(January 2017 Meditations) Following through on the talk on intention and motivation, the question is how do we live an intentional life? How do we honestly and clearly see the motivation? Finding the answers requires some effort in directed self-reflection, looking at how we have lived mindfully and mindlessly, and then writing the script for... Continue Reading →
(January 2017 Meditations) Why are we meditating? Clearly knowing the personal intention, and what motivates that intention, can make an enormous difference to the understanding and discipline we bring to our practice. What is meant by intention? Why is the motivation behind the intention so important? This can apply to anything, not just meditation. The... Continue Reading →
Guided meditations require less effort than the ones that require independent effort. The ease leads to greater states of deep relaxation for many who struggle with other types of practices. In over 40 years of practicing and teaching, Yoga Nidra is by far the most popular of any practice I have taught.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Il-vBooKA&feature=youtu.be This meditation was done by Meena Modi through Zoom on April 26, 2020 as a part of a series of Yoga Nidras in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The sky of awareness provides relief from the stress and anxiety, becoming a refuge of peace. Over time, the awareness becomes deeper and more concentrated. It... Continue Reading →
This Yoga Nidra is a guided yoga meditation to purify the body through chakras (energy centers) and their individual sound vibrations. The meditation systematically locates important chakras. Each chakra is associated with an element and has a bija mantra (seed sound vibration). Mental and emotional blockages at each center are cleared by focusing on the... Continue Reading →
The word trataka means a steady gaze. The yogic practice withdraws the senses from the external environment to the internal space within. It clears the mental space and uses an external flame to trigger the vision of the internal flame. Trataka is a soothing and comforting yoga meditation. Cancer patients and people with chronic illnesses... Continue Reading →
This is the fourth meditation in our series. We first became familiar with the process of witnessing. Then we began to look objectively at the programming and conditioning of the mind. The third meditation was about discarding negative conditioning and connecting with an inner source of strength. This fourth meditation is about looking at various... Continue Reading →
A mountain is a universal, spiritual symbol, just like light. It implies many aspects of existence. Temples, churches and mosques have mountain or hill-shaped domes and steeples. Ancient Egyptian pyramids, Aztec and Mayan temples, mimic mountains. Sometimes the entire structure is built like a mountain as in Egyptian pyramids as well as Mayan and Aztec... Continue Reading →
This meditation reveals the perpetual and consequential programming, the conditioning process, of the mind that began at birth. Think of the body and mind as hardware and software that are constantly growing and being shaped and formed by everything the body-mind is exposed to. This body-mind complex absorbs, processes, and stores everything to create our... Continue Reading →
Mahasri Yoga 