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Supercomputers are just one example of the exponential times that we are living in. China tops the list of English Speaking Countries? What this video and tell me, so what does it all mean?

Varying your yoga routines is an important part of yoga sadhana. We all feel a sense of boredom from time to time. Here’s some ways to yoga variations to your practice.

Learn to Meditate

Meditation Instructions with Illustrations

Learning how to meditate is the most important part of being a human being.  In fact, to uncover and embrace all that you are, meditation is key.  Meditation reveals to you the Truth of your infinite, divine nature, and there are absolutely no material equivalents to these discoveries.  Along the way to Self-Realization, many other priceless benefits are also bestowed by meditation practice, and I have detailed those in the following article to help motivate you even further:  Top 10 Benefits of Meditation.  So given how important meditation is, in this article, I would like to teach you step by step how to learn and practice this great art.

Preparation for Meditation:

One of the most important aspects of learning how to meditate and reaping the rewards of this spiritual science, is to develop a consistent, daily practice.  Without such a practice, you are unlikely to master this subtle art.  I have previously discussed some tips on how to accomplish this in a few articles such as, Tips and Tools for Daily Meditation Practice and How Much Time Should You Meditate for Daily, and I would like to summarize all that wisdom for you here today.  So below are guidelines of what you need to set-up in order to maximize your chances of learning and succeeding in meditation.

1. Meditation Time:

To really increase the chances of meditation becoming an integral part of your life, set a particular time of day when you plan to meditate.  Preferably this should be early in the morning if possible (See: How to Become an Early Riser), but if not, then some other time of day when you can do your meditation consistently is also fine.  For beginner’s, the optimum configuration is 2 times per day, 20 minutes each session, once in the morning, once in the evening.  This configuration has been proven time and again to be the best for those just learning to meditate.

2. Meditation Space:

Not far behind Meditation Time, is Meditation Space, if you want to learn meditation and establish a long-term, consistent practice.  Having a space put aside for meditation, will make it much easier to do your daily meditation, and also help induce the right state of mind for meditation.  The space should be inspiring, clean and simple, so that once you enter it, your mind reflects the outer order, thus making it easier to concentrate and penetrate beyond the superficial levels of consciousness.

3. Meditation Tools:

Don’t underestimate the importance of simple meditation tools to help you learn and master this art.  A good meditation cushion, or Zafu will help you with your posture and relieve you of back pain.  Proper meditation attire, will keep your blood circulating and prevent your legs from falling asleep.  A stop watch will help you stay focused during meditation, as it will relieve the need to constantly check the time.  Some incense, or a candle, will help help calm the mind and inspire your spiritual nature.  So put these items in place, as they will not just inspire, but also help prevent some of the common pitfalls that derail an early meditation practice.  The Tips & Tools article above, gives you more information on this.

You can purchase such items at your favorite yoga and meditation supplies store, or by visiting one of my partners if you like (YogaAccessories).

Meditation Posture:

Once you have established your place and time.  The next step is actually getting down to meditating.  Although you can meditate sitting up straight on a chair or lying flat on your back, the traditional postures of meditation are sitting cross legged with certain mudras (hand positions in place).  These postures are the best for meditating and if you are learning how to meditate, I strongly suggest trying one of these sitting postures first.

Below I am going to show you three postures that are excellent for meditation.  One is a basic posture, the second is a typical Hindu meditation posture, and the third is a typical Buddhist meditation posture.   

How to Meditate Illustrations:

Basic Meditation Posture

 

Hindu Meditation Posture

Hindu Meditation Mudra - Gyan Mudra

Hindu Meditation Posture

 

Buddhist Meditation Mudra - Cosmic Mudra

 

Buddhist Meditation Posture

 

 

How to Sit for Meditation:

For all the postures above, following is common.

1. Sit up nice and tall, keeping your spine straight.

2. Pull your chin back slightly, like a soldier at attention, to align the back of the neck with the spine.

3. If possible sit in Burmese Style (or Full Lotus if you can).  In Burmese Style fold your left leg in, and then place your right leg in front of it.  The knees are touching the floor as shown above.  This forms a very strong base, and also with the legs not on top of each other, prevents common leg issues, when meditating for longer periods of time.

4. For the hand position, there are 3 variation I have given above.  Here are the details for those.

• Drona Mudra:  In this position (First Illustration), simply place your hands on your knees as shown.

• Gyan Mudra:  This is typically used in the Hindu/Sikh traditions, where your thumb tips and index finger are meeting and the other three fingers are extended as shown.  This closes a particular subtle energy circuit in the body, and helps the mind go inward for meditation.

• Cosmic Mudra:  Place your right hand on your lap, and then gently place the left over it and have the thumb tips gently touching as I have demonstrated above.  This is another excellent mudra for inducing a meditative state of mind. It is used in Buddhist meditation, especially Zen.

How to Meditate:

Now that you have got yourself into your meditative space and taken the right meditation posture, it is time to actually start meditating .  To do this, the final step is to choose what type of meditation you are going to practice.  I have given a wide range of meditations in the Free Online Guided Meditation Techniques E-book and I have also broken down meditations with regard to benefits, in the article Meditation Techniques | the Ultimate Guide, but for those who are just learning to meditate I would suggest starting with Breath Meditation first.  This is a simple technique with profound benefits.  It is the meditation of Lord Buddha.

I have given details of this meditation in the article Zen Meditation Technique, but I will offer them here as well.

