The Importance of a Guru on the Path of Yoga

Like a flower bud, human life has the potential to blossom fully. The blossoming of human potential to fullness is yoga. 

~ Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

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MEDITATION BRINGS BACK THE SMILE

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says that Meditation is about letting go of all effort. It is total relaxation. It is when we drop all doership that we meditate.

Spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says 'Meditation Brings Back the Smile. The way to expand from individual to universal consciousness is to share the sorrow and joy of others. As you grow, your consciousness should also grow. As you expand in knowledge over time, depression ends' ...

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said, ': Meditation! Just exactly what you are doing - yoga pranayama, meditation, it heals everything. See, we have given so much shock to our body, used it and misused it that it needs this kind of attention.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar puts it beautifully - 'Meditation is food for the soul.'

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Musings on Music & Meditation / The Art of Listening to Music

Have you ever thought of listening to music as a form of meditation? Here are some thoughts on music and meditation shared by renowned spiritual leader and Art of Living Founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar begins with a definition of meditation:

“Meditation is moving from sound to silence.”

We usually think of music as something opposite  - from silence to noise (if it is heavy metal, rock music – the more noisy categories of music). Or we cam think of music as moving from silence to melliflous sound (if it is the more harmonious kind like flute music or western classical) and back to silence.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar asks:

“What can we do when the piano is being played?”

He suggests : “We can just close our eyes, relax and sink into the music.”
He advises we combine the music and meditation.

“What is Meditation? Deep relaxation. So, we will sit, relax, keep our eyes closed and let the music flow through us. Our whole body is anyway hollow and empty and the music can fill it.”

This is the perfect tip on how to listen to music and enjoy it in the most thorough way.

“When you listen to music, it is better to just be with the music.”

But what do we normally do, asks Sri Sri Ravi Shankar?

“Usually, what happens is that we put on the radio and television and we keep talking. Music keeps going on or we sit in a performance with eyes open. We are just watching what is happening here and there. So we are not really absorbing the music or taking hundred per cent advantage of the music.”

“To me, when you listen to music, you should just relax. Close your eyes and relax. When you are listening to flute music, you should feel that music is flowing within you. Through sound you can relax. Similarly, if you are listening to piano, it can be so meditative and so relaxing. This is the art of listening to music. It is very good!”

Instead of playing music, let's listen to it for a change!

Know How to Get Instant Benefits From Yoga

On International Yoga Day, India Today brings you an exclusive interview with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder Art of Living to understand yoga and its unexplored secrets which can benefit you in everyday life.

Lets start the journey of Yoga with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

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A Brief History of Yoga

 

When you hear the word ‘yoga’, chances are that an image of people twisting in presumably painful poses might pop up in your head. Yes, postures or asanas are an important part of the teachings of yoga, but they are not all that there is to it. So, how well do you really know yoga? As the world gears up to celebrate the first ever-International Day of Yoga, let us try and unravel the mysteries surrounding this ancient technique.

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The Truth about Yoga

Yoga is that which gives you pleasure and comfort.

The definition for 'asana' is a posture that is stable and pleasant. You should feel comfortable when doing yoga asanas. What is the definition of comfort? When you don't feel the body. If you are sitting in some odd positions then you feel those parts of the body, painfully. Your focus is more on the discomfort there. When you do any asana, what you feel first is discomfort. But if you take your mind through it, you will find that in just a few minutes the discomfort has disappeared and you don't feel the body. You feel an expansion or infinity in the postures.

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Demystifying Yoga with Sri Sri

Renowned Spiritual Leader, Humanitarian & Founder, The Art of Living Sri Sri Ravi Shankar will lead Yoga celebrations with thousands of New Yorkers at the Lincoln Centre. A prominent voice of Yoga, he has taken this ancient Indian science to 152 countries in the past 34 years. Sri Sri has also been invited by the United Nations to address world representatives at the celebrations of the first-ever International Day of Yoga. In this tete-a-tete, the Spiritual Master highlights the deeper and infinite potential of this science, dispels doubts about it being anti-religion and speaks on the various benefits of yoga.

