Balance Your Energies

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The ancient sages and rishis of India understood that all of creation is essentially energy. Furthermore, they understood that this energy can take on different forms. One being the intellect. As a driving force in this world, the intellect can be a powerful tool. In the same manner, sex, also an energy, can be used for creation. However, many times it may feel that these two energies are at war with each other. We desire something, yet our intellect, or mind, tells us we should not have it. The ancient yogis understood that essentially, these conflicts arise out of a simple imbalance in energies. If too much of our energy is centered around sex, then our intellect suffers, and likewise, if we are too intellectual, then we become almost stale, lifeless beings.

The rishis not only understood this, but provided a solution as well, which was rooted in ancient sciences. According to yoga, a human being’s spine is like three hollow tubes, within which life energy flows. In Sanskrit, these tubes, or channels, are known as nadis. The nadis are not visible to the naked eye because they exist not in the physical body, but in the more esoteric, subtle body which may be influenced through meditation or yoga. The ancient science dictates that the energy flow within the nadis will directly affect a person’s mental, emotional, and higher spiritual states. Depending on which way the energy may be flowing at any one time, a person may be centered in the intellect or in the sexual center at the root of the spine, or even a combination of the two. An intellect-centered person will naturally be dry and rooted completely in logic. This energy, ultimately culminating in the head, flows through the ida nadi, located on the left of the center nadi (middle tube). In contrast, a sex-centered person might be materialistic, centered around desires and fantasies. This sex energy travels through the pingala nadi, located on the right of the center nadi, downwards towards the base of the spine.

With the right guidance, however, the energy flow may be “redirected” to the center, or sushumna nadi. When this happens, a person will no longer be affected by these two energy states, as they have transcended them.

If this redirection in energy happens, the energy will reach the crown center at the top of the head. Not only is this essential for balancing out the energy from the ida and pingala nadis, but, more importantly, activation of the sushumna nadi is associated with higher cognitive functions and spiritual awakening.

The human body can be compared to an instrument, and like any instrument, it works best when used properly. The vedic rishis created manuals on how to use this instrument to its full potential through yoga and meditation. By this meditation, one can transcend the first two nadis and awaken the center nadi, ultimately leading to a flowering of a higher spiritual consciousness.

The steps are as follows:

Before doing anything, first mentally scan the spine in order to visualize it easily during the meditation.
Sit straight and close your eyes.
With spine erect, visualize it (the spine) as a lotus thread; a small, thin, thread of light that travels from the base of the spinal cord all the way to the top of the head.
Keep your attention on this thread of light. Visualize the energy flowing from the root center all the way to the crown. What you are visualizing is the sushumna nadi, or center nadi. Let your whole awareness be on this nadi.
Do this for 21 minutes a day for at least 10 days. After 10 or 11 days the center nadi will be activated and the energy flow within all three nadis will be balanced.
This leads to awakening of intelligence, energy, and makes experiencing the ultimate possible.

Taken From Nithyananda’s Shiva Sutra Talks

Nithya Dhyaan

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Nithya Dhyaan is a 35-minute meditation designed by Nithyananda to unclutch from the mind and move beyond it. It cleanses and energises the vital energy centers or chakras in the body, which are responsible for the swaying emotions and stored negative memories. It brings intense awareness into the system to awaken the inner intelligence. The meditation causes an experience of a growing explosion in consciousness that can steer a person towards a life of totality and completion.

Nithya Dhyaan is a technique that gives a seeker what he needs to balance himself and be in complete harmony with his body, mind and spirit. It enables him to harness the inner intelligence and to excel in the inner and outer worlds.

STEP 1

vajrasana

Please be seated in a yogic posture called Vajrasana. Sit on your mat on the floor with both your legs stretched out. Next fold both the legs, one after the other at the knees and rest your posterior on your heels with your toes turned outward. This is Vajrasana. With open palms, place your hands on the thigh joint where it meets the hips, with your thumb pointing backwards and the remaining four fingers pointing forwards as if you are holding your hips. You can use a cushion or a rolled towel under your ankles. Sit comfortably with your head, neck and spine in a straight line.

Now close your eyes and breathe chaotically for 7 minutes. Breathe intensely and non rhythmically. Your entire upper body should move as you breathe. However, do not over-strain yourself. If you have had a recent surgery or have a medical problem or if you are pregnant, please do this step carefully, with the level of intensity that feels comfortable.