• Once you take your posture, you can either close your eyes, or as it is in traditional Zen practice, keep them open with an unfocused gaze on the floor in front of you.  Also, once you take your posture you should remain absolutely still, as if frozen in time.

• Next bring your awareness to your breathing and begin to count your breaths from 1 to 10, with each inhalation and exhalation incrementing the count.  Once you get to 10, come back to 1 and start over.  So you would do 5 completes breaths to get from 1 to 10.

• If your mind wonders during this time, simply see your thought, let it go and return to your count.

• If you get lost in your thinking, then again, simply see the thoughts that carried you away, let them go and return to 1, and start over.

Above are the basic instructions for breath meditation practice and it is a great way for you to learn how to meditate.  The simple act of watching your breath in this way, will teach you great concentration, expand your awareness and give you mastery over your mind and body.  As your meditation practice deepens, you can expand your awareness to be mindful of not just your breath, but of any sensations that arise in your body, any feeling or emotions that come up, and finally develop the art of watching and comprehending your thoughts from moment to moment.  Perceiving your thinking mind and having direct insight into the false nature of duality and thoughts, is the ultimate goal of meditation.  For this advanced version of Insight Meditation, see the article Silent Mind Meditation Technique.

How to Meditate Summary:

One of the most important goals of this website, is to help you master the art of meditation.  As I mentioned at the very beginning, this is where the real treasures of life are found.  Once you learn how to meditate, you will learn about your true infinite nature and see the perfection that is inherent in every moment of your life.

One final resource I would like to mention to help you learn to meditate if you are just get started, is the free online meditation class offered here on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga.  Below is the link to this class… enjoy!

Learn How to Meditate | Beginner’s Meditation Class

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Related Articles at Mastery of Meditation, Kundalini Yoga and Zen:

• Promising Survey Results for How Much Time Do You Meditate
• Surprising Meditation Survey Results: 90% of You Meditate
• Is Mindfulness Meditation Right for You? | An Excellent Test to Find Out
• Brain Health Benefits of Meditation Making the News
• Learn How to Meditate | Beginner’s Meditation Class

My Yoga Online has posted a new Yoga article by Kreg Weiss, Top Yoga Poses for Headaches. Explore 10 classical yoga exercises that will help alleviate the cause and symptoms of tension headaches.

Yoga can be a beneficial therapeutic tool for relieving headaches brought on by muscle tension and stress. The majority of headaches originate from muscle stiffness and imbalances emanating from the neck and upper back. When headaches set in, using a series of restorative yoga exercises can greatly relieve both the cause and symptoms. Here are our top yoga poses and exercises that naturally treat headaches.

Read Our: Top Yoga Poses for Headaches

Related Article:
Is Neck Tension The Origin of Your Headache

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My Yoga Online has added a new health and wellness article by Kreg Weiss, Five Reasons to Reduce Stress. With people needing to work more, save more, and find more time just to manage schedules, stress is becoming a chronic ailment for most people. Without recognizing the effects of stress and not having a stress management plan in place, this negative energy can produce physiology and psychological health hazards. Here is our top reasons why it is so important to reduce and management stress.

1) Prolonged Stress Weakens the Immune System

Studies have shown that prolonged stress presents strain on the cellular functions that support the immune system. Stress causes hormone imbalances, poor sleep patterns, and wears down on organs. Suppressed immune function readily leads to increased sickness and reduced ability to combat ailments.

2) Stress Promotes Unwanted Weight Gain

Some resources suggest that increased hormone cortisol levels related to stress cause weight gain. No studies have concluded that this increased cortisol level does increase weight gain and studies suggest that the increased levels of cortisol in short to medium stress periods are insufficient for creating weight gain. However, chronic prolonged periods of stress (in terms of years) still present some possible argument towards a correlation between weight gain and stress. There is however still a strong correlation between stress and weight gain. This correlation suggests that ongoing stress patterns generate poor nutrition habits, increased use of food as a support system, and improper meal schedules.

3) Stress Hinders Proper Sleep

Studies have shown that elevations in stress-related hormones increase the prevalence of insomnia. This increase in sleep disorders was shown to be even more prevalent as people age as the sensitivity to stress-related hormones increases as we get older. Studies have also shown that people who focus on the emotions and anxiety stemming from stress more often suffered from shortened sleep and encountered more sleep deprivation issues.

4) Stress Creates Musculoskeletal and Physiological Imbalances

Stress is a highly tacking process that depletes energy from bodily systems affecting work and activity performance. Stress is often a culprit for generating muscle tension throughout the body. This muscle tension is most commonly experienced in the spine with discomfort radiating through the neck, back, and shoulders. Neck tension is often diagnosed as the origin of many headaches. Stress also greatly affects digestive function, reproductive organ health, and hormone balance. One can see how readily stress generates hormone and energy imbalances especially for those who have skin disorders like acne and eczema.

5) Stress Reduces Quality of Life and Social Relationships

Most people have difficulty managing stress and associate themselves with the factors causing this stress. Without managing stress, this negative energy manifests into emotions and physical reactions. As social beings, others encountering someone else’s stress manifestations will either facilitate these stress reactions further (like attracts like) making the environment even worse. Or, those who are sensitive to others’ stress responses will choose to remove themselves from this social environment. Stress can adversely affect our relationships with others causing us to lose healthy relationships and foster further negative social relationships.

