What is so special about Kriya yoga? It expands your consciousness; it enables you to move up from the ridiculous to the sublime - from say, matters of state, politics and (Cauvery) disputes to a deeper understanding of nature of the Self.

I got this divine intuition some days ago which prompted me to travel to Babaji's cave in Uttaranchal - he used to meditate there. I've been initiated into practising Kriya yoga through divine dispensation. I'd been through hardly a year's basic training before my intuition took me to Babaji's cave...

(See also: Kriya yoga, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

 Laya Yoga - The Essence Of All Religion

Yoga is the essence of every religion and is that what all religions have in common. If a man really wants to go deeply into the mystical and spiritual essence of their religion, then he or she comes to practise yoga. We say that yoga is not a religion in a sense of an individual creed or a sect separating from others, we also say that yoga is the substance and profundity of every religion and its inner cult. That is why one can be a member of every religious society and practise yoga. Two rules, or if one prefers, two commandments present in all scriptures such as Veda, Koran or the Bible are as if two angelic, divine wings of the Laya Yoga training. " Be holy because I am Holy" and " Be so perfect as your Heavenly Father is" these are the signs of an authentic, spiritual path of universal life.

Read more here: » Laya Yoga: The Essence Of AllReligion - Laya Yoga

Sarvangasana, the Sanskrit name for the Shoulderstand, comes from the word "sarva", meaning whole. This Asana strengthens your entire body; it gives many of the benefits of the Headstand, but here the circulation is directed to your thyroid gland instead of the head.

Read more here: » Yoga Positions: The Shoulderstand - Yoga Position

Definition of The Peacock Pose (Mayurasana): Balancing with your body parallel to the ground.

Read more here: » Yoga Poses: The Peacock Pose - Yoga Position

Definition of the Locust yoga position (Shalabhasana): Lying face down with lifted legs.

Read more here: » Yoga Positions: The Locust - Yoga Position

Does the recent interest exhibited in non-fiction titles such as The Soul of Business, A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America, The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace, The Three-Minute Meditation etc in the US point to the possible evolution of the "enlightened corporate sector"?

Do Indian managers, born in a land that has offered "yoga and meditation" to the world corporate sector (to overcome stress), have the "first-mover advantage"? These are the questions that should interest "enlightened" managers in "progressive" Indian corporations.

(See also: Spirituality at workplace, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Sahaja Yoga: The Living Tradition of Sahaj Marg

The Raja Yoga system known as "Sahaj Marg" is still relatively obscure in the West, even among Yoga aficionados. This is largely due to the fact that Sahaj Marg has been a low-key, word-of-mouth practice. Works by the lineage of Sahaj Marg Masters, published under the auspices of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM), are difficult to locate, and beyond the abhyasis or practitioners of Sahaj Marg, few are aware that SRCM centers have been established worldwide since the Mission was founded in India fifty years ago.

Read more here: » Sahaja Yoga: The Living Tradition of Sahaj Marg

Ayurveda: The science of Ayurveda, like the science of Yoga, was inspired and developed by the great masters and seers of ancient India. The origin of Ayurveda and Yoga are common to play a highly complimentary role in spiritual evolution and the maintenance of physical well-being and vitality. Ayurveda is, perhaps, the oldest science of life, a system of diet, healing and health maintenance that is deeply spiritual in origin.

Read more here: » Ayurveda – an introduction - II

Prana - Secrets of the Five Pranas

To change something we must alter the energy which creates it. This fact is true in the practice of Yoga. To bring about positive changes in body and mind we must understand the energy through which they work. This is called Prana in Sanskrit, meaning primary energy. It is sometimes translated as breath or vital force, though it is more than these.

Read more here: » Prana: Secrets of the Five Pranas

We live in a world of opposites where gain and loss, good and bad, pleasure and pain, life and death are as inevitable as the two sides of a coin. Yet, there is an underlying unity between the two contrasts.

One of the principal polarities in life is the one between the male and female side of human nature. The sublime union between these two aspects is symbolised by Lord Siva's depiction as a dynamic unification of the two, as the half-male, half-female Ardhanareeshwar.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Addictions are not formed overnight. An addiction connotes a mental habit of becoming attached to something on which you have become dependent. We commonly think of drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee etc. to be objects of addiction.

However, a habit can be as addictive; be it playing cards, sex, watching TV, gossiping, or anything else that you cannot help but do. If for some reason you are unable to indulge in the habit or activity to which you are addicted, it leads to tremendous discomfort, frustration, anger, or even unbearable physical pain (as in drug addiction).

