Day 40 - Congratulations!

Congratulations to those of you that have completed your 40 days, well done!!  It always feels so good to have committed and seen it through to the end, although Meditating is an ongoing practice and I hope you will continue.  I know a couple of you will continue with the same meditation you have been doing but some of you would like to change.  Thank you to those who responded to my question about what you would like to address for the Summer and a common theme is Meditations to help with Anxiety, Fear and Worry.  So I will be making suggestions in the next few days. 
We also have a few people that joined later, Wahe Guru!!  A couple of you have been missing some days but are continuing to get back into your Meditation as soon as you can which is wonderful and reminds me of this beautiful quote from Buddha

'Each morning we are born again,
What we do today is what matters most'

Summer is here - Happy Solstice

Day 38 - Headaches

Here are 3 videos using Kundalini Yoga and Meditations to help if you have a headache, lifestyle considerations and prevention.

Day 37

Day 36 - Quick Energizers

Are you feeling a bit tired, restless or out of sorts?   Here are some quick fix suggestions.

1.  Stand with your legs slightly apart and bring your hands up over your head hugging your ears.  Clap the hands 8 times so the entire surface of the palms are firmly struck.  Then bend forward and strike the ground with the palms 8 times.  Repeat for a minute or so.  Clapping massages the brain.
2.  Standing, raise the left leg to the chest while raising the right arm straight up.  Then alternate arms and legs, co-ordinating with a powerful breath for 1-2 minutes.  This exercise helps balance left and right hemispheres of the brain.
3.  For your Nervous System - Stand or sit, look at the tip of your nose.  Extend arms out straight to both sides, keep them straight with no bend in elbows and turn the palms down.  Criss-cross them in front of you, horizontally, alternating over and under, while chanting Har continuously with the tip of the tongue each time the arms cross.  Continue for 3-11 minutes.  Works on your ability to 'Do' and gets rid of your 'junk'.  Chanting Har stimulates the meridians in the upper palate and sound and mantra have a powerful positive effect on the glands.
4.  Right Nostril Breathing.  Block off the left nostril with the left thumb, and inhale and exhale long and deep through the right nostril.  To end inhale through both nostrils, holding the breath 10 or more seconds, then exhale.  Sit calmly and enjoy the energy for a few moments.
5.  Stand Tall and raise hands over head and shake the entire body for 1-2 minutes.  Works on the nervous system
6.  Sit down on the floor and stretch your legs out straight.  Reach for your toes, and stretch your nose to your knees.  Continue for 2 minutes - this helps  boost your energy

Day 35

Gayatri Mantra

This is a beautiful verson of the Mantra with the Flower of Life Symbol. Deva Premal & Miten are coming to New Westminster - Sept 12th.

Day 32

Day 31 - Gong Meditation

Today is Gong around the World Day. Organizers are asking you to play or listen to a gong to help uplift the whole planet. The sound of the gong creates deep relaxation and it stimulates the glandular system to a higher level of functioning. The gong changes the feelings that are blocked by cutting the thoughts that sustain and recreate the feelings. This can be a bit frightening, arousing, exciting or delightful depending on the individual. Check it out and see how it effects you!

Day 30 - Mental Chatter

Here is a video that may help you with mental chatter and for those not focussing on a specific Meditation.

Day 29 - Gratitude

Day 28 - Water and Meditation for Emotional Balance

How much water have you drunk today?  Emotions and the need for water are intricately connected.  When there is an inbalance of water in the system and the kidneys are pressurized, there is a tendency toward anxiety and upset behaviour.  From a scientific point of view, water is the medium that increases electrical potential across  cell membranes, which is essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system. 
If you find yourself upset, worried or don't know what to do drink a glass of water, preferably at room temperature and then try the meditation below.  The combination of drinking water, followed by applying pressure at the armpits with the raised shoulders and a Neck Lock, creates a tight  lock on the entire upper body.  Combined with a natural slowing of the breathing rate, this locked posture forms an automatic 'brake' that is applied to the brain.  The brain cannot continue its previous pattern of thinking, and within a short amount of time a balance is restored.  Those with high blood pressure, a neck injury or heart disease should consult their physical before practicing this meditation.

