CHAKRAS: Energy centers of your body

Italy did not only give the world pastas and pizzas. It was home to one of the most underrated yet important scientist in the world. Luigi Galvani may not be as popular as others in the established cannon of science but is no way less important. He discovered one of the most rudimentary forms of forces governing the system of every living being on the face of the earth. He observed that the legs of the dead frog twitched when a jolt of electricity passed through them establishing the importance of electricity in the biological world.

Today we all know that our brain sends signals all across our bodies helping to keep things running smoothly. Everything is governed in this world by active, passive or incipient energy.  From a dormant seed lying buried in its wintry bed that later becomes a towering spectacle to the severed tail of a lizard that flickers even after separation everything in this world possesses energy. The best example of a receptacle of various forms of energies is the Human body. We possess different forms of energies stored at different places in our bodies. The Indian Vedas (a set of 4 books dealing with everything human, from music to breathing to even effectively invoking and appeasing gods) term these energy centers as “CHAKRAS”. For those who do not understand the language of the Vedas, Chakras in the easiest terms could refer to the Channels or centers through which energy is dissipated and absorbed in our bodies. Every chakra is very critically positioned as it handles a set of extremely important functions in the body. Following is a list of Chakras in the body from bottom to top:

 

Muladhara — Base or Root Chakra (last bone in spinal cord)
Swadhisthana — Sacral Chakra (ovaries/prostate)
Manipura — Solar Plexus Chakra (navel area)
Anahata — Heart Chakra (heart area)
Vishuddha — Throat Chakra (throat and neck area)
Ajna — Brow or Third Eye Chakra (pineal gland or third eye)
Sahasrara — Crown Chakra (Top of the head; ‘Soft spot’ of a newborn)

 

 

On one hand conventional science does not consider these chakras as a part of its empirical framework and on the other doesn’t define the force that guides our emotional and spiritual sides into the world of stress and serenity. All the chakras are represented by a lotus flower with increasing number of petals in ascending order signifying the frequency at which the respective chakra functions. Hinduism’s deep rooted faith in yoga and its adjunct practices lead to the development of a theory that postulates that the human body is a microcosm of the universe and possesses two forms of energies namely Shiva i.e. the masculine and Shakti i.e. the feminine lying dormant at two different centers of the body. The ultimate goal of all Hindus is to attain or rather try and attain a unity or harmony between the two aforementioned energies. Therefore many yogic practices try and unlock the potential energy in the Shakti or “Kundalini” which lies in the last bone of the spine to move up across all the Chakras creating harmony on its way to achieving complete oneness and harmony with Shiva. The Chakras are a very sensitive and can lose balance at the least amount of stress that one endures. With modern day lifestyles wreaking havoc on our lives we seem to have no time to keep ourselves stress free. It is not possible to find solace either mentally or physically. What therefore becomes important to understand is that every Chakra works at a certain frequency or vibration rate. All clogged Chakras can be restores to full working potential by being a little vigilant. Following are some ways to open up blocked chakras thus promoting free flow of good energy in ones body:

 

 

 

 

1. Controlled breathing

2. Color therapy

3. Yoga

4. Reiki

5. Music therapy (read our article “The magic of Music“)

6. Aromatherapy

7. Reflexology 

UNDERSTANDING YOGA: Part 01

What makes us different from other species that exist in parallel to us is that we possess the ability to answer questions related to us and our surroundings. But this intelligence has somehow stopped us from thinking that to get the right answers, the right questions need to be asked. Today many people can answer how yoga is beneficial for the body. But interestingly most of cannot answer what yoga truly is. Ok! Lets us begin with a small set of questions:

1. Where did yoga come from?
2. What is the meaning of the word yoga?
3. Which is the text that deals with the earliest elements of yoga?
4. Which language is the text written in?
5. How old do you think is yoga as a practice?

The Magic of Music

Working in the office trying to complete a presentation on time, when you hear Andrea Bocelli’s “Besame Mucho” you feel relaxed. Much in the same manner Mark Knopfler holding his guitar singing his magnum opus song “Sultans of swing” stirs the repressed desires of becoming rockers when in college. Such is the power of music. It can take you back to the good old school days and can even take you ten years ahead into the future.

Music has been with us since our inception. Whether the birds around us or the waves crashing into the rocks, the almighty has made sure that we are constantly surrounded by music in one form or the other. But just for the record one of the earliest known forms of music that we developed rationally was deeply ingrained in Indian culture and religion. The practice of appeasing gods by chanting hymns and couplets is an ancient tradition. Simply chanting the word “OM” is a deeply ingrained practice of every Indian household. The Vedas, which were and still are the most revered sources to study Indian cultural practices prescribe a certain way to sing and chant different hymns or Mantras as they call it depending on the beats of the heart and other bodily processes. Such has been the success of these stipulations that even after many thousand years of their inception countries like Germany and Singapore are carrying out detailed researches trying to garner more information about the depth of music and its powers.

