hot yoga is more than a class, it is a test of will, commitment and endurance. It is 90 minutes in a 100 degree room with 50 plus other individuals. The first week was tough on my developed muscles.

I have been working out for so long without stretching that my muscles were tight and stretching them was out of my body’s comfort zone. This was one reason I fell in love with hot yoga. In a heated room, you do not immediately feel the effects of stretching because the damp heat lubricates tight muscles; but in 24 hours, it might be quite a chore to move those sore muscles. I started using an msm supplement once a day to get through the first weeks of muscle soreness; a godsend because soreness can make you feel heavy and lethargic.

The benefits of yoga, might not take effect for 2 or 3 weeks. The immediate benefits are improved sleep and digestion while the medium term benefits are, energy, mental clarity and positive mood changes. I felt calm and at peace which may have happened earlier than when I first noticed it. I did not practice yoga again for a couple of years. I discovered a yoga DVD I had bought multiple years ago but never used. I decided to try it, just 20 minutes to start. It is like having gold and not knowing it. I began to practice so as to make it apart of my lifestyle and found it was just what I needed, something I could do at home, by learning the technique on my own and following it daily.

I wish I had thought of it earlier. There are some fitness practices one will never commit to in a gym setting, but are more suitable for home and yoga is best at home because the poses are repetitive and adaptable. Learning yoga at home for 20 or 40 minutes is great because you can make into a habit, fitness moves that can maintain your abdomen, your flexibility and health. This is the key to choosing a home fitness plan. Choose only that which you intend to make a habit. Source

Tip #1: Simply start off by educating yourself on the art of meditating. There are many people who often have misinformed or confused views of the facts simply because they never did the appropriate research on matters, which then leads to ignorance. If you’re a beginner in meditating, you will need to learn all about it simply by reading on articles, books and publications that help you understand more about it. Spiritual practice is an essential need for the human body, and one should truly understand what it’s all about. You can even acquire information from someone who is knowledgeable on the matter.

Tip #2: You will need to set some time in your schedule in order to begin the process of meditating effectively. Of course, it would be best to pick a schedule where you are at your most calm. For the most part, it would be advisable to engage in some meditating at the very start of the day. Your body has just recovered from rest and you are quite tranquil. Of course, you can choose to meditate at night as well. However, the key element in this to work is that you find a time where no distractions can get in the way.

Tip #3: Refrain from thinking about your worries. Of course, when you’re doing something, you might want to take care of it first so that your mind won’t be bothered by it while in the midst of meditation. It is essential to have a clear mind when meditating. This can be achieved, however, by making use of breathing techniques. One effective way to do so is by breathing not from your chest, but from your abdomen. Source

Learning the different positions and improving flexibility is a big part of yoga. Some will shy away from yoga because of this. They feel that they are not flexible enough to do it, but the truth is, anyone can improve their flexibility by doing yoga. The different poses used within yoga are made to safely stretch out a person’s muscles which will improve their flexibility over time. It can also help in improving the range of motion within their joints.

The different poses within some forms of yoga will help to strengthen muscles too. The more someone does yoga and the longer a person uses the different poses will determine how quickly or how defined their muscles will become. Certain poses will help in strengthening upper body, lower body, or abdomen muscles.

With all of the flexibility and strength that a person gets from doing yoga, their posture will be improved too. After doing yoga for some time, a person becomes more aware of what they are doing with their body. So when they begin to slouch they realize it quickly and will straighten up.

While practicing yoga, deep breathing is used. The purposeful use of deep long breaths helps to expand a person’s lung capacity. The deeps breaths are also beneficial in relaxing a person’s body. To help in the relaxation process within yoga, meditation is used. Within meditation, a person will learn to clear their mind of all of the thoughts that are floating around. After learning to clear the mind, a great sense of stress free relaxation is felt.

With all of the benefits that yoga has on a body with deep breathing, flexibility from different positions, and muscle strength, different types of research has been and continues to be completed in order to determine and verify the different health benefits that yoga has on a person. One of the benefits that yoga has is on relieving stress and slowing a person’s heart rate which then helps to lower blood pressure. This in turn will help to reduce the risk of stroke. Yoga has also been involved with improving a person’s immune system and lower cholesterol level.

Yoga has many benefits on a person’s body and is continually being researched to see what further benefits it has. If anyone is looking for a way to improve their health, better their flexibility and posture, and to enhance muscles, then yoga is the way to do it. Source

He has developed many programs concerning the improvement of health issues to the adolescents. One of the areas out there is the health through meditation.

Does meditation helps – improving the overall health? Does it help the young-adults to be healthy?

He has been on a research to some vital factors like – does meditation lays any impact on the blood pressure and if so, whether or not the blood pressure can be controlled through meditation?