The first element in managing stress is to become sensitive to the physical responses that stress creates. Emotions and physical sensations (tension, lack of breath, headaches, low energy) are clear signs that we can monitor and use as tools to help us make changes when needed. When stress responses are apparent, we can stop, breath, and observe. How relevant and true is my allowance for this stress to enter and act on my mind and body? I may not be able to remove myself from the external stressors, but I can dissociate myself from these factors causing stress and not become bound to them. As we become more accustomed to recognizing stress, we can then engage in stress management activities like exercise, yoga, meditation, Yoga Nidra and relaxation programs offering great physical and mental benefits.

Related Article:
Yoga: Cure for Modern Day Stress

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Many types of headache exist: tension headaches, migraines headaches with and without aura, cluster headaches, temporal arteritis and cervicogenic headaches, just to name a few. Each of these headaches develop for a different reason. Once the cause of a headache has been determined, it can often be successfully treated. This is especially true for cervicogenic headaches. Manual medical practitioners frequently are able to diagnosis cervicogenic headaches and, fortunately so, since there is much that can be done to manage them.

Have you ever had a headache that starts in your neck, wraps up the back of your head and somehow makes in into the back of your eye or temples? These are some of the symptoms people may experience with a cervicogenic headache. They may also notice neck pain, nausea and vomiting, when severe.

Cervicogenic broken down:
‘Cervico’ meaning cervical spine or neck
‘Genic’ meaning produced by or origin of

How does neck pain or tightness turn into a headache? Hopefully the only time you have ever seen someone suffer from a heart attack has been in the movies. If you can picture the actor suffering, they often clench their left arm or complain of left arm pain. Why is this? Our heart and our left arm share a similar neurological supply which can confuse our brain when significant pain is noted in one of the two locations. In the case of a heart attack, our heart is the source of the pain, but our left arm is where the pain is often experienced. Our poor brain has a lot to manage and sometimes gets confused. This principle is the same for cervicogenic headaches. It is the muscles and joints in the neck that refer pain into our heads.

This is actually great news! This means that if we treat the neck musculature and joints which are the headache culprits, our head pain can often resolve. Medical research has proven the effectiveness of chiropractic manipulations in the management of cervicogenic and migraine headaches. Soft tissue work such as Active Release Technique® (A.R.T.®) and Graston Technique® are also effective in treating this type of headache.

Now, we need to get to the root of the root. The most common cause of neck complaints is upper cross syndrome: weak deep neck flexors, middle and lower trapezius muscles in combination with tight suboccipital (neck) and pectoralis muscles. By strengthening these weak links and getting the tight muscles treated, neck pain is likely to improve and subsequently the headaches as well.

If you suffer from another type of headache, you may recognize some of the symptoms mentioned above as there can frequently be overlap in headache complaints and diagnoses. For this reason, it is important to ensure that all aspects of your headache are being both diagnosed and managed appropriately.

Article by Dr. Carla Cupido
Learn more about Dr. Carla Cupido.

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Yoga, Meditation & Mind Power

Personal Development & Spiritual Growth Articles - Edition #31

Thank you everybody for making this one of the largest and best personal development and spiritual growth carnivals in the blogsphere.  I would like to invite all my fellow bloggers, webmasters and readers to feel free to network with me on any of the Social Media sites below.  Let us use these emerging mediums to develop long lasting friendships and business partnerships .

Network w/ Anmol on Stumble Upon

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Below, in addition to yoga and meditation articles, you will find lots of information on fitness, diet, weight loss, positive thinking, mind power, faith, confidence and more.  I really hope you enjoy the collection of articles, and find some to help you with your personal development and spiritual growth.

Yoga

Kat Marchin-Tomlin presents Green Yoga posted at YogaMar - contemplating Yoga and Life, saying, "Green Yoga - How can we incorporate earth consciousness with yoga??"

Shuna Gould presents Science and Yoga posted at Lab Rat, saying, "A scientists view on the philosophy of yoga" 

Meditation

Oz presents The Origin Of Meditation And Evolution Of Meditation Techniques posted at Meditation Techniques: The Blog, saying, "I have used insight meditation and 1,100 of the books out there to track meditation to its ultimate origin. You can read the summary here."

WP presents Free Yourself from the Prison of Your Mind posted at The Conscious Life, saying, "Stories from the past and worries about the imaginary future often leave us exhausted and disenchanted with life. Learn how to transcend the constant chattering in your mind and live a life of freedom and tranquility with breathing meditation."

Celes presents How To Meditate In 5 Simple Steps posted at EmbraceLiving.Net, saying, "To meditate is to sharpen our saw. However, not everyone knows exactly how to do so. Here’s a detailed ‘How To’ guide on how to meditate :)"

Gary Mullen presents Origins and History of Singing Bowls posted at Green Man, saying, "Exploring the history of the Tibetan Singing Bowl." 

Health and Wellbeing

Den Levin presents Top Causes of Anxiety and How to Handle Them posted at Battle Anxiety, saying, "There are many common causes of anxiety."

Ashley Cook presents How to Get a Good Workout on a Treadmill posted at Healthy Living Tips, saying, "Tips to get a good workout on a treadmill."

Darryl Kimball presents Weight Loss 4 Dumb Asses - My Dumb Ass Work Out Book - Are You Mentally Conditioned to Stay Overweight? posted at www.weightloss4dumbasses.com, saying, "Has the constant advertising of the diet, weight loss, and fitness industry convinced you that losing weight is difficult. Have you been convinced that it takes a lot of time, or that it is just too hard, or that it takes money to lose weight? Perhaps you have allowed yourself to become mentally conditioned to stay overweight!"