STEP 2

Continue to sit in Vajrasana. You now need to form the ‘chin mudra’. A mudra is a symbolic gesture of the hands and fingers. Place your hands on your knees. Your hands with open palms should be facing upward. Let the tip of the index finger touch the tip of the thumb, as if forming a circle. The three other fingers, arms and the hands remain relaxed.

Now, hum intensely for 7 minutes. Breathe in deeply and as you exhale create a humming sound from your navel. Your mouth should be closed. You will feel a vibration starting from your lips and mouth. Be relaxed. Do not strain yourself. If you have had a recent surgery or have a medical problem or you are pregnant, please do this step carefully, with the level of intensity that feels comfortable.

STEP 3

You may now sit cross-legged on the floor if you wish to or continue to sit in Vajrasana. Now, for 7 minutes, take your awareness through each of the body’s seven energy centers, called chakras, starting from the Mooladhara Chakra or Root Center which is the base of the spine to the Sahasrara Chakra, which is the Crown Center. (See figure)

When you meditate on each chakra, feel intensely that:

> the chakra is pure
> the chakra is filled with energy
> the chakra is overflowing with bliss
> the chakra is radiating Nithyananda, or eternal bliss

STEP 4

For 7 minutes just be unclutched in silence. Be a witness to whatever is happening inside you and around you. Do not suppress your thoughts. Do not follow your thoughts. Just watch your thoughts as an observer.

STEP 5

For the last 7 minutes remain in a deep mood of gratitude. When your whole being overflows with gratitude, you commune with the existential energy. You may chant the Guru Pooja Mantra or just listen to the mantra and offer your gratitude to Existence and to your Guru. Offer your gratitude with your whole being.

Adapted from Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s teachings

Awareness on Third Eye to be Non- Judgemental

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To truly capture the essence of liberation, it helps to understand the third eye at a deeper level. At present, an individual’s view of the world is only 120 degrees wide. This implies that concentrating on a specific object will require all other objects to be excluded, resulting in a narrower degree of vision. However, turning all awareness to the third eye and focusing on the subject rather than on the object will ultimately expand the degree of vision. Everything will be absorbed with newly found detail and clarity, from an enhanced perspective.

In addition to turning all awareness towards the third eye, Shiva also says that awareness must prevail even before a thought arises. Typically, when a thought rises, it is either suppressed or pursued. In either case, there is no awareness of the thought before it rises. Just as the divine trinity creates, maintains and destroys, the human mind is continuously involved in either creating a thought, keeping it alive or killing it.

It is when an individual moves beyond these three actions that he attains the state of enlightenment, of Para Brahma. Going beyond the actions of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (Hindu trinity of Gods) in creation, maintenance and destruction of a thought will awaken one to the ultimate reality that he IS existence. In essence, being aware of a thought even before it rises is eternal liberation in its greatest form.

Usually, an individual is tied down by his thoughts; he forms an opinion without even looking at the situation with clarity. There are two ways of forming an opinion – either by collecting enough arguments to arrive at the judgement or by passing the verdict and then collecting enough arguments to support it. The average human is bound by the latter, and being aware of a thought even before it rises sets him free from this judgemental attitude. However, it is important to know the difference between being aware of a thought and suppressing the thought as it rises. For example, neither suppressing nor expressing anger will help. However, being in a state of awareness even before the anger arises is the only way to truly break free from the pattern of thought.

Taken from Nithyananda’s Shiva Sutra Talks, November 2007, Los Angeles, USA

Watch Your Breath

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In his first Sutra, Shiva gives this most simple meditation. Buddha used this technique and called it ‘Vipassana’ which means sitting with the Self, or sitting with God. Indeed, this method is the essence of Buddhism. No other technique has brought so many millions to enlightenment. When asked if he had to pick one of the millions of meditation techniques, Nithyananda says that this is the one he would choose because if all spiritual knowledge on the planet were lost, this is the one that could keep enlightenment alive.

The secret lies in the simple observance and bringing awareness and presence to the breath. The process of breathing in and out is not a parallel movement as one might think, but rather a circular movement. Between the in breath (down) and the out breath (up) and again between the out and in breaths there are gaps.

When reaching the gap the mind stops. Fear of losing identity causes a jump over the gap because identity doesn’t exist there. There is avoidance of maintaining awareness in this gap because the fear of losing identity is stronger than the fear of death. What may happen to “me” after “I” dies is a less terrifying thought than “I” won’t exist. This creates the impulse to protect the unreal or comparative reality (identity) from the real existential reality (pure consciousness).

