Surya Yoga the scientific way

Life energy or prana start dysfunctioning when our body, mind and spirit loose their balance by moving away from nature, which is the core of our existence. Nature, has the solution for all our maladies. So, next time you feel disillusioned or distressed inhale the fragrance of a flower, admire the delicate designs on the wings of butterflies, enjoy the raindrops falling on your head, listen to the chirping of the birds, let the breeze caress you, moonlight soothe your nerves. And of course do Suryayog for good health, peace and Ananda.

Suryaji

A silver coin is placed on the forehead, on the third eye region between the eye brows, while doing suryayog.

The reason for doing so is very scientific. According to photoelectric theory of famous scientist Einstein, when light strikes a metal, it explodes into a chain reaction, producing waves of light and energy. Light is composed of tiny sub-atomic particles similar to a stream of bullets. Each bullet is a photon. Einstein said photoelectric effect starts as soon as photon hits a metal. Every time a photon hits an electron in a metal it knocks out its atom, emitting lots of energy. Fantastic amount of small energies are sent into our body by this process. The created photons, being organic, decide for themselves where to go into our bodies like the areas of disease and pump and balance energy there.

When we do Suryayog, we take in cosmic light of the sun through the silver coin, the high frequency light energy, spread from ajna chakra or pineal gland. This energy radiates through the body protecting all the organs and cells. Regular practice can make even diseased cells healthy again.

Doing Suryayog, within an hour of sunrise or before sunset has a scientific explanation. We in Suryayog take in high frequency light energy into our body through the coin. Each photon has a certain amount of energy, depending on its colour. In VIBGYOR of white light, violet is of high frequency and releases high energy when striking an electron. This is also one of the reasons why we wear white clothes since it absorbs maximum light. Whereas red is of low energy when striking an electron. By midday, the Sun gives out only red colour light, which is of low frequency, giving heat energy and not very helpful for the body.

The Light that flows through your system is Universal Energy. It is the light of the Universe. You give the Light of the Universe. You give the Light a form, by the way you feel, think, and behave. There are thought forms of light. Intentions shape light. Through guided meditation, we direct the light to various parts of our body to cure, and balance chakras for good health.

Soma Chakravertty

Pranic Healing for Body, Mind and Soul

In Pranic healing, we believe that we are all made of ‘prana’ or life-force that runs through our body, like water and sponge, and also envelopes it. The stronger and healthier our prana, the bigger, more spread out and more potent this energy field around us, also called the “energy body”.

One of the basic tools of pranic healing is the ability to feel and analyse this energy body. In a process called ‘ scanning ’, a healer’s hands, made sensitive by experience and concentration, can make out which areas of the body and mind are lacking in energy and so, fairing poorly.

Pranic healing is accomplished through very simple procedures which are easy to learn. The first process is ‘cleansing’ - to remove the devitalized, diseased energy in the whole body or in the affected part, and to remove blockages in the energy channels. The second process is ‘energizing’ - to replenish and reinvigorate the body with fresh prana or vital energy.

Pranic healing uses “no drugs or gadgets”. It is non-invasive and requires “no physical contact” with the patient. Physical touch in not required while healing, because the practitioner applies pranic healing on the energy body, rather than on the physical body. It has no side effects. However, it must be emphasized that Pranic Healing is not meant to replace the allopathic system of medicine, but in fact to complement and supplement it. It can be effectively combined with any other form of treatment. It can be used for self healing and healing other people even thousand miles away.

There is a lot more to Pranic Healing than just healing part. It not only makes you aware of the aura around the human body - the 'chakras' (energy centers) and their effects on our health, but also teaches us how to feel or scan the aura and determine which parts of the chakras may be affected. By learning about energy, we become more conscious about its ubiquitous presence, be it in people, buildings or even objects. Just by recognizing the existence of energy, we learn the possibilities of the healing process and bring in harmony and productivity to every aspect of our lives. Pranic Healers
around the world have started using Pranic Healing for their businesses, homes, relationships, projects and studies with fantastic results.
by MCKS Yoga Vidya Pranic Healing Karuna Wellness Centre

Logic of letting go

When we are children, and someone tells us to 'let go,' it is usually in reference to something material, and when we let go, we can either feel empty, as if we are being deprived of something, or we can feel full, knowing that we have allowed someone to have that something, and s/he must really need it.

As adults, letting go can still leave us feeling empty or full. Both feelings may occur simultaneously. Ultimately, letting go will allow us to feel free, unburdened, healed, happy, even joyous. I intend to address how we can reach these ultimate feelings. The concept of letting go is very complex. For the sake of this discussion, i will divide the various aspects of letting go into three categories: 1) physical, 2) psychological, and 3) spiritual.

