mind

Prana is, quite simply, life. It is the life force, nourishing body, mind and soul both literally and figuratively. Prana flows within the body by way of breath (the element of air), but also enters the body by the other four elements: earth, water, fire and the ether. The ether, or space, is the element of the soul. It is the element we aim to embody during meditation, as we move inward to find space. Prana is essential to accessing this endless space, and so we prepare for the process of locating space by practicing pranayama.

Learning to Silence the Mind: Wellness through Meditation

Osho

I found this book to be particularly engaging. The writer tends to be offensive at times but overall I love the variety of ideas and the new awareness. The anecdotes he has used will give you a timely dosage of titillation throughout the book.

This book provides information on:

Self-transcendence has always been an essential aspect of spiritual practice. One could perhaps say this self-transcendence is the very core of all spiritual endeavors, whether they be religious, philosophical, empirical, or otherwise.  We fundamentally seek to transcend the ego, to move beyond all internalized limitations, though the true essence of this venture has perhaps been greatly lost in the world today.

Let’s discuss the meaning of this. To understand the workings of the ego is to move towards higher knowledge.

Have you ever wondered how to embody a better way of living? Instead of simply reacting to whatever the universe dishes out—reincarnate your modus operandi with four timeless traits and experience the immeasurable benefits.

Imagine your entire body wrapped in a fibrous suit, designed essentially to hold all the parts of you together. Its elasticity allows for the capacity to expand and contract, to be both flexible and strong. This incredible, all encompassing band of connective tissues is known as the fascia. It lies beneath your skin, connecting and encircling all of the bones, muscles and internal organs of the body.

The question of the connection between mental and physical health has been asked repetitively for centuries, and it has only been in the last several decades that Western medicine has caught up to holistic practices and began to acknowledge an interdependent relationship between the two. Mental and emotional patterns create biochemical pathways in the body, and it follows that just as the mind affects the body, so too the body can affect the mind.

Maybe you’ve heard yoga is great for your body, mind, and spirit, but you can’t get into it. Maybe you’ve been doing yoga for years, but you don’t feel as connected to your practice as you used to.

Some of us commit to a particular yoga style and never look back, but if you’re still looking for that perfect asana practice, or you want to mix things up in your current practice, you might find the remedy through the discovery of your dosha.

I dearly love the British-English term “ablutions,” which refers to washing yourself, brushing your teeth and other personal grooming habits to get ready for the day. Unfortunately, we may sometimes give ablutions for mental hygiene the short shrift.

Earlier this week, I sat in a sangha among a roomful of spiritual seekers, gathered together in pursuit of a shared goal to reset the self.  Prior to coming, we were given the task to cut physical clutter from our lives. A few folks shared their experiences: various items of stagnant energy ushered into the forsaken trash - the ex’s toothbrush, the taunting pack of cigarettes, the size 4 pants that paraded in the past - or my personal favorite “an ex-boyfriend’s comforter he got from an ex-girlfriend”… folks were purging it all.