Wow-effect: Watch the twin sisters Carlotta and Sirkka practice together an advanced Yoga Asana: Balancing Forward Bend - a Hatha Yoga practice for flexibility, inner poise and well-being. More infos on Yoga, meditation, Ayurveda http://www.yoga-vidya.de/english

My Yoga Online has added 2 new great nutrition article by Carol DiPirro: The Nutritious World of Leeks and Kale-Veggie Superstar

Leeks, a member of the onion and garlic family, have long been grown and cooked in Europe and the Mediterranean. Historians claim Nero ate leeks in soup regularly, thinking they were good for his singing voice. He may have gotten the notion from Aristotle who claimed the clear cry of the partridge was due to its diet of leeks. Only recently have they become popular in the United States.

An average size leek contains approximately 40 calories and 305 mg of salt which is 13% of the daily requirement. They also contain significant levels of manganese (15%) and iron (8%). Leeks are believed to fight cancer, especially colon and prostate cancer. They contain quercetin and other compounds which inhibit carcinogenic development and also restrict the spread of cancer. Leeks also contain kaempferol, a substance which has been shown to reduce ovarian cancer in women. The green parts of leeks are especially nutritious, containing B vitamins and loaded with protective antioxidants such as carotenoids and lutein.

Read more about the health benefits and a recipe with leeks:The Nutritious World of Leeks

Kale, a descendent of the wild cabbage, is thought to have originated in Asia Minor and to have been brought to Europe around 600 B.C. by groups of Celtic wanderers. Curly kale played an important role in early Europe, having been a significant crop during ancient Roman times and a popular vegetable eaten by peasants in the Middle Ages. English settlers brought kale to the United States in the 17th century. Both ornamental and dinosaur kale are much more recent varieties. Dinosaur kale was discovered in Italy in the late 19th century. Ornamental kale, originally a decorative garden plant, was first cultivated commercially in the 1980s in California. Ornamental kale is now better known by the name Savoy.

Read more about the health benefits of Kale and a great Kale Chip recipe:Kale - Veggie Superstar

No Tags

Anyone wanting to get in shape like the celebrities need go no further than Bryan Kest’s Yoga video workouts. Kest teaches wildly popular yoga classes in Santa Monica, California–so popular that you could sweat alongside stars like Rhea Perlman, David Duchovny, and Elisabeth Shue in Kest’s packed, ancient loft studio. If you don’t happen to be around, do not to worry: Bryan Kest’s yoga videos are nearly as good as being there.

The February 2010 issue of The Yoga News has just been sent out. If you subscribed to receive this monthly yoga e-zine, check your email now. If you don’t see it there, be sure to look in your ‘junk mail’ or ‘bulk mail’ folders. Also be sure to add our email address to your “safe list” so that you’ll receive all future editions of The Yoga News.

If you are not already signed up to receive The Yoga News, you can subscribe for Free. Just go to:
http://www.discover-yoga-online.com/yoga-news.html

This post is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

Password:

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

• Powerful Lord Shiva Mantra | Mahamritunjay Mantra Free MP3 Download
• Powerful Gayatri Mantra Download & Free MP3
• Inviting God Consciousness In | Ong Namo Mantra MP3
• Free Online Mantra Downloads MP3 and Videos
• Great Vedic Mantra for Abundance - Vishvani Deva Mantra

Kids Yoga Benefits

Yoga Health Benefits for Children

It is said that yoga practice starts as early as when the baby in the womb!   That’s correct.  Yogis claim that the baby in the womb spontaneously does all the yoga poses, and that this is a part of it’s development.  So it really should not surprise us then that once they have become little kids, yoga still comes naturally to them and benefits them in a myriad of ways.

A recent articles in the Latimes and CNN/Health (links below) studied this topic in detail and interviewed many children and their parents to find out just what benefits they were getting through yoga.  Below is a quick summary of their findings for you, so that if you are a parent, you will be inspired to get your kids to start yoga as well.  It is certainly never too early, as we found out from our Biggest Mistakes in Life Survey .

