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Ego Desire Or Self Realization?
November 18, 2008 by Alison Miller · Leave a Comment
“Begin with the end in mind.” “Create the life you desire.” “If you believe it you will see it.” These popular new age aphorisms are, indeed, powerful. Popularized by new age films “What the Bleep Do We Know” and “The Secret” it seems many have tried applying these principles or, at the very least, have heard about them. These “new age” concepts applied to create modern day conveniences, situations and material gain are best utilized in partnership with yoga yamas and niyamas (ethical and personal observances).
For instance if you are focused on manifesting a specific job, relationship or lifestyle, check the origin of your desire, see if it is aligned with the ethical foundations of yoga. Or notice if it is simply the ego striving for attention or accomplishment. The great Indian saint, AMMA, tells a story where two men are sitting at a bus stop. The first man is holding his head in his hands crying, while the second man is banging his hands against his head. The passerby asks the first man why he is crying. He says, “Lily, my dear sweet Lily, I have lost her. She has left me for another man.” How horrible the passerby thinks. Next, the passerby asks the second man why he is distraught. He says “Lily, Lily, Lily, I have married a woman who drives me crazy.” At first the passerby is confused. And then, as he has walked away, begins to laugh. The two men are crying over the same woman. The irony shows us that often times the things we think we want are the same things, which will also cause us to go “mad”. When the ego is leading our lives we may find ourselves in this situation often. This story is the inspiration to focus us to go beyond the desires of the material plane and go deeper into focus of realizing the Self. The Self who needs nothing yet has everything. It is not seeking its happiness through something outside itself.
How do we begin to make this shift in our modern day lives? How do we shift from ego driven manifestation to authentic Self-Realization? How do we become aware of the ego, too often in charge, and relegate it to its proper place? How do we invite the Self into a place of leadership and have the courage to trust the Self to guide us? Going back to the place we once began – begin with the end in mind. However, now when you begin with the end in mind, rather than seeing a specific person, place or situation you desire to manifest feel yourself manifesting the ability to surrender to the wisdom of the Higher Self. Typical yoga asana classes close practice with the posture called Savasanna, translated to mean corpse. The translation is not referring to the actual aftermath of the human body once the spirit has left. But, rather referencing the active process of dying to that, which does not serve our highest good. It is the ability to step through the doorway of limitation towards liberation by literally dying to that which does not serve us. Alan Jones, noted for his work with death and dying, eloquently shares “In my tradition we try to practice dying ever day so we may be fully alive. What I understand of my prayer life is to place myself on the threshold of death to participate in my dying so that I may live each day and each moment as a gift – what I cultivate is a grateful heart, each moment then becomes a new thing my gratitude comes from the sheer gift of life itself. Who you are cannot be limited to what’s happening to you just now. You are part of a love story, you are desired, and longed for, there are thousands of witness’s before you that claim you are held in the arms of love.” Apply these words to your daily practice of manifestation. You are loved. You already belong. You are infinite. If you already knew this to be true would you still want the things you want?
Begin with self-reflection. Start simple. The things, which you would most like to manifest, ask yourself – are they aligned with yoga principles? Notice times in the past when you have received things you have wished for have you maintained your original level of enthusiasm once you have obtained them, or have you simply begun to desire the next thing? Once you have obtained your desire did you feel happier or more content? Begin to practice being grateful for what you have, even if it feels like your pretending in the beginning. Imagine just what you have is what you want. This is the practice that cultivates the grateful heart. Dying to the need that some thing in the future will bring happiness. Feeling the present moment is exactly as it is meant to be. Often times death may look like a recommitment to your life–to living and choosing what is essential for ever-increasing experiences of appreciation and joy. Start here.
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreSeparation Of Spirit & Body
November 17, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · 1 Comment
In its true nature, the body is the manifest aspect of spirit*, and capable of existing in far less density and limitation than we experience it. The body is only limited by what it is ‘holding’. The body holds the subconscious, which holds all the places of karmic separation. This fractured nature of the soul** creates the internally fractured state of egoic personality.
The body then is holding these karmic experiences of separation, including those which have the lowest and slowest vibrational frequencies, our deepest pains and fears. As a result the body’s own frequency is slowed to their level – hence the body’s density and limitation. Because the body holds these places of limitation, it is mistakenly seen as the cause of the limitations rather than simply what is holding them. Spirit is at the other end of the polarity, holding the highest and fastest frequencies where we can experience expansive states of consciousness.