Meditation for Emotional Balance
Sit in Easy Pose.  Straighten your spine and relax the shoulders.  Keep the chest lifted throughout the meditation.  Place your arms across your chest and lock your hands under your armpits with the palms open and against the body.  The thumbs may be outside the armpits.  Close your eyes

Raise your shoulders up toward your ear lobes as far as possible and hold them there.  Apply a Neck Lock by contracting back of the neck and throat.  The chin is pulled back toward the neck without tipping the head forward.  If you are doing it correctly, you will feel that the cervical vertebrae are in alignment with the spine.  Stay alert throughout the meditation to maintain the Neck Lock and raised shoulders, which are the essential components of the 'brake' you are applying to the brain.  Your breath will automatically become slower.

Begin with 3 minutes and gradually build up to 11 minutes.

Day 27 - Stress and One Minute Breath

Stress - 'For fast acting relief, try slowing down'     Lily Tomlin
Managing Stress starts with managing the Breath.  Breath awareness begins with recognizing the breath as both the physical breath, as well as the subtle life force of the body and mind which determines the energetic radiance, the physical health, and the psychological well being of a person.  The science of yogic breathing is called Pranayam, 'Prana' meaning life force and 'Ayam' meaning expansion.  The mind follows the breath.  The key to controlling the mind is in controlling the breath. 

When we are feeling anxious and under stress, the breath can become shallow or erratic, or we can start upper chest breathing with a faster breath rate, which leads to chronic tension and weak nerves, and poor breathing then increases susceptibility to even more stress!   So when we consciously lower the frequency of breaths per minute, we encourage great benefits.

8 cycles per minute:  We start to feel more relaxed.  We experience relief from stress and increased mental awareness.  Parasympathetic nervous system begins to be influenced.  Healing processes are elevated.

4 cycles per minute:  Positive shifts in mental function.  Intense feelings of awareness, increased visual clarity, heightened body sensitivity.  Pituitary and Pineal glands begin to co-ordinate at an enhanced level, producing a meditative state.

1 cycle per minute:  Optimized co-operation between brain hemispheres.  Dramatic calming of anxiety, fear and worry.  Openness to feeling one's presence and the presence of spirit.  Intuition develops.  The whole brain works.

(One minute Breath)
Posture:  Sit in Easy Pose with Neck Lock, or sit in chair with straight spine
Inhale to a count of 20 seconds
Hold the breath for 20 seconds
Exhale to a count of 20 seconds
Continue for 3 minutes

Day 26

Day 25 - Meditations for Addiction

Most of us are addicted to something, it can be our thoughts, our 'poor me' or other stories we tell ourselves, food, shopping as well as drugs and alcohol etc.
Here Tommy Rosen demonstrates the Meditation for Stress Relief & Clearing Emotions of the Past, followed by the powerful Sodarshan Kriya.  Overcoming Addiction himself  he found that asking for help,  embracing the 12 step program and incorporating Yoga into his life is essential for Recovery. 

Day 24 - Venus Transit today at 2.45PM

Today is a great day to consciously heal and forgive others and yourself and open up your heart with love and compassion.  Spend a few quiet moments and honour the sacred feminine energy, release the past and reconnect to your true self.  Sat Nam

Day 24 - Meditation into Thoughtlessness

This is a nice one to do after chanting.

Day 23

'Challenge doesn't come to small people,  Challenge comes to great people'
                                                                       Yogi Bhajan

Day 22 - Transit of Venus

On Tuesday June 05 we have another important day in the Sky. Venus will transit the face of the Sun, which will not happen again in our lifetime. The spiritual significance of this particular transit is that Venus represents the Yin (female energy) and when it lies directly in front of the Sun and aligned with Earth, it will support the reintegration and emergence of the Divine Feminine, inspiring a new level of intuitive awareness to permeate the Earth.

Day 21 - Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo

At the beginning of a Kundalini Yoga Class we tune in with the Adi Mantra - Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. This mantra tunes you into your highest frequency. It aligns you with the devine feminine creativity and the divine masculine wisdom. Namo means to call upon, Ong is the active creativity. Guru Dev is divine wisdom. When doing a Kundalini Yoga meditation or Kriya at home it is important to tune in as the chant also protects and connects you to your higher self. I love this version of the Mantra with Snatam Kaur. Enjoy.