Yoga Benefits for Children - Highlights From the LATimes Article:

Source - Kids Health Benefits from Yoga

- A preliminary study of pediatric health benefits of yoga, published in 2008, finds motor skills and concentration improvements, on top of better posture and breathing.

- Yoga stretching and body alignment can create a better athlete, said Michigan State University strength coach Mike Vorkapich. Players use back and arm movements to improve strokes and pitches, he said.

- Listening improves too, said Jennifer Hayes, an MSU yoga teacher.

Kids Yoga Benefits - Highlights from the CNN/Health Article:

Source - Yoga Helps Even Little Ones Channel Energy Emotion

- "It’s just incredible," Al-Yasha Williams said, shaking her head in disbelief when her 6-year-old daughter Sole Williams-Brewer walks out of class much more dialed back than when she bounded in. "My daughter has a lot of energy and this has channeled it."

- Marsha Wenig saw the calming effect yoga breathing gave her young students more 20 years ago when she taught in a California school.

For children with a lot of energy or ADHD, yoga proves to be a suitable substitute even for medication.

- "He couldn’t settle himself, he was just very high-strung and bored with everything," she said. "But, wow, yoga opened something in him. Pranayama breathing (slow, steady deep yogic breaths) put him in his space. When things get too tight, rough and crazy, do his own little Eagle pose.

- "I once found him in his bedroom chanting," she said. "It almost seems like we put him on a yoga mat instead of putting him on medication."

Kids Yoga Health Benefits Summary:

So you can clearly see from the above articles, parents and families all over are turning to yoga to help their children find calmness, balance and confidence.  In addition, studies are finding yoga poses and exercises to be great for coordination, concentration, motor skills and other important mental and physical skills.

In the article, Yoga for Kids - Guidelines and Benefits, I summarize the many benefits of yoga for you.  I also explain how to teach yoga to kids.  You will also find a lot of kids yoga exercises, poses, tips and information in the following articles as well: Yoga for Kids - A Comprehensive Guide.

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

• Yoga for Kids Guidelines & Benefits
• Survey Results: What Do Relationships Need Most?
• The Great Cosmic Joke - Insights from Deep Meditation Practice
• How to Raise Enlightened Children
• 3 Easy Kids Meditation Techniques with Videos

More progress thorugh Hatha Yoga Partner Asana: Carlotta and Sirkka help each other into the sitting side splits. This is an advanced Hatha … tags: health yoga sports hatha asana asanas yoga_vidya
from recent posts tagged hatha - blip.tv (beta)

Rest and relax - quite often you hear these words in a Yoga Class. It is important that you find a proper relaxation pose in which you can … tags: health yoga sports hatha asana asanas yoga_vidya
from recent posts tagged hatha - blip.tv (beta)

Is No Pain NO Gain really a yoga saying? A great article on how to deal with yoga pain and what it really takes to grow in health and in spirit.

Best Yoga Exercise for Weight Loss

Lose Weight with Basic Yoga

In this final part of the series on Best Yoga for Weight Loss, I will include part 1, and also complete the Basic Yoga for Weight Loss Set that I had started in part 2, so you will have a complete illustrated guide of yoga poses and exercises to burn fat, lose weight and get fit.

(Part 1 is below)

Can You Lose Weight With Yoga?

You can absolutely lose weight with yoga and there are enormous advantages to using yoga for weight loss over other artificial means and methods.  In this 3 part series I am going to first discuss why yoga is good for permanent and safe weight loss, and then, in the second part of the series, I am going to give you a great set of yoga exercises for burning fat and losing weight.

The set in part 2 is going to become part of the free online yoga classes here on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga.  The current weight loss program that is already available there, uses the excellent Online Yoga Exercises for Healthy Weight Loss Exercises Set, and this upcoming set will give you more choices and variety in selecting an effective yoga for weight loss program. 

The great thing about the set in part 2 is that it is designed for those who are overweight or obese, and thus, can be used by those who are new to yoga or severely out of shape.  Don’t think for a moment that this means the exercises are not going to be effective.  These yoga exercises are tried and tested techniques for effective weight loss, and are part of various yoga therapy programs around the world.  More about this set in part 2 of the series, but for now let me go over why you should choose yoga to help you achieve your weight loss goals.