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Backbend for a Stronger Back

Backbends are one of the most difficult asanas for the body to perform, as they require great flexibility and balance. Contrary to popular belief, backbend stretching is neither stressful nor dangerous, but is highly beneficial to the body as well as the mind.

One of the most notable benefits of backbends is relief from anxiety and stress. By opening up the frontal portion of the body, muscles and joints are relieved of the accumulated stress. This in turn helps one in coping with anxiety and other stress related ailments. In case of irritability, lack of sleep or even mental chatter, backbend poses bring immediate relief.

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The Science behind Stretching

Stretching has been an integral part of yoga and also exaltation to the yogis. However, it has invoked several questions among its practitioners, scientists and skeptics. Modern science has nevertheless deciphered the technical know-how behind all the twisting, stretching and bending involved in yoga asanas and how the benefits manifests on the practitioners.

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Treating Vertigo with Yoga

Vertigo is a type of symptom of dizziness characterized by a sensation of spinning and misbalance due to a disturbance in the sense of balance and equilibrium in the brain. It affects the inner ear, the area that monitors the directions of motion, arising from calcium or fluid build-up or even a virus. However, it has been proven that certain yoga postures improve balance and stimulate the nervous system, thus removing vertigo from the system definitively.

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7 Yoga Asanas to Swim Better

Swimming is perhaps the only full-body workout activity that helps you burn calories without sweating. Not only does it involve well-coordinated use of upper and lower limbs, but also requires on good breathing capability. Whether you swim for pleasure or are a professional athlete, chances are that you might encounter injuries at some point of time. While it is impossible to avoid injuries completely, taking precautionary measures to minimize their effect is definitely within your reach.

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Yoga for Gamers

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy – this is a phrase we all have heard growing up. While the essence of this phrase was to emphasize on having a fine balance between working and enjoying your life, some might feel otherwise. For a select few, playing is all that there is to life. They can literally eat, drink, pray and sleep sports. Amongst this fine class of sports enthusiasts, a new breed has sprouted in the past decade or so. The couch is their arena, the headphones their headgear, and game controllers their accessories. Unless you’ve been living under the rock, there is a fair chance that you’ve come across the new age gamers who love spending hours in front of a TV or computer, and join clans across the globe with complete strangers, to wander off on dangerous quests.

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5 Yoga Poses to Fight Swine Flu

With Swine Flu spreading like wildfire, the panic amongst people has been on the rise too. To prevent this deadly virus from bringing you down on your knees, it’s important to take the arm yourself with necessary precautions. While medicines and vaccines can help avert and overpower the flu, one must work towards raising the immunity level to safeguard their health. Simple yoga poses like the ones mentioned below can help build immunity level and also strengthen your mind:

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Parents, Just Beat It!

Why & How You Can Change the Concept of Exam Fear Since parents too go through exam-time anxieties, they too need to de-stress.

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Stay Young with Anti-Aging Yoga

The next time you are watching your favorite soap opera, pay close attention to the commercials and you’ll find a pattern emerge – 1 out of every 3 commercials is of a cosmetic product. Surprised?

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Cupid’s Struck my Yoga Mat!!

Valentine’s Day is back! For some it’s a pressure test, for others it’s about butterflies, for a few it’s about expressions and the rest just flow with the feeling! We are breaking the monotone this Valentine’s and making it adventurous! Breaking the ice with a new partner or deepening intimacy with your old flame will take a new meaning henceforth! Flowers, chocolates and diamonds can take a back seat and you can now connect with your favourite person on the Yoga mat! These six Yoga poses will help you have fun, recharge, and heat up the chemistry beyond the mat!

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Reverse Prayer Pose (Paschim Namaskarasana)

Paschim = west. In this context, it means backside; namaskar = greeting; asana = pose

Paschim Namaskarasana or the Reverse Prayer pose is an upper body strengthening pose that works specifically on the arms and the abdomen. It is also known as Viparita Namaskarasana.

How to do Reverse Prayer Pose (Paschim Namaskarasana)

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