In answer to these, he found – YES! It did help in cardio vascular health of these adolescents, if they meditate twice a day. He also found that meditation helps improving education overall. He emphasizes on the point that when you are stressed, it’s very hard to concentrate and thus hard to do well. On the contrary, when the mind is quiet and calm, it prepares you to learning. And really its true with all of us, as the mind is calm and peaceful, we get prepared for anything in life – whether it is office, preparing for the exams, driving, working etc. It really does matters, the results under such situation are always better.

Meditation is your maintenance of mental thoughts and images. When you reach this stage, your mind is at its peak of efficiency since it becomes more sensitive to details in its surroundings. It is also paradoxical in a sense since you are able to divert those external thoughts, despite awareness of its existence.

Dr Barnes also found that the adolescents, who meditate twice a day, behave better. Meditation relaxes mind and gives peace and also increases body’s immune system. So begin meditating now and see how incredible meditation is, for us. You can try to start meditating only for a week, with just 20 minutes in the morning and again 20 minutes to 30 minutes at night and check results in your relationships, work-life, personal health and overall peace of mind. Source

Bikram yoga is rapidly gaining popularity in the East Bay, especially for those who like more of a challenging style of yoga. Bikram yoga is practiced in a heated room. Practicing in a heated room increases detoxification, and substantially increases flexibility. The heat relaxes the muscles so one can go deeper within a pose without injuring the muscles, tendons and ligaments. Going deeper into the poses also allows the body to open so that one is less susceptible to injury both while in the pose and in every day activity as well.

A few of the benefits of a consistent yoga practice include improved circulation, increased flexibility and stress reduction. Many people sit behind a computer all day and find they have chronic tension in the neck, shoulders and back. Chronic tension can set the stage for injury, as well as chronic pain in the muscles and joints. Yoga classes, particularly Yin Yoga, or Restorative Yoga can help ease the effects of chronic tension almost immediately.

Yoga increases the body’s ability to detoxify by massaging the internal organs. In addition to keeping the body in balance, yoga also helps to increase the blood supply to various parts of the body. Consequently, yoga also works our glands, such as the thyroid and prostate, which is crucial to keeping balance in the body. Creating balance within the body’s various systems also helps strengthen the immune system while simultaneously keeping illness at bay.

Yoga poses serve many purposes. Not only do yoga routines increase flexibility by engaging the muscles and connective tissues simultaneously, they also increase strength by using your body weight as resistance. This offers incredibly toned muscles if practiced regularly. Since most of us sit hunched over a computer all day, our posture can become compromised. Practicing yoga can also ensure good posture because the poses help strengthen the muscles of the neck, back and shoulders.

Several yoga studios are now offering drop-in classes to allow folks to experiment with different styles. Many local yoga studios offer many different yoga styles, so you can find one that works best for your body. In addition, drop-in rates are usually fairly cheap, so you don’t have to spend a fortune while enjoying the many benefits of yoga. Source

Posture

The first step to meditating is to steady your body. The most common way that people meditate is by sitting down. Find a quiet, serene place to meditate. Sit on a sturdy, comfortable surface either with your feet planted on the floor or crossed underneath you. Keep your spine straight and your body erect. Place your hands on your knees with your palms facing up. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. The first few times you try to do this, your mind will be jumping from thought to thought. Continually bring it back to focusing only on your breathing, and remember that this will get easier the more you practice. Start by sitting like this for only 5 minutes a day. When you’re ready, practice creativity meditation by focusing on particular scenes.

Mountain Meditation

Mountains are known as sacred places in a variety of cultures. While meditating, focus on the image of a mountain that you’ve seen before or one that you’ve made up. Focus on the overall shape of the mountain, the mountain peak, where the mountain meets the ground, and the angled slope of the mountainsides. You can sprinkle snow on the top of your mountain, line it with bushy green trees or add several peaks to a wide, sprawling mountain. Build the mountain the more you envision it and focus on every minute detail of it. Picture the mountain during sunrise or sunset and pay attention to how the sun hits the mountain and the color of the sky behind it.

Lake Meditation

Some people may be more comfortable imagining a lake for their meditation instead of a mountain. When a mountain feels too abrasive and overwhelming, water is more soothing and enchanting to some people. Picture a lake in your mind and give it a definitive depth. Envision the surface of the lake as either clear or muddy, and assign a specific color to it, like green or blue. Take note of what’s reflected in the lake, such as hills, trees, clouds or rock. Watch the lake as it ripples when the wind blows. Picture the way the sunlight reflects off the lake or how the moon rises over the water.

“Waking Up” from Meditation

While you may think that coming out of meditation should be quiet and peaceful, it’s actually tradition to make a loud, sharp sound at the end of meditation. This will bring you out of the meditation completely so that you don’t have a dreamy feeling for the rest of the day. Set your alarm clock to sound loudly after five minutes. Source

We are living in a fast-paced world and continued stress and strain are causing several ailments such as diabetes, blood pressure, hyperacidity, ulcer, migraine and hypertension. Yoga has the most powerful remedies for man’s physical as well as mental ailments. Yoga makes the organs of the body active and has remarkable effect on internal functioning of the entire human system.