This list of reasons is really quite long, but let me just point out the top five reasons why you are better off using yoga to help reduce weight, as opposed to being suckered in by all the other quick weight loss gimmicks, pills, gadgets and diets out there.

Top 5 Reasons to Choose Yoga for Weight Loss:

1. Better Overall Health:

Losing weight by doing yoga, also conditions all the internal organs and systems, in addition to getting rid of the excess fat.  This means that not only will you lose the weight, but as you continue your practice, you will find yourself getting more and more healthy and fit.  In addition, you will enjoy all the profound benefits that yoga bestows, and not just the weight loss aspect.

You can read about these enormous benefits of yoga in the following articles:

Top 10 Health Benefits of Yoga

7 Rapid Benefits of Kundalini Yoga Practice

2. No Bad Side Affects:

Always remember that the body has a blue print of perfect health and always tries to return to this state.  You should always try to work with the body, in it’s efforts to return to perfect health.  Yoga and Ayurveda (the Indian holistic science of life and longevity) are designed to do just this.  On the other hand, when you use chemical, surgical or other such quick fixes, you tend to not work holistically with the body, and even as you are fixing one problem, you tend to create many more.  So using Yoga for weight loss is the best way to intelligently and naturally lose the weight and help the body return to optimum health.

For more on this concept, you can read the following article:

The Key to Natural Healing

3. Permanent Weight Loss with Yoga:

Experience of the yoga therapy programs to treat obesity have shown that weight lost from yoga therapy has proven to be permanent.  This is certainly not the case when you use chemicals and other gimmicks.  The weight lost by those methods tends to return in a hurry once they are discontinued.  This is not the case with yoga, as long as you maintain at minimum, a healthy diet as prescribed by Ayurveda. 

These diets are almost always a part of the treatment in general, and these diets are such that they can be maintained comfortably throughout one’s life.  They are not extreme or unreasonable diets.  You can read more about such a diet in the the following article:

Healthy Ayurvedic Diet to Burn Fat and Lose Weight

So when you use yoga for weight loss, the body is gently brought back into alignment and underlying causes for the weight gain, whether they are emotional or bio-chemical, are also resolved.  Also, since yoga works with the body to achieve optimum health, the excess weight once shed is no longer regained when the yoga is stopped.  I would though recommend continuing the yoga practice if you can, so you can continue to obtain all the other benefits that such practice bestows.   

4. Yoga Weight Loss Solution is for Free:

Why pay for a solution, that is going to create bad side affects and not going to work in the long term anyway, when you can have a successful weight loss solution from yoga for FREE.  You can no longer make the excuse that yoga classes are expensive, etc, etc, because on this website, they are all free.  If you see the online classes page, you will see the thousands of readers who have taken and benefited from these classes.  So I don’t see how you can go wrong here.  Not only do you succeed in your weight loss goals, but you get all the additional benefits of yoga, and you get it all for free .

5. Extreme Exercise is Not Necessary:

You will see from the upcoming yoga set in part 2 of this series that even gentle yoga exercises done with moderate effort are good enough to put you on track to meet your weight loss goals.  So you don’t need to undertake an extreme fitness regiment.  Such regiments are generally short lived anyway and can be injurious to the body.  Yes, when doing yoga in this sensible way the weight loss is not going be happen overnight, but you can expect to consistently lose about 5 pounds a month safely and naturally, without doing any harm to your body or mind.  

So stay tuned for part 2 of this series where I will be detailing for you one of the best yoga sets for losing weight safely and permanently.

(Part 2 and 3 combined for you below)

Yoga for Weight Loss Set

Lose Weight with Effective Yoga Exercises and Poses

In part 1 of this series on Best Yoga for Weight Loss, I answered the question, Can You and How to Lose Weight with Yoga?  I hope that article has motivated you to take up yoga to help you achieve your weight loss goals safely and naturally.  In this part the series, I am going to start detailing for you the basic, but effective, yoga poses for helping you lose weight and get healthy.

