Sunday, March 22, 2020

Yoga for opening chakras


Deep gratitude and pranaams to the guru - Sri Sri Art of Living

chakra or a wheel is a point of prana (energy) in our subtle body, located in the physical counterparts of our body like the veins, arteries and nerves. Yoga is an extremely beneficial way to release the prana or life force whenever it is stuck. Yoga releases the musty energy and invites fresh energy in our system through the poses and breathing.
Each of the seven chakras has its own vitality and is related to our emotional well-being. The Muladhara or root chakra is located at the base of the spine and is related to basic human instinct and survival. The Swadishthana is located above the root chakra, at the sacrum and corresponds to the reproductive cycle. Above that is the Manipura, located in the stomach area and deals with self-esteem, power, fear etc. and physically it deals with digestion. Above this is Anahata, located in the chest just above the heart and deals with love, inner peace and devotion. This is followed by Vishuddhi, located in the throat and dealing with communication, self-expression etc. Above this is Ajna, which is between the eyebrows and responds to intuition, imagination and ability to deal with situations. Finally, there is Sahasrara, which is at the very top of the head and deals with inner and outer beauty, connection to spirituality, etc.
How to open 7 Chakras:
When yoga and mudras are practiced, the chakras get balanced and make our system, both physical and emotional, function in a stable, balanced manner. Some of these yoga poses are mentioned below.
Yoga poses for balancing Chakra:
Tadasana (Mountain Pose)
Mountain Pose encourages your connection with Earth, connects you with your own body and grounds you in the present moment.
This is a strong asana that creates a firm connection between the Earth and your body. This yoga pose allows your prana to move through your body, rooting you through the first chakra. It physically strengthens your legs, opens your hips and can help with knee and lower back strength.
This is a dynamic root chakra yoga pose that allows your feet to be firmly rooted into the Earth and your spine engaged in the release of excess root chakra energy. Bridge Pose also stimulates the throat chakra, opens the heart and solar plexus chakras, and balances the sacral chakra.
Along with these, certain mudras also help release the prana and open up the chakras. They include:
Muladhara:
·         Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention your perineum.
·         Form a circle with your forefingers and thumbs. Rest your hands on your knees with palms up.
·         Inhale deeply and exhale.
·         Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.
Swadishthana:
·         Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area one-inch below your navel across to lumbar vertebra one.
·         Rest your right hand over your left with the palms up, in your lap with thumbs touching lightly.
·         Inhale deeply and exhale.
·         Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.
Manipura:
·         Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of your navel to solar plexus and across to thoracic vertebra eight.
·         With your fingers straight, touching at the top and pointing forward, form a V with your thumbs crossed right over left.
·         Inhale deeply and exhale.
·         Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.
Anahata:
·         Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of your heart across to thoracic vertebra one.
·         Form a circle with your forefingers and thumbs. Rest your left hand palm up on your left knee. Raise your right hand up to the center of your breasts with palm angling slightly toward your heart.
·         Inhale deeply and exhale.
·         Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.
Vishuddhi:
·         Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of the base of your throat across to cervical vertebra three.
·         Form a circle with your thumbs touching and the rest of your fingers crossed and loosely cupped. Raise your hands in front of your throat, solar plexus, or rest them on your lap.
·         Inhale deeply and exhale.
·         Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.
Ajna:
·         Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of your third eye, beginning slightly above the point between the eyebrows across to cervical vertebra one, encompassing the skull’s interior.
·         Form a heart with your thumbs touching at the tips and your forefingers, ring and pinky fingers touching at the second phalanges. Raise your middle fingers to form a crown. Raise your hands in front of your third eye, solar plexus, or rest them on your lap.
·         Inhale deeply and exhale.
·         Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.
Sahasrara:
·         Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of your crown at the top of your head up and to three inches above your skull.
·         Clasp your hands with fingers crossed inside and left thumb underneath the right. Raise your ring fingers to form a crown. Raise your hands over your head, in front of your solar plexus, or rest them on your lap.
·         Inhale deeply and exhale.
·         Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.

Practising yoga daily, along with mudras, meditations and breathing exercises can help open up these chakras, which can have a very positive and bright effect on our body, mind and soul. 




