Healing with yoga: 7 stories of resilience and hope

  The untold secret of getting new year resolutions fulfilled The new year is the time of feisty fervor, new beginnings, and hopes for a better future. An integral part of the eve is resolutions - many of which are broken sooner or later. Studies show that only 8 percent of people achieve their new year resolutions, leaving behind dashed hopes and the feeling of disappointment. But, achieving new year resolutions doesn’t have to be such a difficult task. There is a secret weapon that can bring your hopes for the new year into reality. The game-changer weapon is meditation. How does meditation help in achieving new year resolutions? Meditation makes your resolution crystal clear The first step in making sure your resolution converts into reality is to get clarity. Many times, we are confused about what we want and confusion weakens a resolution. This stubs the seed of the resolution even before it grows. What meditation does is augment your prana (life force) level. When your prana ...

 There is a power in a group. A group can sustain, uplift, and help survive against the odds. Many people wonder about group meditation. How does it work? Is it good for an individual’s practice? Dr. Prema Seshadri, a meditation expert Dr. Prema Seshadri, a passionate meditator and meditation expert, talks to us about the power of meditating in a group.  Q. What are the benefits of group meditation? Do you observe any specific effects of group meditation? A: When everything works to plan, then the effect of group meditation can be mind-boggling. It’s a matter of “fire catching fire.” Energy is extremely contagious. It spreads. It’s subtle. Yet, it is so dynamic that it can take you to the depths of your very being. There is power in numbers. And coming together with a shared intention can create a powerful impact on our lives, in our society. Group meditation, in the right ambiance, can leave you floating. Group meditation strengthens connections and can be a huge su...

  6 am – time to wake up; 7 am – getting kid ready for school; 8 am – making breakfast; 10 am – finishing household chores; 12 noon – making lunch... Does this routine sound more or less familiar? It might to many of us housewives for whom each new day is quite like the one that just went by. The daily chores may not change. But what can is our state of mind. The same humdrum can still leave us fresh and enthusiastic if the mind is happy and relaxed. We could still have the energy to do something new and creative with our lives. The secret lies in spending just a few minutes daily to 'meet and renew ourselves'. So, what is the challenge? We feel too tied up in our chores that we either don't find time or lack interest or confidence to go out and live our dreams. If given an opportunity, we would also want to do something other than just cooking and cleaning, right? Some of us might consider running a boutique or a beauty parlour, some might want to pursue an old hobby– sing...

  I teach  meditation   and   yoga   and seek to understand the intersection of the mystical and the cosmos, based on the knowledge enunciated in ancient Indian texts like the   Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , the   Yog Vasistha   and the   Upanishads   — where thousands of years ago the concepts of dark holes, wave theory and quantum physics emerged. This blog post reflects my deep contemplation of these ancient texts. Some of the most  profound images of our times are those of the black hole.  Nonetheless, with all the innovative algorithms in the world, there are many scientists who calculate that the math that leads to the existence of black holes is still, well, a black hole! As much as we know, very little is still known about the origin, existence, and evolution of a black hole, even much less how it works or what is held within and without.  The unknown is mysterious, baffling, even unbelievable. Einstein had predicted ...

  Mona Shah Joshi is a writer, self-development coach, a transformational speaker, and a senior director at Art of Living. But more importantly, she is a Happiness Activist--someone who has used her training, talents, and expertise to spread the message of peace and happiness throughout the world. Recently, Mona guest starred on The Good Intentions Show with Tim Ray on the UI Radio Network, a podcast dedicated to the intersection of health, wellness, science, and spirituality. These three quotes are our favourite--head to the video for more science-backed benefits of meditation, for Mona’s unique flavor of frank and funny wisdom, and for a free five-minute meditation experience led by Mona near the end. Meditation and Happiness “Happiness is our very nature. We forget that this is what we’re made up of. For example, if you see a small child, and they have a frown on their face, we ask them what happened, because we know a frown is not natural to who they are. But somehow, as we got...

  Anyone who has lost a job knows the uncertainty and worry that follow, which can feel almost unbearable. The loss of a job is often accompanied by feelings and thoughts of failure, insecurity, and incompetence. Besides wondering how to provide for basic needs, anxiety about the next steps in your career make job loss even more difficult. However, job loss, like all challenging situations, is an opportunity in disguise. You gain the chance to go inward, reevaluate your life’s direction, and create an exciting future. No matter how much future potential job loss  can bring, you cannot deny the anxiety that comes with it. Finding healthy ways to cope with unemployment stress is essential for moving forward positively. Especially after getting fired, a regular  meditation  practice helps you handle fear and anxiety. Not only does it clear away emotional baggage, but it also cultivates inner strength and security. Regular meditation allows you to move forward with posi...

  What are 7  chakras in human body ? How important are they for us? There are seven   chakras  or energy centers in human body through which our vital energy or   prana shakti   flows. Sometimes, these energy channels get blocked and this leads to illness and disturbances in the body’s natural processes. It is important to understand what each   chakra  represents and what we can do to keep this energy flowing freely. This is possible when the   chakras  are balanced. How yoga helps to balance 7 chakras in the body When a  chakra  i.e. wheel of energy is stuck, movement can help release the  prana  (energy). Yoga postures are a great way to release stale or stuck energy from the body because they invite fresh, vital energy back in through poses and the breath. The practice of yoga ultimately leads us to a state of union, which is possible when we create a state in our body where energy can flow freely from the b...