Google Plus Hangout With Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
RSVP for the Google+ Hangout with +Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 26th January at 8.30pm IST, 10.00am GST, 3.00pm GMT
Theme : What can we do for a Violence-free, Stress-free society ?
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DSN (Divya Samaj ka Nirmaan)
Divya Samaj ka Nirmaan (The creation of a divine society) is a rigorous and transformational course, designed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Through a powerful combination of Padma Sadhana, special meditations, breathing techniques, group processes, and deep spiritual knowledge, the DSN course empowers participants to break through personal inhibitions and barriers of all kinds. Dropping whatever does not serve your best interests is a completely liberating experience – it makes you so strong that nothing in this world can shake you.
When you are ready for true liberation, true freedom and personal empowerment, then you are ready for the power of DSN!
Read More on Yoga
If A is for Apple, E is for Elephant, and U for Umbrella, don’t be surprised if kids reading alphabets today spell “Y for Yoga”. Indeed, yoga is becoming more and more popular today. While there may be many reasons for this, one who has experienced the powerful benefits of simple yogic practices would hardly be surprised at how the ‘Y’ word has risen to great popularity. Since the only qualification required for yoga is the ‘ability to breathe’, people from all backgrounds, age groups and occupations could choose to take its benefits. How to do that?
To most people, the word ‘Yoga’ means a set of physical exercises or postures (called ‘asanas’ in Sanskrit). It is very interesting to know that these ‘asanas’ or physical exercises are just one of the eight “limbs of Yoga”, as explained by Maharishi Patanjali in the ancient times. Aside from the Asanas, yoga also consists of meditation, breathing techniques such as Pranayams and Kriya Yoga, hygiene and the practice of moral values. As a whole, yoga brings about not just good health to the body, but also to the mind, emotions, energy and personality. In short, it contributes to a wholesome and fulfilling life.
A complete and fulfilling life is often missing today, perhaps more than ever before. Longer working hours, reduced physical exercise, greater competition at schools and workplaces, increasing use of chemicals in food and items of daily use are some of the common factors which are leading to unbalanced, unhealthy and stressful lifestyles today. Left unchecked, this can lead to psychological and health issues. It is not surprising that diseases of the body – heart ailments, diabetes, obesity – and mind – depression, anxiety, insomnia (problems with sleep) and phobias – are so common today. Yoga offers protection from these ailments.
The old proverb ‘Prevention is better than cure’ applies perfectly well to the practice of Yoga. Apart from preventing the emotional trauma suffered by the ill and their families, one can also avoid the rising costs of medication as well as the harmful side-effects that invariably accompany allopathic medicines. But the stand-out advantage of a ‘Sadhak’ (one who practices Yoga) over others is the tremendous strength and qualities he or she gets in personality, such as the ability to focus and yet be relaxed at the same time, overcoming failure and rejection, high self-confidence and clarity of thought. His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has said: “Look at the benefits of spirituality. 1) It brings enthusiasm. 2) There is more time in your life. You can do with only 5-6 hours of sleep. It will keep you energized. 3) Will enhance your Creativity 4) Increase your Energy levels. All these lead to prosperity.”
Yogic practices have also touched the lives of the celebrated and the popular. Bollywood stars Lara Dutta and Kunal Kapoor are active supporters and teachers of Yoga. The Sri Lankan Government arranged a yoga workshop for its national cricket team following an assassination attempt on the team while on tour in Pakistan in 2009. The Sri Lankan captain was quoted as saying that “he had felt relaxed and calm” after practicing the breathing techniques. Among other famous personalities who have practiced Yoga are Arnold Schwarzenegger, Madonna, Angelina Jolie Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi.
Modern technology has also made yoga very convenient to practice. Locating yoga classes and regular practice groups has never been easier, thanks to the internet and telephone. Even meditation can be done on the internet with the help of audio tracks which guide the user through instructions. Thanks to music players on mobile phones and other portable instruments, meditation is possible anywhere, anytime using audio tracks – during lunch breaks, while commuting, in busy offices or in serene lawns.
Indeed, it is now possible to practice yoga around hectic schedules and tight deadlines without much effort. The more relevant truth is that today’s fast-paced world makes it necessary to practice yoga to keep good health, joy and a sense of balance in life. It is easy to do. And fun! So, roll out your mat and begin!