Music has the power to relax, heal and unite. Talking about its therapeutic powers music is now being used to:

1. Treat patients of acute depression and other neurological problems.
2. Music has also shown its powers by wielding its healing powers over Alzheimer’s patients.
3. Many nursing mothers are adopting a new habit of making their newly born and in some cases even unborn kids listen to soothing music.
4. Music has also shown to have restored movements in many paralytic patients across the globe

Some western instauration refuses to give any credibility to the efficacy to this magical form. Despite 15% of the American hospitals using music therapy as an integral part of their treatment procedures the other institutions are not ready to include this therapy in corpus of conventional medicine.

Music comes with its own body of scientific thought. Many scientists cum musicians believe that the sound and songs that we feel connected to are the ones which address and redress our emotions and issues respectively. But how does music manage to do the aforementioned task? Well it is presently conjectured that when a vibration of music resonates inside our body and matches the frequencies of our bodily processes like the heart beat or the blood flow, we feel that connection. Therefore to say that music is just a conjunction of sweet sounds is an extremely inharmonious (irony intended!) view towards the art. Although we do not wish to preach or indoctrinate non musical minds we just wish to give their parched brains a taste of the musical elixir. So do not remain impervious to the darts of music, because music is not just a blessing, its a bliss!!

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo  credits: notorious d.a.v. ( www.flickr.com)

SMILE: To Set Yourself Free

The family lines up; the photographer makes some changes to the lineup and then says “SMILE”. Everybody in the family show their glistening white pearls and then comes the sound of the shutter “click” and the moment is captured forever. Even after many years that photograph possesses the magic to usher smiles on the faces of the people looking at it. All the things in this world are transient. But what lasts are memories and the good memories always stay locked in some hidden corner of our hearts waiting to unleash a rapturous enchantment upon us in times of dejection.

We succumb to the forces of nature and end up in the heap of dust from which we were made. But we leave a part of ourselves here on earth.  So why not leave something lovely? A smile is the perfect solution to all the problems in life. Just imagine when a mother is exhausted because her baby is bubbling food out and the baby smiles, the mother forget all the messy misery and smiles with the baby. Just imagine when a nervous bride receives a comforting smile from her father at the altar, she warms up for a long life ahead. In the nutshell a smile is like a warm ray emitted from a heat source that reaches a cold and frail person.

Smiling is the key to emotional elevation which can be indirectly involved in improving physical health as well. But since we are surrounded by so many worries i.e. from worrying about increasing fuel prices to feeling blue due to a lost credit card, the art of smiling has somewhat evaporated from our lives. Here are a few ways we can add a smiley twist to our smile deprived lives:

1. Smile when you are angry: it is best to allow a mild smile to overpower the harshness of anger. So smile when you are angry, say 1, 2, 3 eeeeeeeee!!!!(Yes that’s how u should smile; all out!!)
2. Celebrate a “smiley” day: this one is for the over organized management freaks who write down everything in their event planner. Put down date in your planner and celebrate it as the smiley day. Make sure to smile during the entire day and spread the message as well.
3. Gift smiles: on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries gift each other smiles. A creative way to do it would be to actually wear funny masks to the occasion and shout smile whenever u fell the need to do it.
4. Take it to the next level: if you are already bored of smiling subtly then take it to the next level by getting rid of all inhibitions and laughing your heart loud. It lowers blood pressure and gives your facial muscles a free workout as well!!

What is most interesting to note is the weight of science that can be associated with smiling. We spend hundreds of dollars on expensive beauty treatments and despite that search for the ultimate glow. Do we ever look inside ourselves for that glow? Do we explore the recesses of our mind and heart? Or to put it in simple terms, do we smile? What is the science behind a smile?

1. Smiling actually helps release endorphins in our body which in everyday language can be called the “feel good hormones”.
2. It also improves the efficiency of the heart and lowers cortisol levels of the body which in turn reduce stress.
3. Smiling can also intensify our happiness and change our perspective. Try laughing a bit before you actually read a joke and see the difference!!

It doesn’t matter if it’s a phony smile or a genuine smile or an innocent smile. A smile is just a smile. So you should always remember. To smile is to be happy; to smile is to love and most importantly to smile is to live. Keep smiling because live is not just to exist but to LIVE!!

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo  credits: Mallu2007 ( www.flickr.com)

Eat together to stay together

Who knew that tandoori chicken would fly half way across the globe to become the most arbitrarily chosen dish in United Kingdom? Who knew that Ronald McDonald would be happily selling hamburgers on a crowded street in India? Whether it is KFC or Indian chicken curry, food is one thing that has the power to disintegrate the social cultural and geographical walls, only to make the world seem smaller and tastier of course.