Lucy presents Uncovering the True You posted at Lucy’s Life, saying, "Why do so many of us not truly know ourselves?"

SwissTgallery presents Sticking With Your Home Workout Routine posted at healthy diet, saying, "You can often find motivation in dedication. When you truly make up your mind to see something through, it can be motivating. However, on days when the motivation isn’t there, dedication needs to be present to carry you through. Don’t give yourself an option to workout, make it a necessity, a daily requirement. More than likely you will find that you will never regret a workout after the fact."

Jack presents Urban Fitness posted at Urban Lover, saying, "Some tips for getting fit while living in the inner city."

Chris presents How to Feel Your Chi Energy in Just Ten Minutes posted at Martial Development.

Farid presents Puffiness Around Eyes - Treat, Reduce Under Eye Puffiness posted at Puffiness around the eye, saying, "If you’re predisposed to under eye puffiness, or you just find yourself looking in the mirror and seeing bags under the eyes, there are several different types of remedies and treatments to fix it. From cucumbers and tea bags to eye masks, there are a number of temporary, short-term solutions. But when you have puffiness around the eyes that occurs more regularly, you may want to explore other, more effective long term treatments available out there." 

New Age

Nancy Miller presents The Top 50 Mormon / LDS bloggers posted at Online University Reviews.

Personal Development

Alvaro Fernandez presents Book Announcement: The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness posted at SharpBrains: Your Window into the Brain Fitness Revolution, saying, "While most of us have heard the phrase “use it or lose it,” very few understand what “it” means, or how to properly “use it” in order to maintain brain function and fitness. Here’s the story on how my interest turned into a blog and now a book!"

FitJerk presents Build Self Confidence In Mere Weeks! The Newbie Self Conscious Drill posted at FlawlessFitness, saying, "Do you feel you lack confidence or self worth? It’s a hard thing to admit. Here is an awesome technique to boost self confidence in weeks! A more confident you will be respected & admired no matter WHAT you look like."

Daylle Deanna Schwartz presents Find Your Mountain posted at Lessons from a Recovering DoorMat, saying, "To climb a mountain, you need to take your first step. Let past successes motivate present challenges. Here’s how."

Ella Moss presents ABOUT HAPPINESS « Zodiac Times posted at Zodiac Times.

Dawn Abraham Life Coach presents Power of positive thinking posted at Qualified Life Coach.Com, saying, "What Everybody Should Know About The Power of Positive Thinking … Does it sound simple? The power of positive thinking? Is it something you wish just came naturally? Having positive thoughts? It’s important to let the Universe know what you want. Not everything in life that is good just happens."

Scientific Living presents The Key to Personality Development Is Remembering Death posted at Scientific Living.

Axel presents Consumed By Collective Fear posted at axel g.

Marisabel presents How to create your own miracles: Life on Canvas posted at Life on Canvas.

Broderick Allen presents Overwhelmed? posted at Broderick Allen - Personal Growth and Enjoying Life’s Journey.

Spiritual Growth

Akemi Gaines presents Creating Your Life And The New World posted at Yes to Me.

Joe Tichio presents The Greatest Inspirational Spiritual Quotes posted at Inspirational Quotes Blog, saying, "Inspiring thoughts and quotes on living a spiritual life."

Catherine VanWetter presents To the Heart of the Matter - Inner Peace Tip: Choosing Faith over Fear posted at To The Heart of the Matter, saying, "At times I think about what faith is too much and discover that is a way to get hung up in the details of faith rather than trusting the divine unfolding. How to enter your day with intention."

Other

Rebekah Fraser presents Shift the Global Focus to Peace? posted at Solstice Sing for Peace.

Brain Blogger presents What is Free Will? posted at Brain Blogger, saying, "This post continues my discussion of free will and determinism in neuroscience. Due to the relatively brief nature of these posts, this discussion is incomplete. However, I hope it spurs additional discussion. I believe addressing free will and determinism allows us to understand the underlying theories and implications of neuroscience and social science research as well as the practical application of that research."

Ross presents How to Alkalize On-The-Go posted at Energise for Life, saying, "I have been alkalising for five years and running the world’s largest alkaline diet resource for just as long - and in this blog post I am going to share my biggest tips on how to stay alkaline when you’re on the go"

Lucky Balaraman presents How To Find Happiness, Step 1: posted at Calm and Cool.

Terry Holliday presents Creativity Devotional - Make Me a Channel Meditation posted at My Creativity Blog, saying, "Terry Holliday writes a weekly devotional which includes a photograph, quote, thought and prayer."

Steven presents Mindfulness: What’s In It For Me? posted at The Emotion Machine.

Andy presents 100 Weight Loss Tips & Tricks posted at Personal Hack, saying, "The following 100 weight loss tips are divided into 4 sections: Get Moving, Adjust Your Eating Habits, Adjust Your Thinking, and Additional Tips."

Paula Kawal presents Angels Speak posted at Journey Inward Productions, saying, "The Angels are giving me more and more information. They say that the world is in desperate need of healing and the call of every human being currently on the planet revolves around this in some way or form."

Alvina Lopez presents 25 Scientifically Proven Ways to Make Yourself Smarter posted at Psychology Degrees.