Here Shiva is creating the subtlest possible technique. A human being as such cannot work directly on the ether or mind. It can only be touched through the breath and this is the bridge between the individual and the Universe. It is the bridge between the body and the mind. Humans are composed of 5 elements, but it is only when the breath happens that mind happens. The body is matter. The mind is ether. The breath is the bridge.

The breath and the mind are very closely related. The length, breadth, and depth of the breath correspond directly to the number of thoughts experienced. With long slow deep breaths, the number of thoughts is reduced. Being aware of the unconscious fear and slowing the thoughts enhances the ability to drop into the neutral zone, just as when driving a car it is necessary to go into neutral before changing gears.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Quiet the mind with long, slow, deep breaths

2. Bring awareness to the gap just at the end of the in (down) breath, and just before it turns up into the out breath, and again between the out (up) and in (down) breaths.

3. Relax. Allow the breath to carry you into your inner space, the zone where neither breath nor mind exist.

4. Surrender. Allow yourself to become more and more comfortable with this neutral zone. If you are able to relax into this zone with awareness, an explosion of consciousness can happen.

5. Be patient. You cannot bully yourself into a sense of security.

In every breath God is knocking at your door.

Time, a Myth!

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TIME IS A LIE

Time is the greatest lie ever told to humanity. There is no such thing as the existence of time. The sun is rising and setting. The moon is rising and setting. Seasons are happening not as you planned. Please understand, we think, only in modern days the seasons are not happening properly. Seasons never happened properly because there is no such thing as the proper existence for a season. Maybe you try to understand with certain averages, between 20 degrees and 30 degrees, between 60 degrees and 70 degrees. With averages you come up with arguments to support some greatest lie called time. Where is time? There is no such thing as ‘time exists’. Sun rises and falls, moon rises and falls, body rises and falls, that’s all. Where is time? What is the definition of a day? It is not existential reality. A day is not a day as you think. It is the definition you created, which the whole world has accepted non-controversially.

REALITY

Any definition accepted non controversially by the world does not become existential reality. It’s a taught fact. If all of us sit together and pass a certain resolution, “let there not be any more tsunami’s on the planet earth”, you think it is going to become existential reality? At the most it can become a law in all the places where human beings are living but not more than that. Time is the root cause of all sufferings. Realize this one truth and decide not to bend for anything. See, as per your reality, anything which you perceive for a long period you conceive that as a reality.

That is why you think of dreams as illusions because you perceive that for only a few hours. This waking state you perceive as reality, because you perceive this for 70 years. So you perceive this as a reality. Time is the worst myth, greatest lie, the most sadistic concept taught to human beings by the unconscious human beings who are in turn taught that same foolishness by some other unconscious human beings. Do not inherit sadism. When you learn the concept of time, you inherit sadism.

EXPERIENCING HAPPENINGS AS EXTERNAL

Life needs to be lived with the tremendous freedom that time is a lie. Being an external to all the happenings internally is what I mean by being liberated from time. Please understand, being external to all the happenings internally – means whatever you consider as the internal happening, the concept of time, stress created by time, strengths and weaknesses of your body and mind, the ideas and experience you have about consciousness, all are experienced as internal. When it is experienced as external, you are beyond time.

Meditate on this one sacred secret. Live this sutra, live this one sacred secret. Whatever you think of as internal should become external to you. The more and more internal things become external for you, the more you are grown spiritually. Understand, if inside there are a hundred things, for somebody twenty things may become external.

This means initially your body will become external for you. Yes, this is not me. Then, your prana, your air circulation will become external for you. This is not me. Then mental thoughts will become external for you. This is not me. But initially, all this will be internal for you. Then emotions, ‘Oh! This is not me!’

Understand, this is externalizing all the most subtle internal happenings. When you internalize the external things, more and more bondage happens. When you externalize internal things, more and more liberation happens, that’s all. When you externalize, first the body becomes external, then prana becomes external, then the thoughts becomes external. Then emotions become external. Then the pains caused by those emotions become external, then the very experience of consciousness becomes external. Only finally, ultimately, the pure consciousness alone remains as internal. I am revealing one of the important truths.

Taken from Nithyananda’s Patanjali Yoga Sutra Discourses in July, 2011, Bidadi Ashram

Yoga – a continuous happening inside you!