Today our dining tables have become demi cultural centers exhibiting delicacies spanning across a vast geographical extent. But why does food become such an important aspect of one’s identity? It’s simple. Just like Europeans were born with cheese and their eating culture testifies the same, Indians who were born with various spices carry the aroma of the same spices wherever they take their food. The potency of food lies not in the taste but in the process of its consumption. There is nothing better than sitting on a dining table sharing food and thoughts at the same time. The contemporary life wreaking havoc on our daily schedules leaves us no time for sitting and savoring the culinary abilities of our loved ones. What is important is to try and make eating lunch, dinner or even sipping tea a well connected affair. By eating together one does not only fill the “growling” tummy but also nurtures the mind to understand and re-connect with other people. Have we ever thought, why did daddy ask you to eat at the dining table rather than munching away to glory sitting lazily on your couch? Because he wanted to see you and ask you about your math test gone wrong or your first football match. In the nutshell he wanted to spend time with you. Thus it was the dining table which helped you both come and operate at the same plain. Food thus assumed a very important role for you and your family to come together. But today eating food has become just like a stop that you make in an unending journey to re fuel your car. You do not pay attention to what you and when you eat because there is just a minute left for the lunch break to get over. Eating slowly has lots of advantages. Many studies carried out by nutritionists around the world suggest that eating slowly helps in the following ways:

1. Lose weight:  it is said that our brain takes 20 minutes to register the point when we are actually full. So eating very fast doesn’t necessarily fill us up quicker. On the contrary it does not allow the brain to register the point where we are full thus making us overeat. But by eating slowly we give the brain enough time to tell the body that it doesn’t need more. One can lose close to 20 pounds or more a year, just by eating slowly.
2. Better digestion: by chewing our food at a slower rate we allow our food to be digested in a better way, thus reducing our tummy labor making it feel nice and light.
3. Better absorption: the food chewed well and digested slowly is absorbed in a better way and contributes towards the development of the body.
4. Inhibits appetite: if food is digested well it gives us more energy. On the flipside food not chewed and digested well passes through the body and finally exits it without any advantages leaving us feeling hungry and unsatiated.

So make an effort to sit together for at least one meal a day, discuss the day, plan your vacations over the dining table and you will see the difference in yourself. You will feel happier, sharper and smarter. What is most essential is to understand that while eating together one does not only exchange bowls across the table but also exchanges values thoughts and ideas which are the most important ingredients for a tastier life. When you eat together and smile together, you grow together. The bonds of love mature more over the dining table than any other place. So next time your mother, father, husband or wife calls you to the table to share a snack, forget about the all important Manchester united game or the new episode of desperate housewives and pounce on the opportunity to share food and share time. We take so much pain to earn our bread and butter. It is time to start enjoying it!!

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: tuis on flickr.

ACUPUNCTURE: Magical Needles

Just like an innocent handkerchief, which is otherwise a symbol of domesticity, became the harbinger of doom for Shakespeare’s Othello, a needle plays many different roles in our lives today. It is every homemaker’s weapon of mass construction and every tattoo artist’s brush. A baby cries at the sight of the needle when he goes for his first injections, but the same baby takes immense pleasure in popping big balloons using the same needle on his birthday.

Therefore the word “needle”, as the name suggests is one of the most “needed” (pun intended) article at home. The best example of the importance of needles can be easily seen in the ancient traditional practice of acupuncture.

The word acupuncture is formed by combining two Latin terms namely “acus” meaning needles and “punctura” meaning insertion or penetration. Just like many other alternative therapies like ayurveda and yoga, acupuncture is a reminder of the vast knowledge of the east. China, where this practice originated is as prominent on the world map as USA or any other country for that matter. In ancient China the human body was considered to be formed of channels through which energy could be absorbed and liberated. The key to understanding the dynamics behind the process of acupuncture is the concept of yin and yang. According to the Chinese the human body had two types of energies flowing through it namely the “yan” which is the positive energy flowing in the body and the “Yin” which is its systematic counterpart. Acupuncture aims to restore the balance between the respective energies and helps the body get rid of many problems like asthma, cholesterol and even infertility.

The Chinese also believed that the human body had certain points which corresponded with their astronomical readings. Although there are no structured researches which prove the existence of these acupuncture points but the contrary has also not been proven. But what has been proven is that acupuncture affects many other parts and processes of the body. It affects the lymph nodes, cholesterol and sugar levels along with triglyceride. By applying pressure to certain points on the body acupuncture helps in strengthening and balancing the vital energy of the body making it one of the most loved of all the alternate medicine practices. The last decade has seen the renaissance of this practice. People are not only resorting to this practice in their efforts to adopt a drug free life but are taking their pets to the practitioners of this ancient art. Even after 5000 thousand years of its birth acupuncture has not received many changes. The modern form of acupuncture still utilizes the same 649 pressure points that have been systematically listed by the members of the Tisn dynasty (618-917 A.D). It’s just that needles of sticks and stones have been replaced by sterilized titanium and in some cases even gold and silver.

In the last decade acupuncture has developed as a practice that can be used for the following purposes:

1. To alleviate pain
2. To reduce weight
3. To treat asthma
4. To treat infertility
5. To quit smoking
6. For facial rejuvenation
7. To prevent back pain
8. To help arthritis patients
9. To strengthen the immune system
10. To calm the nervous system

This traditional Chinese medicine is becoming so popular these days that many insurance companies around the world are covering acupuncture procedures in their policies. Maybe next time before you take a pain killer, explore the alternative way to ease the pain and reap the benefits of the age old Chinese tradition.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: ggvic on flickr.