Nina presents Ten Powerful Inspirational Quotes and Reflections About Success posted at Metaphysical Teachers, saying, "Sayings and quotes about success can have a powerful effect on you. If you take the time to think about the deeper meaning behind the words, you’ll realize how easily you can apply these sayings into your own life to achieve the success you desire."

Joel Gray presents Illness Prevention It Could Save Your Life posted at Health Tips 101.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of meditation, yoga and spiritual growth carnival using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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Related Articles at Mastery of Meditation, Kundalini Yoga and Zen:

• Comments Temporarily Disabled as www.AnmolMehta.Com Moving Hosting Service
• Archives
• Its Wonderful, But Dangerous to Your Meditation Practice
• Mastery of Meditation Weekly Publication Schedule & Improvements
• 10 Best Personal Development Articles

Signs of Not Meditating

Many popular articles on Mastery of Meditation expound on the benefits of meditation, such as Top 10 Benefits of Meditation and 10 Amazing Benefits of Meditation for Students and Young People, but today I want to present you with another view of meditation.  I want to explore the dangers of not meditating.  I want to discuss what happens when you don’t meditate and what are the signs that are yelling at you to start meditating immediately.

5 Dangers of Not Meditating:

1. Anger:

Every time you lose it.  It does not matter what the reason is, this is a clear signal to you that you need to start meditating.  Meditation means residing deep within, in your center, where you are infinitely at peace and have great composure, and the more you live from this center the less the storms on the periphery disturb you. 

This goes for irritation as well.  Getting irritated with the children, co-workers, other drivers, spouses, etc., all mean the same thing.  You are not meditating enough.  Not that meditation alone will cure all irritation, as there can be bio-chemical reasons for this as well, but it will certainly help a whole lot.  So next time you feel that anger creeping up, don’t react, watch the energy carefully and set your alarm clock thirty minutes earlier for the next morning .

2. Jealousy:

Clearly a sign that you are on the wrong track, with the wrong perspective and wrong attitude is if you are a frequent victim of jealousy.  In fact, this is so good an indicator of you not meditating enough, that I felt it was a good way to actually test your spiritual level.  You will find the details of how to test yourself using jealousy in the article, How to Test Your Spiritual Growth.

3. Stress:

Are you and Mr. Stress the best of buddies?  Inseparable are you?  Well if you want to end this relationship with Mr. Stress you have to start meditating.  The key to a long, healthy life is to live stress free.  An Ayurvedic Doctor I recently met told me that 80% of the problems that patients came to see her with were stress related.  So a big danger of not meditating is ending up hanging out with Mr. Stress.  And where Mr. Stress hangs out, Mr. Disease is not too far away.

To help motivate you and give you some solid techniques to live stress free, here is a great resource: Best Treatments for Stress & Anxiety Disorder.  You will notice I grouped anxiety along with stress, and I just want to mention that this is another sign that you are not meditating enough.  If you suffer from panic attacks and anxiety, you need to start a meditation program.  There is ample evidence showing the benefits of meditation with regard to anxiety as well.

4. Restlessness | Insecurity | Fear:

Are you feeling your life is meaningless?  Feeling you are not doing anything special in life?  Feeling you are not achieving your true potential?  These are signs that you are not meditating.  Meditation puts you in touch with your infinite nature, and from there you realize that there is nothing lacking whatsoever in you.  You are perfect and life is perfectly fine just the way it is.  This realization is the reward of meditation, and the further you are from this realization, means the further you are from meditation.

Related signs to restlessness are the feelings of self-doubt, insecurity and fear.  These are other dangers you will have to face if you decide to not meditate.  The ego is insecure.  It endlessly seeks security and safety.  Meditation helps you de-emphasize your egocentric mind, and instead reside in your simple witnessing awareness.  This living in the witnessing consciousness, in the here and now, weakens the ego and thus, relieves you of the feelings of insecurity, fear and self-doubt.

5. Hatred:

As Yogi Bhajan puts it, "If you don’t see God in all, you don’t see God at all."  I love that saying, and can’t put it any better than that.  Hatred is born of fear and is only possible when you emphasize differences.  The more you break up Reality and side with different fragments, the more you open the door to hatred and fear.

Eyes that see the world and humanity as one big family, in fact, eyes that see the whole world as just your family, are eyes that are going to be full of compassion and love.  Meditation is responsible for opening your eyes to this view.  So if you are filled with fear and hatred, the red flag is up, you need to start meditating.  Looking around at the state of world today, I wish along with prescribing a daily multivitamin, everyone was prescribed thirty minutes of daily meditation as well.

Dangers of Not Meditating Summary:

I can always tell when I have drifted away from my meditation practice.  Invariably one of the signs above will light up and remind me of what is the most important thing in life - meditation.  I suggest the same for you.  Keep an eye out for these danger signs above, if you notice their presence getting stronger, you know it is time to get back to meditating.  If you are new to meditation and are looking to start this profound practice, whose rewards have no material equivalent, I suggest you try some of the free online meditation classes offered here on this site.  Below are some helpful links in this regard.