Whole spiritual traditions, philosophies and practices are based on this illusory separation and its judgments of the body/world. We’ve seen the development of traditions where the body is to be disciplined, overcome by penance, controlled, transcended. Also monastic traditions where spiritual pursuit is separate from the world, separate from worldliness and all it’s ‘temptation’. This separation between spirit and body is so old that no written record exists of a time when it was not so. Separation between spirit and body – and how that has become manifest and interpreted through our entire culture – is the fundamental cause of why things have perpetuated to their current level of separation and disconnection. It is increasingly apparent that as human culture has become more and more materialistic we have become increasingly disconnected from the consequence is of how we do things. We have taken this so far now that we have begun to imperil life on the planet as we know it.
In the religious traditions that dominate our belief systems, we find this separation between the spiritual and the worldly, sacred and profane. There is judgment/denial of both the profane and of the body, which are viewed as illusory, unspiritual, even unclean. The body/world are seen as the means of our downfall and the cause of separation, needing to be transcended to attain the true nature, which is pure spirit. The other polarity is the profane/materia, which is viewed as the only dimension of our existence and spirit is denied.
In this fundamental misunderstanding of the nature of the body, it became seen as something that had to be overcome to attain liberation and freedom of spirit. Or seen as a transient existence in a random universe to be exploited for sensual pleasure. As a result of this separation, we have become disconnected from both body and spirit from each side of the polarity – and consequently from the planet that supports us.
Because many of the spiritual traditions reside inside this equation, they do not have the complete answers – they hold one polarity and reflect the separation. That is not to say there is not immense value in them and a huge body of knowledge from which we can draw, but we need to be clear as to what they can offer us and the areas where they are limited. In the past this transcendent model has been the primary spiritual evolutionary model. Liberation has been believed to be a progression of ascendance to higher planes of consciousness with the body/world being left behind. Using the chakra system, we can see this as ignoring what is held in the lower three chakras and only focusing on developing the upper four. Spiritual systems of strictly disciplined and dictated ways of life developed to facilitate spiritual development in the model of these misunderstandings. In the potpourri of today’s spiritual materialism there are innumerable distortions and interwievings of pieces from either side of the polarity. The great danger today is the DIY spirituality that is a pick and mix of beliefs that suits us at the time.
*(true nature – eternal, timeless immutable)
**(soul as the vehicle of spirit that carries karmas from life to life)
Managing Anger
November 17, 2008 by Maria · Leave a Comment
If you have a heart beat I am guessing you have felt anger. Anger is hard to deal with, it brings up a lot and often times leads to more sadness, blame and more anger. I invite you to try this on for a moment……………
Anger is a gift. If you are able to be angry and then step back and ask your self, ‘what are my unmet needs in this moment,’ you may find that the trigger for your anger is not truly the source of it.
Stimulus———-interpretation/judgment…………..=………anger
Please try
Stimulus————- "What are my unmet needs————-ex: Love, acceptance,hope,trust etc…
It is hard to be angry when your brain is busy naming the unmet needs.
By doing this exercises we take responsibility for our anger and learn to name needs and acquire a greater self connection.
Hopefully a quiet smile, a more empathic space for yourself and others will blossom.
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Meditation In Prison
November 15, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
I must admit to not having yet seen this movie in it’s entirety, but some years ago in Darhamasala I did see other documentary’s on vipassana taught in prisons, so i have a sense of how it will go. I just happened to stumble across this trailer and thought it worth sharing.
The Dhamma Brothers tells a dramatic tale of human potential and transformation as it closely follows and documents the stories of the prison inmates at Donaldson Correction Facility who enter into this intensive program.
Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence dwells a host of convicts who will never see the light of day. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an extended Vipassana retreat, an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days.
The book of the film is available here
Letters from the Dhamma Brothers: Meditation Behind Bars
20 Meditation Tips For Beginners
November 14, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · 8 Comments
Although a good number of people try meditation at some point in their lives, only a small percentage actually persist with it. This is unfortunate, as the benefits are enormous. One possible reason is that many beginners do not start with an appropriate mindset to make the practice sustainable.
The purpose of this article is to provide 20 practical recommendations to help beginners get past the initial hurdles and integrate meditation as an ongoing practice in their lives.
1: Make it a formal practice. Set aside a time in the day that is your meditation practice time.