When i discuss the physical realm, i am talking about anything tangible, whether it is our bodies or our environment. Our environment can often be cluttered, so purging of much of this stuff can be truly liberating. Our bodies may not please us, so we can choose to let go of extra weight. We can choose to let go of bad habits and addictions. We can choose to free ourselves of the indiscriminate materialism and consumerism that requires constantly acquiring more and more of anything.

Moving from the physical to the psychological, we move to the why of those items that we could let go of physically. For example, why do we have all of the stuff that needs to be purged? What has caused the rampant materialism that has allowed us to fill up our lives with objects and beings? I almost wrote 'inanimate,' but there are those who fill up their lives with pets and children and casual acquaintances rather than real relationships. All such acquisitional behaviour is symptomatic of a psychological need that longs to be filled, but which should be purged. The same is true of other unpleasant emotions, like anger, fear, jealousy/envy, even hate; when a psychological need exists, it causes these emotions to manifest in an attempt to satisfy that need. Guess what? The very same is true for any bad habits and addictions we want to let go of; while there may be a biochemical component to these, they also are indicative of some sort of need or self-perceived deficiency or pain that, in turn, is symptomatic of needing to spiritually let go.

Truthfully, one could argue that if one lets go and purges at the physical and psychological levels, spiritual level purges and progress will automatically follow. Instead of dealing with those two arguments, i am going to run to one common expression: Let Go; Let God. When we consider the spiritual level, by definition we are dealing with the Divine by whatever name we wish to call Him. Also, by definition, we are exiting the scientific arena that forms the foundation of most of my work, and moving into the realm of faith, which happens to form the foundation for the remainder of my work. Most spiritual advisors argue that happiness and joy are the natural state of our souls. Therefore, if these are not what we feel, what must be purged from the spiritual realm? Because every single major faith has reincarnation as one of its major tenets, and the purpose of reincarnation is for the spirit to achieve a higher state. Ridding ourselves of karma is the ultimate purge!

Now that we have seen the different levels of letting go and purging, how do we begin the process? Try beginning with just one small step in one aspect of your everyday life. Identify something that you don't need, and let go of it. Perhaps it will be your décor? Even though i embrace much of Mies van der Rohe's 'Less is More' philosophy, one does not have let go of an overall personal style that you might enjoy more in order to simplify and streamline your life. However, it may help to examine "Why" you have a particular décor, and whether it might merit letting go in order to have a more lifeenhancing physical environment. Mostly, this is about just getting rid of accumulated material items that aren't needed any more.

Think about the motivations you have for selecting a career, a hobby, a car, a house, even a spouse. Are those motivations from your own internal dreams and drive, or are there some external pressures? This is moving beyond the realm of everyday activity, and into the realm of special activity; these special events are most often psychological in nature.

Remember, though, that there are many ways to get an education, so temper all external pressures with your internal dream. Loosen the influence of external pressures, learn what your choices are, listen to your own internal dream, and then let go of what isn't part of that internal dream. Now that you have identified your internal dream, what is holding you back from achieving your greatness? Money? Fear? Inhibitions? Overwhelming anger? Frustration? Laziness? Whatever it is, you must start to let go of what is holding you back. For instance, i have a beautiful relative who is very intelligent and artistically talented; she once told me that her dream was to write children's books. When i asked her why she didn't 'just do it,' she said she was afraid of failing. I urged her to let go of her fear of failure, but that fear had its hooks in too deep.

Once you start letting go of what you don't need, and loving all, you will have fewer blocks in your spiritual Path! As you begin to 'Let go,' you automatically begin 'Letting In.' Both are processes, so please don't expect overnight success. Start small, and change will occur incrementally. Let go of the need for perfection and the physical, psychological and spiritual baggage that embodies. Let in the goal of self-improvement throughout your life. Let in Love. We are all works in progress. Make a pact with yourself to show just a little more love every day. Let in the Divine.
by Bret S Beall

Thank you for Not Smoking

A cigarette is many things to many people. For some, it's their cool quotient. For others, a relaxant. But for most, simply an addiction. What's constant is that smoking is injurious to health! On World No Tobacco Day (May 31), say sayonara to smoking ...

Journalist Shashank Mitra promises himself that come tomorrow, he'll quit smoking. But, as they say, tomorrow never comes. That wasn't the case with one-time chain-smoker Manish Bhatia. "I used to smoke at least 40 cigarettes a day. One day, my son came up to me and said I looked cool with a cigarette. That's all it took. I gave up," he says. It's been two years since, and Manish hasn't stolen any puffs. Smoking is an addiction—easy to get into, bloody tough to get out of. But help is at hand.