Also, as I mentioned in part 1 there is a great weight loss yoga set already on the website and you can find that set here: Online Yoga Exercises for Healthy Weight Loss.  This set has helped many successfully lose weight and you will find their testimonials in the comments section of the article as well.  To further inspire you to take up yoga for weight loss, here is one of the latest comments from a reader.

Kelly writes:

I love you!!! haha you have helped me drop the 20 lbs that kept me from being ME!

thankyou!!

Basic Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss Overview:

So, given I already have such a great weight loss set on the site, why create another one?  There are 2 reasons for this.

1. New Set is Suitable for Everyone:

Although the Yoga for Healthy Weight Loss set is comprised of fairly simple yoga exercises, they do require some degree of fitness to practice.  In other words, if you are badly out of shape you will find that set more challenging to do.  For this reason I want to give you the Best Basic Yoga Exercises for Weight Loss set, as this set can be done by even those struggling with obesity and significant excess weight.

In addition, many new moms contact me to help them realize their weight loss goals, and it is important for them to practice gentle yoga exercises as opposed to vigorous ones, until they are fully healed.  So this set will give them a nice option to begin working towards getting back in shape as well .

2. Variety Helps Fitness:

Those familiar with health and fitness sciences know that the body get acclimatized to exercise routines, and you tend to get diminishing returns over time.  So varying your exercise routines is good for promoting better muscle and overall fitness.  This new set will give you that variety.  In addition, of course, there are many more excellent sets in the Free Online Yoga Sets E-book, so do check those out as well to add to your routines.

How to Practice Yoga for Weight Loss:

Before I jump into the set please remember it is important to follow the guidelines for yoga that I have put together in the following 2 articles: 10 Important Guidelines for Kundalini Yoga Practice and Essential Beginner’s Guide to Yoga Practice.  Also, please read the disclaimer (Ask your doctor, don’t sue me, etc. etc. ).  

Each yoga pose and exercise below has a link to the document with all the details about that technique, so you can read more about it by heading over to that article.  These poses and exercises are from across both great schools of yoga, hatha yoga as well as kundalini yoga, and you will find many of them used in the yoga sets and free online yoga classes that are offered here on the blog as well.  Also, I will be putting together another free online weight loss class as well, which will incorporate this set.

The way I want you to approach this set is as follows:

If you are very out of shape or obese, just start with the first 2 exercises for the first week.  Then move ahead and keep adding the following 2 exercises every week, till you are doing the entire set.  For those is better shape you can start with 4 or more exercises, as per your level, and keep adding the ones further down in time. 

So if you are obese, do exercises 1 and 2 for week 1; then do exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4 for week 2; then do exercises 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 for week 3 and so on till you are doing the entire set.

Make sure you don’t over strain, and just keep at it consistently.  Again, let me remind you this set is comprised of yoga poses that have proven to be excellent for weight loss if done consistently over time.

You should be aiming to lose about 5 pounds per month.  This rate is very comfortable for the body and when lost in this gentle and safe manner, you will find that your body weight set point has realigned itself, and that with just a healthy diet you can keep the weight off (see part 1 for more on this).  In addition, to the weight loss you will also find yourself much healthier, happier and holier .

Below you find the Best Yoga for Weight Loss Set, complete with illustrations and practice tips. 

 

Best Yoga Set for Weight Loss:

 

Weight Loss Yoga Exercise #1: Yoga Single Leg Rotations:

The first exercise is from the popular video Core Abdominal Power Yoga Set and are the Single Leg Rotations.  The video is below for you as well, but I have also given you exercise details below that.  The first place to start a fitness routine is by strengthening the abdominal muscles and building your core strength.  This workout for the first week or two will prepare your body nicely for the rest of the weight loss exercises to come.

1. Single Leg Rotations Kundalini Yoga Exercise:  (Chakra Padasana)

a. Guided Instructions for Single Leg Rotations:

• Lie flat on your back.
  
• Raise your right leg up to about 45 degrees.
• Point your feet and toes away from you.
  