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MANY translate Yoga as ‘union’. Please understand, Yoga is not ‘union’. It is ‘uniting’. Yoga is not a noun. Yoga is a verb. Yoga is not an end result. Yoga is a process. As Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, Yoga is being what you are without expectations and without attachments.

Yoga is not doing but being. There is nothing to achieve by practicing Yoga! Shocked? Many people have told you that Yoga will cure you of asthma, it will cure you of chronic pain, it will cure you of high blood pressure and so on. Perhaps it does; but not because of what you practice, but because you believe it does. That is why your intention behind your actions is so important in yoga. Yoga unites the mind-body-spirit system. Actually, what unites them is not just the exercises that you perform, but the intention with which you perform them. When you perform an action with a conscious intention, you create a physical memory which gets embedded in your muscles.

So it is essential to start any Yoga practice with a clear intention of what you want from it – health, strength, enlightenment, anything. Before you perform the asanas (physical postures), with full awareness of your intention, visualize the posture you plan to adopt. Go through in your mind every single step of that asana. Then practice that asana. Just by sitting comfortably in any position with your spine erect to allow energy flow, you can derive the result of any asana through intention and visualization. However difficult it is to believe, this is the truth!

Asana -Tune Yourself to the Cosmos

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In the yoga world nowadays, the word asana generally means body postures: holding a specific pose while bending the body. Asanas may be popular practice for a number of reasons, including their great physical and mental benefits, and of course for aesthetics. On one level, it is, but asanas have a much deeper meaning and purpose.

In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali states:

“sthira-sukham asanam” -Chapter II, v. 46

Paramahamsa Nithyananda translates:

“Asanas are steady and comfortable body postures to tune oneself with the Cosmos.”

If you look deeply, any body posture is associated with a state of being, with a particular state of consciousness. For example, can you sleep standing up? And how about lying down in a relaxed way and try to shout angrily at someone. You can’t! The body language changes according to your moods and attitudes. Subtle changes in your body posture will cause a major change in the way you feel.

A small exercise:

Sit straight with eyes closed and the hands in front of you, palms facing up. Just notice how your body feels. Notice the breath.

Slowly turn the palms down. Bring awareness to how you feel now.

Can you feel a subtle difference? This subtle difference is due to the change of body posture.

Sthiram-Sukham Asanam

So, asanas are specific body postures designed in a way so as to reflect the highest possible coherence with the Cosmos. The perfect asana for you depends on you. You will see, in some asanas you will suddenly feel natural, steady (sthira) and comfortable (sukham).

Actually, in a deeper way, sthira does not only mean steady, it means, “which cannot be lost, which has become part of your bio-memory”. It should be natural to be in that posture. If after a few weeks without practice you suddenly realize you cannot perform the posture anymore, then the true quality of sthirahas not been achieved.

Sukham, which is commonly translated as comfortable, is not about cushion luxury! You should be able to be in a posture and feel its effect in your body throughout the day. Every joint should be oozing with nectar, like a sweet feeling of lightness. You can achieve sukham by constant practice, and increasing your ability to stay in that asana.

Respect Your Body

But understand, the practice of asanas does not mean abusing or disrespecting your body. Our bodies are victims of our self-destructive lifestyle. We often overeat and over-stimulate our bodies. Asanas are conscious practices to make you fall in tune with the deepest you, so it can never be against your body.Asanas are about aligning yourself with the highest possible coherence, with the highest qualities of the cosmos. Aligning yourself is levitation, maligning yourself is gravitation!

There are two ways of finding which asanas are best for you:
1) By your own practice, until you find your own sequence, or
2) By the Master’s instruction

In these particular asanas you will align your body perfectly with the super-consciousness, just like a mirror aligned directly with the source of light. This will allow you to tune yourself to the ultimate state of consciousness, and be established in Yoga.

Adapted from Paramahamsa Nithyananda’s Teachings

Yoga and anti-aging

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Anyone on earth would love to find the secret of anti- aging and eternal youth! The yogis of ancient India knew and practiced the secrets of anti-aging, but never had they been revealed to the world. Today, science and spirituality are coming together to discover the keys to anti-aging words: mitochondria and kundalini.