PATCH UP

A nicotine patch is the very first measure every quitter tries. It's like a small plaster strip that you paste on yourself. It releases nicotine into the body through the skin. Ananya Jha who took to the 'cancer stick' to fit in with her peer group tried one and it sure helped her patch up her habit. But experts say patches are of little help as they don't really cure the addiction or nicotine dependence.

MIND OVER MATTER

Most people will tell you to go cold turkey. Once you decide to quit, it's all about will power. But experts suggest that tapering off is better, as the chances of you reverting to it are then much lower You can opt for many behavioural therapies and medicines. While the former includes practises like not buying a full packet, not smoking a full cigarette and not giving in to peer pressure, the latter involves intake of medicines, which act on the neural pathway where the nicotine affects, thus curbing cravings. Happy quitting, and before we forget, thank you for not smoking!

WHY QUIT?

Because smoking is the maker of many maladies. Here's the list:
Lung cancer Damage to the mucous membrane, loss of taste, ulcers, poor oral hygiene and pyorrhea Coronary artery disease Atherosceloris (narrowing and thickening of the blood vessels) Buerger disease (a vascular condition where the arteries in your lower limbs get blocked, causing gangrene) Impotence (absence of blood supply to genital organs, rendering them dysfunctional!)

PUFF OR STUFF!

Myths and facts about smoking.. .

When you stop smoking, you tend to gain weight.

Fact: Absolutely! Because your craving for cigs increases and to curb it, you end up bingeing.

A morning smoke regulates your bowel movement.

Fact: True! Because the smoke that you inhale goes into your stomach and causes gastric colic reflux, which stimulates the colon. However, a healthier way is to take natural laxatives, drink lots of water and eat vegetables for roughage.

Smoking improves your mood.

Myth: Yup, it may give you a kick but it's quite short-lived and puts you at a higher risk of depression, hyperactivity as well as attention deficit disorder.

Smoking only a few cigarettes in a day is ok!

Myth: Every cigarette contains about 1 to 2 mg of nicotine, which reaches your brain within approx. 10 seconds of your inhaling. Immediately after that first puff, you get a rush of adrenaline that may increase your blood pressure, your heart rate and your breathing. So, even one ciggie is risky!

ABHIRUCHI CHAND

Repent and atone for all omissions & commissions

Exactly six weeks ago Christmas was celebrated with great fun and joy. And in Sao Paulo as well as in parts of Goa, the old tradition of carnival - again with much jest and festivity marking the beginning of the Lenten season - is just about over. With Ash Wednesday, Christians the world over begin a season of abstinence, prayer and voluntary fasting. Some would certainly add some form of physical mortifications to it, too.

On Ash Wednesday, the priest while applying ashes on the forehead of individuals during worship says either, "Remember, thou art dust and unto dust thou shall return", or "Repent and believe in the Gospel".

The words 'repent' and 'repentance' appear several times in the Old as well as New Testaments of the Bible, emphasising the need for people to change their sinful ways and turn to God. Right at the time when Jesus began sharing the good news of God's love with people, he asked them to repent of their sins. Though it is true that God's love is unconditional, Jesus knew that it would be much easier for people to receive God's love in abundance if they would first repent for their wrongdoings.
Interestingly, even John the Baptist who heralded the coming of Jesus, preached saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" and "therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance". In the Old Testament, for instance, Job who had to suffer a great deal in his life, becomes aware of his sinfulness and says to the Lord, "Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes".

Another prophet of the Old Testament, Daniel, finds himself in the same state saying, "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession... "!

The original words in the Hebrew and Greek from which "repent" and "repentance" are translated, mean to turn, to change direction. It is a complete about-face from disobedience to obedience and love. True repentance is coming to a full realisation that we have rebelled against our Maker; against His way and His righteous law. It means that we come to abhor ourselves for our self-willed, rebellious, sinful past. We must be truly ready now, with God's help, to bury our old natures, quit sinning, and submit to God with all our hearts.

Lenten season is an invitation for all to turn within, to look inward. It is a time to see why our relationships with one another and with God are strained or broken. However, before real repentance can happen, you have to feel the need to be reconciled with your enemies and the need to turn to God.

Repentance leads us to forgiveness of our own sins and it helps us to forgive others even without them asking for our forgiveness. It also brings us great psychological relief, which ultimately frees us not only of our stress and burden but also saves us from psychosomatic illnesses.

Many spiritual healers insist on repentance and forgiveness as a prerequisite for any healing process to begin. The Lenten season invites people to live a life that is in accordance with God's will and plan.