• Do 2-10 rotations in 1 direction and then without resting rotate the same leg in the other direction (counter-clockwise).
• Repeat with the left leg.

b. Duration: You can build up to 1 minute / leg.  You can start with 2-4 rotations per leg, per direction and build up from there.

c. Benefits:

• Builds your Navel Center and strengthens and tones your abdominal muscles.
• Builds willpower and strength of character.
• Loosens and opens up the hips. 
  

d. Practice Tips: 

• To modify the exercise bend you knees or do fewer rotations at a stretch. 
  
• Start with just normal breathing and only incorporate Breath of Fire once you feel ready. 
  
• You can also take rest as needed.

Yoga Exercise #2 - Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose:

In case you thought you were done with the ab work, sorry you need to do another stomach exercise as well to ensure we get your back and core muscles strengthened .  So after you do your Single Leg Rotations, take a short break and then do Kundalini Yoga Stretch Pose as described in that article.

Please feel free to use the single leg modification of this exercise as described in the article.  Also, you can take multiple breaks in between.  Try to complete 1 minute, by taking as many as 4-8 breaks in between as necessary.

Weight Loss Yoga Pose #3 - Bhujanga Asana:

The next exercise that you should move onto is the famous Cobra Pose for Healthy Back.  This will start to work on your arms, shoulders and back, as well as other important body systems and internal organs.

Again, take breaks coming in and out of this pose.  For the purpose of this set, start with the version where you come into the raised position and hold it for some time.  Later as you get more fit, you can do the cobra push-ups, where you go up and down in cobra pose.  

Start with 4 rounds of 10-15 seconds each, and build up from there.

Cobra Pose Illustration

 

Weight Loss Yoga Pose #4 - Locust Pose

Locust pose was recently added to our Online Hatha Yoga Picture Galleries, and just in time too, as it is needed for this set .  The Classical Hatha Yoga Pose - Locust Pose article will give you all the details for this excellent posture.

Again, use the single leg variation for beginner’s if you are just starting out and for the purpose of this set try to do 4 rounds, holding each round for 10-15 seconds each.  Build up from there.

Locust Pose Illustration

Weight Loss Yoga Exercise #5 -  Tree Pose

Hatha Yoga Tree Pose for Balance is the next posture of the set.  Here is a new illustration of this pose below, except I would like you to do the variation where you bring your hands above your head, as demonstrated by my son Shivum in the original article.  In that variation of the pose, again bring your hands together in Namaste Pose as shown, but now raise them above your head as straight as you can.

Be careful not to lose your balance with doing this posture and if you have trouble with it simply do Palm Tree Pose (Easy Yoga Pose for Stretching and Warming Up - Palm Tree Pose) instead.

You can do up to 1 minute per side, taking breaks in between as required.

Illustration of Palm Tree Yoga Pose

Weight Loss Yoga Pose #6 - Forward Bend - Paschimothan Asana

It is now time to the pose which should be an integral part of every daily yoga practice.  This is important Forward Bend.  You will find the details in the following article: Best Hatha Yoga Pose for Healing.

It’s important to stretch only as far forward as you can comfortable doing.  If you practice this pose consistently you will see your flexibility improve steadily for sure.  You can do 2-4 rounds of this pose, holding each time for about 1 minute.

Illustration of the Paschimothan Yoga Asana

Weight Loss Yoga Exercise #7 - Bow Pose

We are getting to slightly tougher poses now in the weight loss set.  These poses take more energy to do, but they will really help you burn fat and tone difficult regions of the body.  Make sure you use the beginner modifications for them if you are not ready to do the full versions. 

In addition, you can start to include Breath of Fire for these exercises as well.  Breath of Fire will help increase the benefits of these poses and also, increase heat in the body, open up your energy pathways and help burn up toxins and fat. 

The next exercise is Kundalini Yoga Bow Pose.  This exercise will work on your thighs, hips and abdomens and is good for weight loss.

You can do 1-2 minutes, taking breaks as required.

Illustration of Yoga Bow Pose

Weight Loss Yoga Posture #8 - Camel Pose

Another excellent pose for targeting the thigh area and the abdominal region is Camel Pose.  Again, remember to use Breath of Fire in order to maximize the benefits.