Free Online Yoga & Meditation Classes

Free Beginner’s Meditation Class | Learn How to Meditate

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Related Articles at Mastery of Meditation, Kundalini Yoga and Zen:

• Its Wonderful, But Dangerous to Your Meditation Practice
• Kundalini Yoga Bow Pose for Eternal Youth
• SM Meditation Program: Yoga for Meditation: Chapter 4
• Dangers of Kundalini Yoga
• Joy, The Secret to Daily Meditation Practice

Yoga for Fitness

Full Body Yoga Workout

Yoga, as I have mentioned previously, is not just for stretching and flexibility, but is perfectly capable of giving you a complete full body workout.  Thus, if you are looking for fitness, strength and muscle tone, along with the added benefits of mental and emotional balance, yoga is an excellent solution for you.

In this article today, I will combine for you several key exercises and sets, which when put together give you a complete fitness routine.  This workout will target your upper body, stomach and abs, as well as help you tone and strengthen your lower body.  On the way to doing this, it will even give your important heart muscle a bit of a workout.

The techniques and exercises in this comprehensive set come of the school of Kundalini Yoga.  I have found that Kundalini Yoga, because it uses so much dynamic movement, is especially good for routines geared towards fitness and dynamic strength.  Don’t get me wrong, other types of yoga also use flow and movement, and will deliver quite a workout as well, but in general, Kundalini Yoga fits the needs of a full body fitness routine very well.

Your will find the exercises, poses and postures used in this Yoga for Full Body Fitness Set in the  Free Online Kundalini Yoga Exercises E-book and the Free Illustrated Hatha Yoga Poses E-book.  In addition, this set will make up Chapter 17 of our popular Free Online Kundalini Yoga Sets E-book.  Soon it will also be a part of a even more complete yoga fitness program via the Free Online Yoga & Meditation Classes held here on Mastery of Meditation & Yoga.

Benefits of Yoga for Full Body Fitness:

I suggest visiting the exercises and sets in particular to see all the benefits and other details for these exercises, there are too many to list here.  Below I will just give the highlights of what this delivers:

• Helps you achieve full body fitness and health.
• Good for the digestive system, nervous system, circulatory system, immune system and nervous system.
• Increases your level or energy and vitality.
• Helps tone your abdominal muscles, shape your stomach and gives you core strength and power.
• Helps with weight loss. 
• Significantly develops full body strength and flexibility.
• Tones legs, arms, chest, shoulders, abs and buttocks.
• Helps improve health and well being.
• Helps develop sexual fitness and virility.

Yoga Exercises for Fitness Preparation:

The following two articles are important to read as they provide guidelines on how to practice yoga intelligently and safely:

Essential Beginners Guide to Yoga Practice

10 Important Guidelines for Kundalini Yoga Practice

Remember the golden rule is please do not overdo or over strain.  Especially if you are new to yoga, please use the beginner’s version for the difficult exercises and back off if you feel uncomfortable or dizzy.  For all the poses in this set illustrations have also been provided.

You will also need to learn the Breath of Fire breathing exercise, which is taught in the following video:  Breath of Fire Kundalini Yoga Pranayama.   This breathing exercise is a fundamental breathing technique in Kundalini Yoga and is used in conjunction with the yoga poses in the set below.  If at any time you feel it is difficult to keep up with breath of fire during the exercise, please switch to long deep breathing or normal breathing instead.  Breath of Fire will play an important role in helping you achieve the level of fitness you seek, by adding an important respiratory and circulatory component to the workout.

Yoga Set for Full Body Fitness:

To meet the requirements of full body fitness, this set obviously utilizes a wide range of exercises and sequences.  All these are illustrated and detailed below, but I want to give you a quick summary of them here first for easy reference.  To get more details, you can scroll down to the particular section or head over to the article for that particular technique or pose.

Do each exercise as per your strengths and weaknesses of your body regions.  If your abs are already fit and strong, you can do more repetitions of the abdominal exercises, while if your legs are strong already you can do more Kundalini Yoga Froggies.  If you are new to yoga or just getting started with your fitness program, do the beginner times for the exercises as I have detailed below.

Fitness Yoga Sequence:

- Cobra Push-ups - Upper Body Fitness

- Yoga Ab Exercises Set - Core Fitness

- Yoga Chair Pose - Lower Body Fitness

- Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose - Lower Body Fitness

- Rest & Rejuvenation

I have broken down this routine into 4 sections.  First is upper body training, second is core abdominal fitness, the third is lower body strength and toning, and finally a relaxation section at the end.

Fitness Yoga Section 1: Upper Body Training:

Cobra Push-ups for Upper Body Fitness

Illustration #A Starting Position

 

Illustration #B Yoga Cobra Pose

 

Illustration #C Yoga Plank Pose

 

Cobra Push-Ups:

a. Instructions for practicing Cobra Push Ups:

• Start in the position as indicated by Illustration #A.  Essentially this is the down position when doing simple push-ups (except toes are extended).  You are lying flat on your stomach with your hands near your shoulders.

• Now come up into cobra pose and inhale deeply as you do so (Illustration #B).

• Next exhale as you bring yourself up into Plank Pose as indicated in Illustration #C.

• Then lower yourself back down to Illustration #A down as you Inhale.  Finally, exhale in this down position and then repeat by coming back into Cobra pose and inhaling deeply.

Cobra Push-Ups Variation #2:

• In this variation you will essentially skip Plank Pose, or Illustration #C.  So come into the pose as per Illustration #A, exhale, then come into Cobra Pose (Illustration #B) as you inhale deeply.  Continue to move between these 2 positions.  Even though this is a simple movement, I guarantee you will feel this in your arms and chest very soon .

