flexibilty
Invoking Ganesha at the beginning-Why you need a solid start?
Om Sri Ganeshaya Namaha
Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, is the deity invoked when marking a new beginning. As with so many other yogic concepts, the elephant-faced one is not only a symbol for removing obstacles, but simultaneously represents the obstacle: if an elephant decides to stand in your path, you’ll have a hard time continuing along it. What to do? How to deal with it?
Being conscious of the importance of a good and solid beginning is the first step towards a successful path. Preparing yourself well, understanding that respect and care are essential ingredients to your undertaking, and that obstacles will be part of your journey, are all useful in the process of getting ready for a new beginning.
Whether you enter into a longer undertaking like a course or training, or simply get onto your yoga mat for a practice: to visualise yourself preparing for the task, maybe even doing a little ritual that involves the cleansing of hands and feet, lighting a candle or doing some breath work, to bring yourself consciously to the task, will allow for a much deeper entering into the process. It will prepare the mind and the body for what is to come.
So make ritual part of your practice. Go and find one that suits you and your purpose, but be mindful not to become habitual and mindless in the repetition and application of it. Be open to changing your ritual when necessary and remain alert to the need to do so. An empty, meaningless ritual becomes a routine, numbing you to the complexity of the task, and defying the purpose of the ritual. The mind is prone to the illness of forgetting: forgetting purpose, forgetting ongoing alertness and enquiry. Only an alert and open mind is willing to experience and thus learn. To learn, we need to be from expectation, from anticipation, from judgement.
Check in with yourself often: am I practicing habitually, seeking rigid rules and information that is set in stone and gives me the security of knowledge? Or am I engaging mindfully in ritual that allows me to become more open and free with each experience I am inviting into my process of growth? Am I becoming more capable of integration, or am I seeking the diminishing of complexity? On this path, am I becoming more rigid or more flexible? Is my mind dull or alert?
Contributed By: Nina Alfers (http://www.svastha-yoga.com) comes from a background of martial arts and yoga and practices as a massage therapist. She has studied Sociology, Philosophy and Psychology and practiced as a counsellor for some years before embracing her other healing capacities. She is based in Melbourne, Australia, and often travels to SE Asia to broaden her knowledge and to facilitate yoga workshops, immersions and teacher trainings.
What kind of Thumb do you possess?
‘The truth of palmistry could rest upon the solid foundation given by the study of the thumb alone.’ This statement defines the significance of ‘thumb’ in the domain of Cheirognomy and the complete palmistry itself.
We often find cutting off the thumbs of the enemies during war, or of the prisoners for their crime. Even in the early days when prisoners were brought for justice in the court, they covered their thumb with their fingers- symbolising the giving up of his will and independence, and begging for mercy.
So let’s explore what kind of thumb do you have and what great powers favour you.
First or Nail Phalange: When the thumb is unequally developed, the first phalange is extremely long and the holder possesses extreme ‘will’.
Second Phalange: When the second phalange is extremely longer than the first one, the holder is logical and in spite of innovative ideas and skills, they lack the determination to carry it out.
Third Phalange: When the third phalange is long and thumb is small, the person is bent towards passionate and sensual side, as it is the boundaries of Mount Venus i.e. love.
Another noticing factor is the flexibility or stiffness of the first joint of the thumb. When supple, the first phalange is allowed to bend backwards; when on the contrary, the thumb is stiff, the first phalange cannot be bent back.
The Supple- Jointed Thumb:
This is the symbol of extravagant nature, one who is natural spenders of wealth as well as thoughts. They are quite adaptable to new people and situations and settle down easily.
The Firm-Jointed Thumb:
These people are more practical and possess a stubborn determination which makes them strong. The stick to one thing and have their own thoughts of making the best in their own home and country.
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
Secret to Healthy and Longer Living: Why to sit on the ground and eat?
The act of sitting together on the ground and eating seems quite ancient for the present techno-freak generation. A classy dine on the furniture or to sit in front of the television and eat; are few of the recent techniques of eating food. With transformation in living patterns we are going away from the nature and becoming dependent upon the mechanical world i.e. going away from nature to virtual. Yet at few places the bond of togetherness and tradition of sitting together in ‘sukhasana’ to eat is maintained, which in turn is beneficial for healthy living and high thinking.
Let’s make you aware with the pros of this unique habit prevalent at Gurudwaras and temples.
- The continuous movement of the abdominal muscles of bending forward and then becoming straight while eating, facilitates the proper process of digestion.
- The ‘sukhasana’ or ‘padmasana’ posture applies pressure to the lower spine that in turn brings calmness and relaxation.
- This position activates the satiety value and we feel full soon, and it also makes us eat slower due to which overeating is prevented.
- According to leading nutritionist, Rujuta Diwekar, eating food while concentrating on every aspect of the food – its smell, taste, texture and how much you are eating is the key to losing weight.
- The sitting postures help to keep our joints supple, flexible and less prone to injuries and degenerative diseases like arthritis and osteoporosis.
- Sitting cross legged maintain the blood circulation and the blood is pumped to all the required organs for digestion, much better than the sitting on the chair.
- The act of sitting on the floor and eating calms the mind and body that further leads to warm and blissful bonding among family members.
- In the Holy Koran, it was narrated that the Prophet used to eat (sitting) on the ground. He said: “I eat as a slave eats and I sit as a slave sits.” It automatically inculcates the feeling of gratitude and keeps us grounded.
- ‘Sukhasana’ means ‘calmness of body and mind through posture’ which makes us live longer and healthier.
The favourable act is a secret to blissful life and I am sure that none of us would like to compromise with our happiness. So why not go for some cool low furniture with runners and rugs in the room and enjoy the delicious food with friends and family on the floor. Moreover those who sit on the ground are not afraid of falling from the bed!
Contributed By: Meenakshi Ahuja
Shubhpuja.com 