Article from Roshini Saraf
Stress has become a universal word which is being used by just about any one, everywhere we go. In the course of this article, we will see the various causes and effects of stress and a simple, yet effective way to tackle this menace with the power of Yoga and Meditation.
The medical science describes stress as a specific response of the body to all non specific demands – physical, psychological, threatened or actual – the response being the secretion of ACTH and CORTISOL (these are two stress induced hormones). Secretion of two other hormones stimulated by stress is adrenalin and noradrenalin.
A more practical definition of stress may be put as “when the problem presented by everyday life exceeds your resources for coping with them you feel stressed”.
Reasons or causes of stress.
- Societal problems
- Family problems
- Work overload
- Political Problems
- Ecological and environmental factors
- Physical and psychological problems
- Problems created due to changes in moral values of the society
- Economic Factors
- Lack of Emotional Support from closed ones
- Information overload
- Time overload
- Financial Problems
- Self Ego
- Lack of Spirituality
Modern science, till some years ago, did not attribute stress to the creation of diseases. In the last few decades, a series of epidemiological studies and observations have proved that some very common diseases are a direct result of excessive stress. They are now grouped as psychosomatic diseases. A list of these common diseases is as follows.
- High Blood Pressure
- Angina or Chest Pain
- Heart Attacks
- Headache
- Migraine
- Backache
- Shoulder ache
- Spondylitis
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Chronic fatigue and lethargy
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Depression
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Menstrual irregularities in women
Do you suffer from any of them?
Be honest with yourself and try to find out the roof cause of the problems. This will help you to clearly define a solution.
Yoga and meditation are wonderful tools to combat from stress and stress related disorders.Yoga is the philosophical doctrine developed in India at 500 B.C. It brings about the right interaction, combination, co ordination of the mind and body.
According to Patanjali (the father of yoga), yoga is
- Union between Prana (Vital Force ) and MahaShakti (Universal energy)
- Stopping the fluctuation of consciousness (Chitta)
- Achievement of inner equilibrium
- It is the skill of work (Karmashu kaushalyam)
Eight limbs of Yoga according to Rishi Patanjali
- Yam –Restraint and Control
- Niyam-observation and self discipline
- Asana-Physical Postures
- Pranayam-Breathing techniques
- Pratyahar-Food habits
- Dharna-Concentration
- Dhyan-Flow of concentration, meditation
- Samadhi-state of ultimate consciousness
Scientifically proven benefits of Meditation
- Controls Blood Pressure
- Increases cardiovascular Capacity
- Increases Breathing Speed
- Controls the Temperature of the body
- Controls the rate of Metabolism in body
- Controls the levels of Cholesterol in blood
- Controls Blood Sugar
During meditation the electromagnetic waves produced by the brain are measured by Electroencephalography (EEG) machine and it shows Alpha waves. If a person is in deep stress the EEG machine records Beta and Delta waves.
A nice video on Meditation
What is meditation?
Sri Sri: A mind that is in the present moment, alert, without agitation, hesitation and anticipation is meditation. A mind that has become no mind and has come back to its source is meditation. In meditation all other organs are in deep rest. Repose in that cool, calm, serene depth of your Being; this is immensely valuable and precious. In meditation, mind is brought back to its source. The first step is to relax, and the last step, also is to relax. Meditation is not going somewhere else; it is diving deep inside.
How long should one meditate daily? Is there maybe too much meditation sometimes?
Sri Sri: You know our mechanism is like a system, in which after a while you automatically come out. Like sleep, you can’t sleep for fifteen hours a day. You sleep six hours, and at the end, when you have had enough rest you wake up. Similarly, there is a biological clock in us that brings us out, so you shouldn’t force yourself to go into mediation. So I would recommend twenty minutes, twenty-five minutes a day, should be good enough. You can do it two, three times, but no more than twice, short bits. You are doing twenty minutes, twice, thrice – it will do you good
Whenever I meditate, I feel some vibration.
Sri Sri: That’s good. Vibration or sensation is normal. Don’t pay too much attention to it. Experiences change.
Celebrating the Differences 