Cobra Push-ups Variation #3:

• A slightly different variation to this exercise, is that when you bring your body up into Cobra, have your thighs come up off the floor as well (Upward Facing Dog Pose).  The rest is the same. 

b. Duration for Cobra Push-ups:

• 15 seconds - 7 minutes.

c. Benefits of Cobra Push-ups:

• Excellent yoga exercise for upper body fitness.  Good for chest, arms and shoulders.
  
• Good for training your back and abdominal muscles as well.  Essentially you enjoy all the many benefits that Cobra Pose and Plank Pose bestow.
  
• Good for your digestive system and nervous system.
  

d. Practice Tips for Cobra Push-ups:

• A smart way to build up your strength and train these important muscles is to use simple start stop tactics.  Do 30 seconds, then take a break in the down position, and then start again and do 30 seconds more.  Keep up this pattern, you will soon see marked improvement in your strength, muscle tone and upper body fitness.
• Since the toes are kept extended as show in the illustrations above, be careful as this can put extra pressure on your lower back.

Fitness Yoga Section 2: Core Abdominal Training:

Yoga Ab Exercises & Workout for Core Fitness

1. Yoga Single Leg Lifts:

 

Illustration #1: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts - Starting Position

 

 

Illustration #2: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts - Left Leg Up

 

Illustration #3: Yoga Ab Single Leg Lifts - Right Leg Up

Description:

For this exercise lie on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back, as shown in Illustration #1.  Then lift your left leg up to 90 degrees and then back down (Illustration #2).  Follow that by lifting your right leg to 90 degrees and then down (Illustration #3).  Repeat with left leg and continue on.  You will feel your abdominal muscles working to raise each leg.

Breath:

Inhale as leg goes up, exhale down.

Duration:

1- 3 minutes.

2. Yoga Double Leg Lifts:

 

Illustration #4 - Yoga Ab Double Leg Life - Starting Position

 

Illustration #5 - Yoga Ab Double Leg Lifts - Ending Position

Description:

For this exercise remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back.  But now lift both legs smoothly up to 90 degree and then back down.  Try to keep your knees straight and keep the motion controlled and smooth (illustration #5).  This exercise work your ab muscles much harder than the single leg lifts, so be ready.

Make sure to take a break between exercises to let the abdominal muscles recover a little before moving on.

Breath:

Inhale as legs goes up, exhale down.

Duration:

1- 3 minutes.

3. Yoga Criss-Cross Legs:

 

Illustration #6 - Yoga Ab Criss Cross Legs

 

Illustration #7 - Yoga Ab Criss Cross Legs

Description:

Again for this exercise remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back.  Now lift both legs up about 12-18 inches off the floor and have your toes pointing forward.  Now begin to criss-cross your legs at ankle level rapidly (Illustrations 6 & 7).  At first one leg will be on top, and then when you cross back have the other leg be on top. 

This exercise will give the side ab muscles (obleques) a workout,and is excellent for shaping your stomach region.  Energy for fitness comes from your core, so when this gets tough remember all the good you are doing for yourself.

Breath:

Do the Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise as you criss-cross your legs.

Duration:

1- 3 minutes.

4. Yoga  Piston Legs:

 

Illustration #8 - Yoga Ab Piston Legs

 

 

Illustration #9 - Yoga Ab Piston Legs

Description:

Remain on your back with your palms underneath your buttocks, to support your lower back.  Again lift both legs up about 12-18 inches off the floor and have your toes pointing forward.  Now begin to piston your legs back and forth rapidly (Illustrations 8 & 9).  As one leg bends in (knee coming towards the chest), the other goes straight out and the motions reverse. 

Be sure to not bicycle the legs, the legs should move parallel to the floor for this exercise.  This exercise will ensure that if any parts of your stomach muscles were left out of the workout, that they get a chance to now participate .  Six-pack abs here we come…

Breath:

Breath out as you fire each leg out.

Duration:

1- 5 minutes.

5. Add Stretch Pose or Boat Post (Optional).

The above 4 ab exercises provide a great workout to tone and develop your stomach, but if you feel ready to take it to the next level, then add Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose to this set.  If you feel really strong and would like to set the bar even higher, then add Kundalini Yoga Boat Pose to enhance this set further.  You will find me demonstrating Yoga Boat Pose in the Core Abdominal Power Yoga Set Video and description also in that article.

 

Illustration #10 - Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose

Fitness Yoga Section 3: Lower Body Training:

Illustrations of Yoga Chair Pose

Side View Picture of Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose

Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose Practice Details:

a. Step-by-Step Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:

• Stand and place your feet shoulder width apart, with toes pointing outward.
  
• Lean forward till your back in parallel to the ground.
• Reach down and grasp your ankles, such that the elbows are passing from the inside of your knees.
• Keep your head up and begin Breath of Fire Breathing Exercise.
  

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:

• 15 Seconds - 3 minutes.
• Start slowly and build up your time steadily from there.
  

c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:

• Great for lower body fitness.
• Excellent yoga posture for toning your thighs and buttocks.
• Improves sexual health and builds sexual virility and vitality.
• Helps the body burn fat to promote healthy weight loss.
  

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Chair Pose:

• Use the modified versions illustrated above.
• Take a break, if the legs start to burn too much and then restart the exercise again once ready.
• Be careful with your knees and only go as far down as comfortable, regardless of whether you are doing the modified posture or the full pose.
• If Breath of Fire is too much, then switch to long deep breathing or normal breathing which continuing to hold the pose.
• You can also do the modified version of chair pose by standing against a wall and working your way lower as your legs get stronger.  This is the technique used in physiotherapy in general.
  

Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose for Fit Legs

Picture of Starting Position of Yoga Frog Pose (Eyes Closed)

  

 

Picture of Starting Position of Yoga Frog Pose (Eyes Open)

Picture of Ending Position for Yoga Frog Pose

Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose Practice Details:

a. Step-by-Step Instructions for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

• Squat on the floor on your toes, with your feet apart and your heels either touching or very close together.
  
• Have your knees spread out and your arms inside your knees with your finger tips touching the floor.  The elbows are straight.
• Look up, you can have your eyes opened or closed.  Inhale.  This is the starting position for frog pose.
• Rise up now by straightening your legs.  At the same time bring your head towards your knees and keep your fingers touching the floor.  Your heels should move down towards the floor.  Straighten your legs as much as possible.  Exhale.  This is the ending position for frog pose.  This completes 1 repetition.
• Come back down to the starting position and repeat the cycle as many times as indicated.
  

b. Duration for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

• Beginners, start with as many as you can do and work up to 26 froggies.
  
• Intermediates, work up to 54 froggies.
• Advanced, work up to 108 froggies.
• Fanatics, keep going :-).
  

c. Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

• Shapes, tones and strengthens the legs and lower body.  Specially the thighs muscles.
  
• Good for cardiovascular fitness and stamia.  Promoting better circulation and better respiration.
  
• Promotes flexibility in the hamstrings and calves.
• Overall, builds one level of fitness and endurance.
• Builds sexual potency and virility.
  

d. Practice Tips for Kundalini Yoga Frog Pose:

• Careful with your knees.  If you have bad knees, approach this exercise with caution.
  
• Take breaks in between if your legs are burning too much.  Once they recover continue on.
• This yoga exercise will get your heart rate up, so careful not to get dizzy.  If you feel breathless, light headed or faint, stop and take a break.
  
• Here is a secret.  Doing froggies slowly is harder.  Some kundalini yoga kriyas (sets) demand you go slow, but in general a brisk pace will allow you to do more.  Just don’t push too hard.
• It is ok to be sore in the legs the next day.  It means the muscles got a much needed workout.
• It is beneficial to stretch the hamstrings before doing frog pose.

Fitness Yoga Section 4: Rejuvenation and Assimilation

Corpse Pose:

• Once you have completed the Yoga Set for Full Body Fitness, make sure you relax on your back in corpse pose.  For corpse pose just lie comfortably on your back and have your hands out to the sides or on your chest.  Just let go during this time and let the Universe take care of you.  Have no worries, anxieties or goals, and simply surrender to Infinity.
• Duration: 3 - 11 mins.
• Breath: Relaxed

Yoga for Full Body Fitness Summary:

As I mentioned above, this set is going to eventually be part of a more complete yoga fitness program, which will then become part of the online classes that are offered, but in and of itself it is an excellent routine to develop total body fitness and health. 

—
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Part of an overall health and wellness program is managing body weight and maintaining a healthy percentage of total lean body mass. To optimize your healthy body weight composition, we have some simple, yet effective eating tips that will enhance your wellness strategies.

1) A calorie is a calorie! Even though some foods are ‘empty’ calories offering little nutritional value, all foods contain calories, so manage your intake regardless of the quality of the food you eat:
*use smaller dishes to eat from so you avoid overloading your meals with excess calories
*drink water or herbal tea before a meal to help decrease the amount of time it takes to feel full
*load up on fiber rich foods like vegetables and whole grains as fiber also increases the feeling of fullness more readily

2) Eat smaller and more frequent meals Spreading out your food intake over several meals instead of the traditional three will allow you to manage digestive hormone cycles and maintain energy levels more effectively:
*eat your larger, more dense meals at breakfast and lunch, then tapper your meals at the end of the day with fewer carbohydrates (if you are going to eat a dessert, eat it midday so you have all day to burn it off!)
*snacks are critical as part of this multi-meal strategy. Snacks should be nutrient dense and clean.

3) Never leave the house without food-PERIOD! Going hungry while out and about will likely force you to eat a less-than-nutritious quick fix. Plan ahead and always keep and nutrient dense snack with you.

4) Avoid the ‘calorie’ reduced processed foods Products promoted as low in calories or low in fat often offer little value in supporting your weight management efforts:
*products that are ‘low fat’ are often filled with chemicals to enhance the flavor missing from the fat and these fats are often replaced with processed sugars-remember, fat is not always a bad thing
*products that are ‘low in calories’ are often super small in serving sizes that are unrealistic (that’s how the calories are reduced) or the calorie producing elements like fat and sugars are replaced with chemicals that are equally, or more, unhealthy

5) Increase your fiber intake with fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains Fiber actually reduces the amount of fat and other food elements being absorbed by surrounding the food particles. The result is a portion of food is not digested and eliminated. Always optin for the salad instead of the fries. Order that sandwich with whole grain bread. Switch the potatoes for yams. Add some spinach to your pasta. Get creative with your fiber.

Have joy in eating and do it well. Dieting and calorie restriction is not effective and should be avoided. Eat for energy and invest in eating clean. Read food labels and educate yourself on healthy food options for every type of meal and snacks.

Happy Eating,
Kreg Weiss
My Yoga Online

Recommended Reading: Top Foods to Heal, Nourish, and Balance

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