You will find details of this posture in the article, Illustrated Kundalini Yoga Camel Pose for Optimal Health.  I have give both illustrations for this pose below, the modified version as well as the full version. 

Try to do 1-2 minutes with breaks in between.

 

Picture of Yoga Camel Pose (Beginner’s Version)

 

Picture of Yoga Camel Pose (Full Version)

Weight Loss Kundalini Yoga Pose #9 - Yoga Spinal Twists

The next pose will really bring the focus to your abdominal and stomach region and will work to tone all the muscles in this problem area.  It is also very good for the back and entire digestive system.  Note that for this exercise you are not using Breath of Fire, but instead will inhale as you twist to the left and then exhale as you twist right.

There are 2 good version of Spinal Twists, both will help you with burning calories, fat and toning the abs.  Below I give illustrations of the version where the hands are behind the back.  You will find the details for this exercise in the article, Lower Back Exercise - Yoga Spinal Twists.  

In the second version, which give you better range of motion, the hands are grasping the shoulder, with elbows up and at shoulder level.  The second version is described in the following article, where there is also a video demonstration for you.  It is called Yoga Twists and is exercise #4 of the great Spinal Warm Series.

1-3 minutes of this exercise with breaks as required will do you wonders.

Picture of Yoga Spinal Twist (Twist Left)

Picture of Yoga Spinal Twist (Twist Right)

Weight Loss Yoga Pose #10 - Yoga Bridge Pose

The last pose in this set is Bridge Pose.  It is part of the excellent Beginner’s Morning Yoga Set (exercise #3), and also has a good variation for beginner’s who cannot come into the full posture.  This pose is great for your arms, shoulders, back, thighs and hips. 

You can come into the pose and hold for as long as comfortable and then take a break when necessary.  You can build up to 1-3 minutes.  Here is the video which has a demonstration of this pose.

Weight Loss Ending Yoga Pose #11 - Shav Asana - Corpse Pose

LI have been stressing the importance of this pose for quite some time and it is simply doing corpse pose at the end of your yoga set.  So, no matter how many of the above exercises you are doing, you should do Corpse Pose afterwords.  The more exercises you do, the more time you need to spend in this pose, allowing the body to assimilate the benefits of the exercises.  So if you do the entire set, you should do corpse pose for almost 10 minutes.  During this time, relax completely and let the body heal, evolve and reshape itself according to your desires.

Here are the details of how to practice this most important posture.  Best Yoga Exercise for Relaxation and Stress Relief.

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

• Weight Loss Yoga Exercise Program Feedback
• Key to Successful Weight Loss - Your Testimonials
• Rapid Weight Loss Yoga Exercise Video
• 6 Safe & Natural Weight Loss Solutions
• Can You and How to Lose Weight with Yoga? - Part 1

Risks of Meditation

Meditation Tips

Sure there are at least 10 articles on Mastery of Meditation and Yoga detailing all the wonderful benefits of meditation.  Here are 2 of these, Top 10 Profound Benefits of Meditation and Amazing Health Benefits of Meditation.  I am also sure there are thousands of such articles all over the internet and that is how it should be, since meditation is the best and most important part of human life.  But meditation can also lead to problems in your life and in order to deal with these problems, it is important to be aware of them.

So, in this article I am going to discuss the risks of meditation and give you some tips on how to deal with them.  In particular, I am going to focus on 3 affects of meditation which could create problems for you.  These dangers of meditating are surprisingly more applicable to the serious meditator, than to the casual dabbler.  So if you are just starting out with your practice, here are some potential challenges you will have to learn to deal with.

3 Risks of Meditation:

1. Using Meditation for Escape:

Using meditation to escape from the harsh realities of your life is not the purpose of this practice.  Meditation is the profound art which teaches you how to live with great compassion, wisdom and composure IN your life. 

By practicing meditation, you are developing into an entirely different type of human being.  A human being who is free from the clutches of the ego and endless selfish interests.  Such a person is then a force for greater good, and is available to life to use as she sees fit.  Hiding in the corner of your house, concentrated on your mantra or breath, is not the objective, no matter how peaceful that is. 

