chakras
Yoga for Self Realization
Yog asana are a prerequisite for cleansing the mind, body and chakras. Asanas may be comprehended as exercise for the purpose of removal of toxins. The purpose of yoga however is different, it is self-realization. Asana is a preparatory exercise to condition the body for yoga, it is not yoga. Yoga is the art of returning back to the creation, which always bestows upon us. Yoga is the journey of getting rid of our inner wastes and facilitates a journey towards self.
To teach the art of excelling our inner being, Dhyan Foundation teaches ‘Sanatan Kriya’ which is assimilation of Vedic techniques encompassing all the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga as laid down by Sage Patanjali. Sanatan kriya brings closer to the deepest mysteries of creation, the magnanimous gyan of the Vedic seers, and the ancient secrets to health, beauty and glow for not just the physical body but also the external layers that comprise the being; layers which are invisible to the uninitiated but evident to the practitioners of Yog and Sanatan Kriya.
The easy steps of sanatan kriya fulfill different purposes in our hectic lives. The Ujjai pranayam purifies the body. The basic joint rotations regularize the flow of prana in the body. The chakra santulan pranayam redistributes this prana in the various chakras. The paanch mahaprana dhyan balances the five vayus that control the physical body and balances the five elements. Charity and service are also an integral part of the kriya and indispensable for purification of the self, as well as growth.
Yoga enhances the vitality, memory and productivity. It helps us to strengthen our senses and relieve us from anxiety. Yoga is a natural healer for chronic ailments and it imparts a sense of joy, peace and fulfillment within the people.
Happy International Yoga Day (21st June) to all!
‘Choti’ or ‘Shikha’: Significance
We have commonly observed a choti or shikha i.e. the tuft of hair, prominent among the Sanatan Dharma. The Shastras declare that any religious rite such as a yagna or homa is fruitless without a shikha (Katyayan Smruti). When the Gurukul system of education prevailed, the pupil was eligible to study only after having a shikha.
All the religious act should be performed after tying the tuft but only the funeral and death anniversaries are performed with tuft untied or with dishevelled hair. It is very inauspicious to remain with dishevelled hair. It is done only diin times of great sorrow or calamity. Like Draupadi took an oath in the assembly of the Kurus when she was molested by Dussasana that she would remain with dishevelled hair until the enemies were properly revenged. Also, Kaikeyi remained with dishevelled hair in her apartment with the object of getting two boons from Dasaratha which were detrimental to the interests of Rama, the favourite of Dasaratha.
Significance of ‘choti’ or ‘shikha’:
- There is a common belief that a choti allows the almighty to pull us easily from this ‘material world’ as it is the nexus of all nerves.
- The Brahmarandhra is the seventh chakra (also known as the Sahasrara chakra), the highest one in the human body which represents a thousand- petaled lotus.
- It is considered the seat of wisdom and the knotted shikha protects this spot.
- When the fully enlightened being attain jeevan mukti or salvation, the soul is said to depart the human body from this chakra.
- The knotted shikha helps boost this center and conserve its subtle energy known as ojas.
- Sun i.e. the primary source of clean energy, when falls on the rest of the head is soaked by the brain and helps in reviving the body and soul energy.
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