In today’s rushed world with its many stresses and challenges, meditation becomes a powerful tool of coping.

To say that our lives are rushed and stressful will be stating the obvious. As our ambitions grow, so will life’s trials and tribulations. The question then becomes not of how to slow-things down but of how to deal with the challenges that life throws at us. And time and again, meditation has proven to be a powerful tool in reining in the daily drama.

Meditation – The awareness of ‘Now’

Meditation is the art of bringing your mind to a state of ‘stillness’ or ‘emptiness’ – free of all thoughts, emotions, events to just experiencing the ‘now’ moment.

(more…)

Michael Fischman is a former advertising executive and former president of the U.S. Art of Living Foundation. Beginning life as the son of an Orthodox Jewish Holocaust survivor in New York, as an adult, he gave up a successful career as a Madison Avenue advertising executive, and, through an unlikely turn of events, ended up as friend and helper to spiritual leader and humanitarian Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Fischman tells his story in his multi-award-winning memoir, “Stumbling Into Infinity: An Ordinary Man in the Sphere of Enlightenment,” now being released in India. He talks with us the joys of meditation, and the gift of writing.

1.Tell us about your personal meditation journey?

I started to meditate when I was 26 years old. It was a rough patch in my life, and many of the social activities I was involved with at that time I have completely abandoned. I was living a very different lifestyle. A friend told me about meditation and it seemed to make sense. I gravitated to it very quickly. In 1988, after practicing for about a dozen years, I came to the Art of Living. It was a quantum leap forward in my practice. As opposed to spending a lot of time with a chattering mind in the first half of my meditation, the meditations were profoundly different. I would start my meditation in silence, and that was extremely valuable.

(more…)

A meditation teacher passionate about women projects, the chairperson of International Women’s Conference, a gifted singer and the sister of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar – Bhanumathi Narasimhan is a versatile lady wearing many hats, effortlessly. Here, she speaks about how meditation can help women at work.

Q1. Most Indian women are conditioned to give their 100 percent both at home and at work, and this pressure sometimes creates a feeling of guilt in them. How does meditation help strike a balance between personal and work life, especially for married working women?

When you realize that you are multi-faceted, multi-dimensional, you can multi-task. When you realize your capacity to multi-task, that is when the guilt goes; and how to recognize this? When you are in a calm and serene state of mind, which is achieved through meditation.

(more…)

Sore eyes, out of the bed look, a stack of rough notes, sample test papers, and fresh stationary these describe the student gearing up for the exams. The litmus test is on with exams around the corner. Students are barred from watching TV, mobile phones confiscated and friends are not entertained. For a reason friends are now looked as enemies. There is so much to do and so little time we see the student of the year – crumbling under pressure.

The stage is set for a bigger one tomorrow. Here we bring you the advantages of yoga and meditation and how they can help your kid to shine on.

During preparation time:

1. Work hard and sleep well. Without physical and mental rest, memory and concentration are not strong. Wake up with the sunrise, and doing some light yoga exercises like surya namaskar followed by simple breathing exercises (eg. Nadi Shodhan Pranayama). 12 quick rounds of Surya Namaskar can be good work out . It’s a complete body workout which leaves one fresh and energetic. Head bending poses: All forward bending yoga poses or yoga asanas flows more blood to the head region and along with long deep breathe which increases the amount of oxygen in the blood can result in more relaxed, sharp and focused mind.

(more…)

Brown University scientists have shed light on why does training in mindfulness meditation help patients manage chronic pain and depression.

In a newly published neurophysiological review, the scientists have proposed that mindfulness practitioners gain enhanced control over sensory cortical alpha rhythms that help regulate how the brain processes and filters sensations, including pain, and memories such as depressive cognitions.

The proposal, based on published experimental results and a validated computer simulation of neural networks, derives its mechanistic framework from the intimate connection in mindfulness between mind and body, since standardized mindfulness meditation training begins with a highly localized focus on body and breath sensations.

This repeated localized sensory focus, the scientists said, enhances control over localized alpha rhythms in the primary somatosensory cortex where sensations from different body are “mapped” by the brain.

(more…)

People suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and asthma — in which psychological stress plays a major role — may benefit from mindfulness meditation techniques, researchers say.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction, originally designed for patients with chronic pain, consists of continuously focusing attention on the breath, bodily sensations and mental content while seated, walking or practicing yoga.

While interest in meditation as a means of reducing stress has grown over the years, there has been little evidence to support benefits specific to mindfulness meditation practice.

This was the first study designed to control for other therapeutic mechanisms, such as supportive social interaction, expert instruction, or learning new skills.

(more…)

In Sanskrit, the daily routine is called as Dinacharya. ‘Din’ means ‘day’ and ‘acharya’ means ‘to follow’ or ‘close to’. So, Dinacharya is an ideal daily schedule taking into account the nature’s cycle. In Ayurveda, the focus is levied on the early hours of the day as it is instrumental in setting the tone of your day.

Ayurveda believes that routine is a discipline for the body and mind which strengthens immunity and purifies the body of its wastes. With the help of simple healthy routines, one can clean the body and mind, balance doshas, strengthen immunity and start the day on a refreshing and rejuvenating note.

The following simple routine in the morning will help you start the day on a blissful note. Here is your guide to a refreshing morning.

Brahma mahurata

(more…)

The more you meditate, the more you radiate

“Beauty is an inner phenomenon. Beauty is not in objects, not in people, not even in the eyes of the beholder. It lies in the heart of every person,” says Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and this beauty in the heart reflects so naturally as radiance and a glow on the person’s face.

Beauty goes farther than being just skin deep. Yet, our skin is one of the most visible expressions of this beauty.

We are made up of both matter and spirit. This means that our skin, beyond being the visible outer layer, is full of life and activity! It is an organ like any other part of our body and needs to be kept healthy and nourished. Most beauty treatments that are available today address the physical needs but do not reveal the secrets of how you can make each cell of your skin glow from within and pulsate with energy and radiance.

(more…)

Pregnancy is one of the most beautiful experiences gifted to a woman. Yet this nine-month journey brings with it a variety of changes and emotions to juggle with. Yoga can help you cope with this journey, making it smooth and enjoyable!

As is evident in the case of Meghana Bragta, yoga enthusiast and first-time mother, as a would-be-mother she was better able to accept the changes during the nine months. She shares, ”Meditation helped me a lot, especially in the last trimester. It helped me accept my body and all the changes happening. Nadi Shodhan Pranayama (Alternate Nostril Breathing) helped me relax and handle anxiety. I would practice Butterfly Pose and in the latter half of the pregnancy, when my feet would swell due to water retention, I practiced some yoga postures lying on my back.”

(more…)

There are two kinds of people in this world. One, for whom traveling is a passion and a lot of fun. Exploring new places, tasting different foods, discovering new cultures – they are simply smitten by the travel bug!

And then there’s another category of people who start making a long face at the mere mention of the word ‘travel’. They have had too much of it and they can’t seem to enjoy it anymore! For these people, travelling itself is a bug.

The good news is – We have a tool, simple and handy, to fix this bug.

Jet Lag
The first and the most common after-effect of long hours of travel. Change in time zones disturbs sleep patterns and the entire body cycle gets affected. But that’s not all. With the body not feeling great, the mind is unable to function effectively. If you are on a business tour, jet lag can be particularly problematic as it can affect productivity and efficiency at work.

(more…)