What are mitochondria? Mitochondria are an essential common component of every living cell. Their primary duty is to act as the battery or the energy center of the cell. Our bodies are made up of 50 trillion cells! Fifty trillion cells work in complete union for one single purpose: keeping us alive. Every cell is an independently intelligent organism by itself, producing its own energy. For instance, one molecule of glucose can be converted to 2 ATPs (energy molecule). In the mitochondria, the same glucose will produce 32 ATP’s, which is a 1700% increase in energy production.

This is what keeps us fresh and active. However, the DNA of the mitochondria is highly prone to damage, and does not have an efficient repair mechanism. A damaged mitochondria will produce less energy and more toxic free radicals, which lead to cell damage and aging: unwanted wrinkles, memory loss, change in blood pressure, rheumatism, respiratory deficiency, chronic fatigue… How to slow down, prevent, or even reverse this process is a million-dollar question and a billion dollar industry! Yoga is the age-old physical and spiritual science of experiencing and sustaining the eternal youth and reversing the aging process.

All yoga traditions, like Hatha Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Raja Yoga boil down to one process: awakening the inner potential energy of the human body, called Kundalini Shakti. This energy is pure intelligence. It knows where and what to heal in your body and mind, it knows which painful memories to release, and above all how to express itself in the most creative way for your own inner fulfillment. This energy is the fulfillment what we have been looking for all our lives in the name of money, relationships, entertainment, acquisitions and so on. When Kundalini awakens, it boosts the mitochondria energy production thousandold! Energetic mitochondria means less cell damage, health recovery, strong immune system, anti- aging and more. How to awaken the kundalini? You can follow any path of yoga and achieve the ultimate experience.

However, without proper guidance, it can take years, or even lifetimes to achieve this. But why waste time and effort? When enlightened masters happen on planet earth, they bring with them the energy and the technology to help us taste the state in which they live. They can ignite the flame of enlightenment in you in the twinkling of an eye! Rare phenomena happen in the presence of an enlightened being, but it needs thorough study and interpretation. As millions are discovering around the world, with the spontaneous kundalini experience in Nithyananda’s presence, lifelong diseases are healed and people start to show direct signs of anti- aging. The simultaneous practice of yoga helps the body to sustain and radiate this powerful creative energy in your daily life. Supported by the University of Ohio, the yogic phenomenon of kundalini awakening is now being meticulously studied by top scientists with the most modern equipment. Paramahamsa Nithyananda is opening the doors of Eastern mysticism to the world’s scientific community, demonstrating to the world a field where science meets mysticism, spirituality meets religion and the impossible becomes reality.

What is Yoga?

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The word yoga, as commonly understood in the West, refers to the practice of asanas or postures. This asana practice known as Hatha Yoga, is the basis from which other schools of yoga developed. More on Hatha Yoga is described in the section below.

Yoga means different things to different people. Perhaps, you are overweight and practice yoga as a form of exercise to have a beautiful physique, or you have an ailment, and look to yoga practice for healing, or you suffer from stress and anxiety, and yoga is your tool to induce mental calmness and peace of mind. You may have unsatisfactory relationships at home and work and look to yoga to improve the quality and depth of your relationships. Or, you may look to yoga to help you find the meaning of your existence. Yoga can help in all these areas as yoga benefits the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual components in us.

However, the ultimate goal of yoga is to prepare the body and mind for experiencing the higher states of awareness and consciousness, to open our eyes to new possibilities and new ways of thinking and living. Good health, wealth, peace of mind, contentment and clarity of mind are all the side effects of the regular practice of yoga. It help man find maximal happiness and fulfillment in life, no matter what their religious or belief system may be. The emphasis will be on your personal effort and practice as that will develop your sensitivity and awareness to both your internal and external surroundings.

Yoga is an ancient science, a most valuable inheritance, and essential in today’s society. It is a science to prepare and train the body and mind to experience the awakening of the inner potential bioenergy – the Kundalini Shakti. This Kundalini energy when awakened, will activate the non-mechanical parts of the brain and the deeper strands of DNA, allowing one to experience extraordinary energy, clarity, calmness, creativity, and ultimately, the experience of Completion, Enlightenment, Samadhi, or Nithyananda, eternal bliss. In the process, this energy awakens our dormant powers which will support and guide us to manifest our reality, living creative and fulfilling lives.

The word yoga is also commonly defined as “union”, a union with the divine. It has also been defined as “uniting”. It is the uniting of the Shiva the conscioiusness at the sahasrara, with Shakti, the kundalini energy which ascends up the sushumna to the sahasrara. When this ultimate union occurs, yoga happens.