(See also: Affirmations, Affirmations, Practising Affirmations, Life Transforming Affirmations, Essence of Affirmations, Faith and Belief, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Body Mind and Soul)

The word riyaz has its origins in r iyazat, which implies ibadat, bandagi, bhakti or devotion. If riyaz is performed with a spirit of devotion, the exercise becomes ibadat. But while r iyaz is rather mechanically equated with practice or exercise, the all-important difference is one of spirit. Riyaz is to achieve that which has not been achieved so far. For that, the student has to struggle with faith.

In the initial stages one might be less than sure whether one is correct in what one is doing. But that is the struggle! In the absence of faith, one's riyaz will be filled with doubt. Faith is of great importance in r iyaz . Practice with a doubt-ridden mind will achieve little.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Ayurveda - the way life could be, should be!

Imagine a culture thousands of years ago, a great civilisation known as Indus. So advanced was the culture, that they had superior architecture, engineering, education and commerce. Above all, it was a spiritual place where all living creatures were respected and the vulnerable were protected, even the animals.

He who regards kindness to humanity as the supreme religion and treats his patients accordingly, succeeds best in achieving the aims of life and obtains the greatest happiness.

Read more here: » Ayurveda: Ayurveda - the way life could be, should be!

Karma Yoga Lesson I

What the West thinks of Eastern Yogi methods; History of Karma Yoga Buddhist and Jain views thereof; Their Law of Karma The Hindu view and caste system; "In the beginning was the Deed"; Free will and Predestination; The doubter dissected; The Power and Nature of Faith; Mantra.

Read more here: » Karma Yoga: Karma Yoga - Lesson I (of XI )

On his release from prison, the great Nelson Mandela said: "Together we live in a global neighbourhood and it is not to the long-term benefit of any if there are islands of wealth in a sea of poverty. We need a globalisation of responsibility as well.

Above all that is the challenge of the new century." Mandela was absolutely right. The evolution of technology down the linear, reductionist path, which defines only that which is physically quantifiable, has jeopardised our eco-system, if not human civilisation.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Does an enlightened individual need to remain caged in the body? Why not get liberated from the physical? For seven days, the Buddha grappled with this dilemma. In the end, he decided that there was nothing personal about enlightenment - the knowledge should be shared with all for the benefit of humankind. He spent the next 50 years doing just that and all those who listened to him benefited greatly.

It is necessary for all of us to discover truth but once we find it, it should be shared freely with others. This will not only provide more insight, but also foster peace and happiness. The desire to share our discoveries with the world is normally fuelled by greed for either fame or money. Very few are selfless enough to share their discoveries freely for common benefit.

(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The Vedic concept of Saraswati was three-fold: First, she is like the sacred river which gave birth to the Aryan civilisation. Second, she was vak or speech personified, as expressed in the Rig Veda’s Vak Sukta . 'Speech’ basically refers to the sacred-word or the Vedas themselves.

The third and most important aspect is Saraswati’s identification with Gayatri, although the Gayatri mantra is worship of the Sun-god, Suryanarayana. The Sun-god symbolises three female deities: Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati, to be invoked in the morning, noon and evening respectively.

(See also: Saraswati, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

It is now fashionable to ask: Why do we say "falling" in love and not "rising" in love? We "fall" in love because to love implies total surrender. Unless we surrender our ego to the object of our love, we cannot realise the power and expanse of love.

There are two basic emotions which drive this world: love and hate. All relationships are affected in some way or other by these, and so they can either help sustain or destroy the universe in which we interact with one another and the environment.

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

It is believed that the entire creation was manifested with the sound of Om, the Nada Brahman. Om is a combination of So and Ham. This sound vibrates every moment of our life till there is life in our body, till life continues to flow through the Kundalini.

When the sound travels through the various bodies it gets refined and the vibration ultimately merges in Om. It is constantly chanted within us and is thus called the highest mantra, the Mantra Maheshwara. Ham beejam, says the Guru Gita, which means the sound of Ham is the seed of the entire consciousness which pervades us.

(See also: Life and Death, Life and Beyond, Death and Dying, Body Mind and Soul)

Everyday during Ramzan, for one lunar month from sunrise to sunset, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking.

Why do Muslims undertake to fast during Ramzan? The common answer is that the Qur'an ordains it: ''O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self- restraint (2:183). Socially and personally, fasting has great relevance.''

(See also: Ramzan, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)