So who are the people most in danger of confronting this problem?  Let’s discuss that next.

Concentration Meditation Junkies:

This danger is most prevalent amongst those who practice concentration techniques.  Don’t get me wrong, concentration based techniques are an important part of the meditative process, as with a "monkey mind" jumping all over the place, you are not going to get much meditation done.  But, once you have developed expertise in this type of meditation, you know as well as I do, that it can become a handy form of escape, when life gets too much to handle.

To some degree this too is ok.  As getting a break during a difficult time is life, can be refreshing and healthy, but the danger lies in this becoming a pattern or addiction.  In other words, as soon as life gets difficult, you run away from the problems, by indulging in your meditation.  This is then just like using TV or another form of escape to avoid the challenges in your life.  This is not the purpose of meditation.

Again, I want to emphasize that developing concentration is an important part of meditation, it is a prerequisite to real meditation, but be careful in letting it became a form of escape from life. 

2. Misusing Meditative Powers:

Meditation is known to bestow a great many blessings onto the practitioner over time.  Some of what one obtains from long term meditation are various psychic powers or abilities.  In addition, to these paranormal powers, the meditator certainly also evolves in various other ways, growing both in character and persona.  The risk here lies is the misuse of these of powers and abilities.

I have written about how to approach psychic powers previously and emphasized that their use should be only for spiritual growth or truly helping others.  You can read the following 2 articles for more on this topic, The Right Way to Acquire Psychic Powers and Free Psychic and Clairvoyant Development Tools.  But, the other "enhancements" one gets from meditation should also be wisely used.

Meditation certainly makes a person charismatic and attractive.  It also gives the person great power and magnetism.  There are other character enhancements as well and what is important is that the meditator does not use these blessings for selfish and wrong reasons. 

So, be on the lookout for this as well.  Don’t get tempted into doing the wrong thing.  Don’t fall into the trap of becoming a master manipulator or one who influences the weak or vulnerable for personal gain and pleasure.  We have all read about various Gurus, Priests and Swamis who have abused their influence and powers in this way.  Lets not fall into their category .

3. Becoming Robotic:

Witness, witness, witness.  Stay in the moment.  Listen.  Power of the now.  Watch your thoughts.  Observe.  Be aware.  Stay alert.  If you have read this blog or wandered around the spiritual landscape for any length of time, I am sure this advice has been impressed upon you.  This is good, because in witnessing lies the answer, but there is a consequence to all this witnessing and thought/feeling watching, and that is it can make you detached and apathetic.

This is a very real danger of endlessly standing apart and bearing witness to that which is taking place.  Not getting drawn in, means that not being emotional and not getting attached.  This can then lead to becoming robotic and cold.  Fortunately, the path eventually leads to love, compassion and joy, but there will be phases when you will feel and appear quite dry and machine like.

So, be aware that such phases will come and that it is not something bad.  It is just part of the process as well.  As I have mentioned in the past, a balanced person is a very rare occurrence, so be patient in your practice and just allow your spiritual work to work on you.  In time you will have evolved into a true masterpiece, which life will then hold up for all to marvel at.

Summary:

The last thing I want to do of course, is dissuade you from meditating.  Meditation is the answer to all human suffering, but I do want you to be aware of the risks that come with meditation practice, so that you are more prepared to handle these situations when they arrive.  So use the tips and suggestions above to help yourself navigate though these problems that meditation tends to create.

If you are new to meditation and want to learn this profound art, here are some good starting points.

How to Meditate

Learn to Meditate | Beginner’s Meditation Class

If you are looking to make meditation a greater part of your life and are interested in uplifting the world, then I suggest joining the Mastery of Meditation Meditation Certification Program.  Here is the link to that.

Meditation Teacher’s Training and Certification Program

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

• Self Help Lessons | Don’t Make these Big Mistakes in Your Life
• SM Meditation Program Daily Yoga & Meditation Practice: Chapter 8
• Meditation Help | How to Silence the Mind During Meditation
• Helpful Approach for Hard Times in Life
• Inspiring Osho Quote on How to Live Courageously