Make it a point to do some warm-up exercises before starting your yoga postures (asanas). Wear the right kind of clothes for performing the yoga exercises – loose fitting cotton garments are considered ideal. The practice of yoga has innumerable techniques, breathing maneuvers and asanas.

Regulated breathing (inhalation and exhalation) is crucial to yoga. Your trainer will initiate you into the scientific method of breathing. If you are breathing rhythmically you will find doing yoga exercises easier as you can maintain a position for longer duration and you can stretch to your extreme limits. Yoga consists of a series of physical postures complemented by breathing exercises and healthy eating.

Yoga provides numerous traditional and proven techniques for holistic health based on the teachings of the sages of yore. It is good to know that, research studies on physical and mental health, and other authoritative health sources are today stoutly supporting Yoga beliefs. The advantages of yoga include flexible muscles, supple joints, relaxed mind and efficient functioning of vital organs and muscle toning.

Please remember that yoga is not a competitive sport where you will have to excel or outdo your peers. Stop yoga exercises if you develop pain or any physical discomfort. Consult your trainer and avoid postures or movements you feel uneasy. Yoga includes a variety of techniques and you need to choose those that are useful to you and most suited for your individual physical and mental needs.

For instance, there are specific techniques of yoga for a housewife, a child, an athlete, a teacher, a student, or a factory worker. This is because the ways of life of every individual is quite different from every other. Although yoga can be practiced by all age groups, some techniques are more suited and desirable for specific age groups. You can not derive the benefits of yoga if you do not practice the correct technique y or practice it irregularly. In fact doing yoga exercises on your own or under an ill-qualified trainer can even lead to physical injuries and other health complications.

Yoga exercises do not require costly equipment, materials, or open spaces. The only requirement is a thick carpet spread on the floor and covered with a clean sheet of cloth. Drink plenty of water during and after a yoga session. Remember that yoga may make you sweat but for that reason, do not misconstrue it as a substitute for aerobic exercise. Yoga is certainly not a good aerobic exercise and plays an insignificant role at burning calories. But practicing yoga will unfailingly help you develop physical fitness and toning of muscles. Source

Iyengar Yoga: This type of yoga focuses on precise movement and the alignment of the body. It often uses straps, blocks, and other props to help less flexible beginners perform the same movements as experts. These items can also help people with injuries adapt movements to their individual bodies. This allows everyone to perform yoga poses with comfort.

This type of yoga pays a lot of attention to detail, but poses are flexible and can be modified, making it a good choice for people who suffer from neck or back pain. Adjusting the poses can also help people with other injuries. Iyengar Yoga is a good choice if you’d like to get a good basic knowledge of classic yoga poses, giving you the fundamental for other types of yoga later on.

Teachers of Iyengar yoga are likely to focus on inner awareness and alignment. Inner awareness begins with the body, but then moves to other parts of ourselves as we continue with practice on a regular basis.

Ashtanga Yoga: This type of yoga has also been referred to as “power yoga”. This is because flowing, powerful movements are a big focus of this discipline. Lunges, pushups, and other stamina- and strength-focused movements that aren’t usually associated with yoga may be involved. People who are looking for a more challenging practice, or are looking to build strength after overcoming injuries, particularly to the back, may wish to practice this type of yoga.

If you’re already fairly athletic, but want to add more balance to your routine than running, cycling, or working at the gym can provide, Ashtanga Yoga may help you. It can help you improve your concentration, and build muscles you don’t normally use.

Bikram Yoga: This yoga type is also called hot yoga. This is because its chief feature is being performed in an extremely warm room. Heat can help tissues to stretch, making this kind of yoga a good tool for increasing your flexibility. However, if you have a heart problem or other cardiovascular disease, the warmth of the room in which Bikram Yoga is performed can be dangerous, because it places extra strain on this system.

Viniyoga: This type of yoga links breathing and flowing movements into individually adapted exercises. If you have a back problem or neck injury, this variety of yoga might be a good fit, as it’s easily adapted to each person.

Raja Yoga: Designed to liberate the mind through meditation, this type of yoga works well for people who are interested in engaging in intense concentration.

Bhakti Yoga: A form of devotional yoga, this practice focuses on the surrender of the self in the face of the divine.

Mantra Yoga: Known also as the “yoga of potent sound”, this practice focuses on the liberation of the mind via the repetition of sounds which have power. “Om” is the most familiar, but other mantras include “ram” and “hum”. Source

But it might surprise you to learn that yoga has a far longer history in the U.S., dating back to the late 1800s.