Saturday, March 21, 2020

Gomti Chakra - interesting indeed!!

December 2019 - We collected shells from the Gomti river but realised the significance only today...
So sharing here!!
Or should i say the shell decided to come with us, as a blessing?? 
Gomati Chakra is a rare natural product, a form of shell stone, and is found in Gomti River in Dwarka, Gujarat in India. It is believed to bring luck and is used in spiritual and Tantric rituals. Gomati Chakra resembles the Sudarshan Chakra or Discus of Lord Krishna. It is used as a Yantra and also is used in worships. It is believed that those people who possess Gomti Chakra will be blessed with money, good health and prosperity. It is also believed to protect children.
The earliest references to the chakram come from the Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana where the Sudarshana Chakra is the weapon of the god Vishnu. Contemporaneous Tamil poems from the 2nd century BC record it as thikiri (திகிரி). Chakra-dhāri ("chakram-wielder" or "disc-bearer") is a name for Krishna. The chakram was later used extensively by the Sikhs at least until the days of Ranjit Singh. It came to be associated with Sikhs because of the Nihang practice of wearing chakram on their arms, around the neck and even tied in tiers on high turbans. The Portuguese chronicler Duarte Barbosa writes (c. 1516) of the chakram being used in the Delhi Sultanate.
Info Source - multiple websites

Friday, March 20, 2020

Shami tree - The sacred tree - Agni Garbha indeed

शमि शमयते पापं शमी शत्रुविनाशिनि ।
अर्जुनस्य धनुर्धारि रामस्य प्रियवादिनि ।

Shamee Tree destroys our paapaa, it destroys our enemies. It was holding the Dhanas of Arjuna for one full year and it is Sri Ramachandra’s favourite tree.

Banni in kannada, Prosopis Spicigera - taxonomically, Rajasthan - Khejri, Bishnois - Janty
Tamil - Vanni, Gujarati - Sumri

Wondered Why shami tree is
1) अर्जुनस्य धनुर्धारि and
2) रामस्य प्रियदर्शिनि

Of course one arjuna's story we all know.... At school, we read that story and ask about banni mara (shami tree) but Rama's is what triggered my curiosity
There are many fascinating stories behind the auspiciousness of the Shami tree.

Lord Rama prayed for his victory in front of the Shami tree before marching to Lanka. Thereafter, the Shami tree is worshipped during the Aparahna Muhurat on Dussehra.

In Dwaparyug, during the year of disguise in the kingdom of Virata, Pandavas had hidden their celestial weapons on the branches of the Shami tree for a year before going to Virata. After completion of a year, they returned to the Shami tree and found that their weapons were safe in the branches of the tree. They worshipped the tree for keeping their weapons safe and used the same weapons against Kauravas on Dussehra.

Kauts, the disciple of Vartantu, wanted to set up an Ashram and therefore, he asked for 14 crores gold coins from King Raghu. The king had already donated his wealth, but to meet the demand of Kauts, Raghu set out for a war against Kuber (God of Wealth). On this, Kuber showered gold coins from the tree of Shami. Raghu donated gold coins to Kauts and remaining coins were doled out to others. From this day, people started worshipping the tree of Shami.

More interesting part here

So, what makes Shami tree special?

Shami tree is known as ‘Agni Garbha’, one that holds fire in the core. Every tree holds some element of fire, however, only Shami tree named as ‘Agni Garba’. Other trees produce fire upon friction with each other during hot summers in the presence of high winds. Whereas, a Shami tree log when churned with Peepal (ashwatth) tree log produces fire that is rightly apt to be used in all Vedic rituals involving Yajna. Yet, not all Shami trees can be used in this purpose. Only the Shami tree that gives birth to Peepal tree within itself can be used. Both of these trees must both be growing together as one unit. The logs from such two trees become the right inputs to the desired output of the ‘Yajna’.

My ayurveda doc says -
This is ulleka in Ayurveda - How agni should be churned and used



Source: https://chinnajeeyar.org/the-horse-ride-on-dussehra/
http://sacredtress.blogspot.com/2014/01/shami-tree.html