In 1883, Swami Vivekananda made an appearance at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago where he greeted his “sisters and brothers of America”, a salutation that brought a standing ovation from the large audience in attendance. His idea that all of the religions of the world are merely separate parts of a larger religion was a new concept to those hearing him speak about the mind, body and spirit.

Shortly after the arrival of Swami Vivekananda, Yogendra Mastamani also traveled to the U.S. from India and set up a base in Long Island, N.Y. in 1919 and created the American branch of Kaivalyadhama, which is an India-based group that was a leader in the exploration of yoga from a scientific perspective. Mastamani introduced Hatha Yoga to the United States.

One year later, one of the most popular yogis of all time, Paramahansa Yogananda, arrived in Boston to introduce kriya yoga to the U.S. He created the Self-Realization Fellowship, which now has its headquarters in Los Angeles. Yogananda also wrote the world-famous best seller, “Autobiography of a Yogi”, a book that is still an inspirational resource for many yoga instructors and students.

Beginning in the 1930s, Jiddu Krishnamurti achieved a new level of notoriety for a yogi when he began giving well-received, eloquent seminars on Jnana-Yoga, or the yoga of discernment. His enlightening talks brought him attention from a number of celebrities, including actors Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo and writers Aldous Huxley and George Bernard Shaw.

In 1924, the U.S. imposed a restriction on the number of Indians it would allow to move to the U.S., meaning students who sought the teachings of yogis had to travel to India. One of these students was Theos Bernard, who traveled to India and came back in 1947 to write the book “Hatha Yoga: The Report of a Personal Experience”, an influential book which is still widely today.

In that same year, yogi Indra Devi, born in Russia, opened one of the original Hatha Yoga studios in the Los Angeles/Hollywood area and was given the title of “The First Lady of Yoga”. Devi was admired by housewives across the U.S., as well as Hollywood stars such as Gloria Swanson, Jennifer Jones and Robert Ryan. Devi passed away in her Buenos Ares home in 2002.

But there is one man who is credited with bringing yoga into the mainstream of America and, ironically, he is not a native of India. While Richard Hittleman did study in India for several years, he came back to the U.S. in 1950 and worked as a yoga instructor in New York, introducing a non-spiritual version of yoga to the country and altered the way yoga is perceived in the U.S. Hittleman emphasized the physical aspects of yoga to a Western audience used to focusing on the body rather than the mind. Hittleman’s goal was to teach American students to gradually embrace the spiritual side of yoga, which many people have.

As Hittleman worked to expand yoga on the East, Walt and Magana Baptiste were working to increase yoga’s scope on the West Coast when they open a studio in San Francisco in the 1950s. Both of the Baptistes were students of Yogananda and Walt brought the influence of Vivekananda to the practice, creating an entirely new approach to yoga. Their yoga legacy is continuing with their son and daughter, Baron and Sherri.

Also in San Francisco, Swami Vishnu-devananda, arrived from India in 1958 and, with sponsorship from famed artist Peter Max, created the landmark book, “The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga”. It became an essential guide for yoga instructors and practitioners. Vishu-devananga would later go on to create the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta yoga centers, which has become one of most prominent yoga school franchises in the entire world.

As the 1960s embrace of counterculture got into full swing, more and more people began to investigate the spirituality of yoga and possibly the most famous group of yoga practitioners were The Beatles, whose association with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi made him one of the most famous yogis in the world. He created the Meditation school of yoga that today employs more than 40,000 instructors and approximately 4 million followers worldwide.

In the late 1960, Harvard professor Richard Alpert left on a journey through India and returned as Ram Dass, who captured the imagination of the young people of America and sparked their interest in the potential of yoga with his 1970 college tour to support his book, “Be Here Now”. It implanted the idea of taking a spiritual quest as a dream of many young people.

As the 1970s progressed, yoga studios began appearing all over the country. Mount Madonna, founded by Baba Hari Dass, brought residential yoga instruction to Santa Cruz, California. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, begun by Shrila Prabhubada, created the international spiritual practice of Bhakti Yoga. Ashtanga-vinyasa Yoga was brought to the U.S. by Pattabhi Jois in the mid ’70s and made yoga popular with new groups of people. Swami Satchitananda was probably the most famous non-musician to appear at Woodstock. Female yogi Swami Sivananda Radha is credited with probing the link between the psychology and spirituality of yoga. And Swami Chidananda, a student of yoga master Swami Sivananda, produced one of America’s most famous and familiar yoga instructors, Lilias Folan, whose PBS series, “Lilias, Yoga and You”, which aired from 1970 to 1979, brought into nearly every home in America.

Yoga has continued its influence across America with classes and studios in cities all over, from the smallest town to the major metro areas. Meanwhile, the birth of the digital media market has taken yoga CDs, DVDs and Internet websites to even more homes, making it a mainstay in American life. Source