2: Only meditate for as long as you are enjoying it. It is especially important in the beginning that meditation is not a chore.
3: Do yoga or stretch first. Firstly physical activity will draw your own awareness into the body and away from your mind. Also a practice like yoga loosens the muscles and tendons allowing you to sit more comfortably. Additionally, yoga opens the body not only at the physical level but also at subtle level, which facilitates movement of energy in the body.
4: Pick a specific location in your home to meditate. Ideally the place you choose will be somewhere that does not have much activity at other times. Two reasons for doing this are, the subconscious is conditioned by repetition, so by going to the same place at the same time each day to meditate, you will expect to meditate when you are there. The second reason is that when you meditate you begin to create a particular vibration in that spot. With time and meditation, the place will become increasingly attuned to this energy of meditation, again making it easier for you to meditate when you are there.
5: Make sure your meditation time is respected. If you live with others make sure that they understand that you are not to be disturbed while you are meditating. Equally for yourself make the same commitment, for example if your phone should ring, be aware of it and continue your meditation.
6: Create some representation of sacred space in your meditations spot. This should obviously be what is meaningful for you, maybe an actual altar with pictures and objects, or maybe just a special rug and your meditation cushion.
7: Use ritual if it helps you. This doesn’t have to be elaborate it could be as simple as lighting a candle, or a lighting incense. The repetition of a ritual before you meditate, is again conditioning preparation for your body and mind.
8: Commit for the long haul. When you begin with the clear idea in your mind that the greatest benefits from meditation will accumulate with time, and see it as an ongoing process, you are less likely to give up in frustration.
9: Meditate with understanding. Get clear in your mind exactly what you think meditation is and what it will be like before you start. Invariably everybody does have ideas and expectations like this, it is very helpful to make them conscious before you start. So write them down and see exactly what they are.
10: Be clear of your motivation to begin meditation. When you understand your reasons and objectives in beginning meditation you are more likely to find a practice or technique that will work for you at that time.
11: Begin with a particular practice that you have actively chosen and commit to doing it for a given time period. Many beginners are constantly jumping from one to type or technique of meditation to another. Your meditation practice is a relationship with yourself, it will not deepen if it consists of one night stands. This is not to say that the practice or technique you begin with is the one you stay with for the rest of your life, but a relationship is best left when you know exactly why it is that you are leaving, and not done simply on an impulse.
12: Educate yourself. Confusion and misunderstanding is the primarily caused by ignorance. Find a good teacher, or online community where you can get answers. Read some books on meditation and spiritual practice, and of course come back to www.lifedivine.net on a regular basis, or better yet sign up for our rss feed.
13: Notice if frustration starts to creep into your practice. If you notice this happening take some time to explore what is going on for you, what expectation is not being fulfilled. Then examine the expectation itself, what is it based on.
14: Be honest with yourself. As I said meditation is a relationship with yourself, you are the most important person you need to be straightforward with, and meditation is a key place to practice this.
15: Be prepared for some discomfort. It is normal in the beginning to experience some physical discomfort when sitting to meditate. Most people are not accustomed to sitting still, other than maybe slouched on a couch. Your body needs time to develop strength and openness in the right places to allow you to sit comfortably and alert. Sooner or later discomfort will also be experienced at the emotional and mental levels. If you are not consciously prepared for this it is likely to deter you from continuing.
16: Until you are well versed in your meditation practice it can be very beneficial to use a recording to guide you. This will help your mind to let go of concern about what you are doing, and the recording can act as a guide until you no longer need it. Better yet get the Living Liberation Home study Course and start of with a proven meditation teaching.
17: Start to look for moments of awareness during the day. Finding space to be consciously present during everyday activities is a wonderful way to evolve your meditation practice. Take advantage, of the time spent waiting in traffic, waiting in line, waiting for anything, to become present to yourself and what you are experiencing within yourself. Look for such opportunities in your day, however brief, simple as they are can radically change of experience of life.
18: Do it together. Meditating with a partner or group can have many wonderful benefits, and can improve your practice. When meditating with others many people say that it improves the quality of their meditation. However, it is necessary to make sure that you set agreed-upon ground rules before you begin.
19: Don’t stress about it. This may be the most important tip for beginners, and the hardest to implement. Many people in beginning meditation become anxious about whether they are doing it right or not, or whether something they experience should be happening or not. ‘Meditation is practice’, goes into more detail regarding this.
20: invest in a good, comfortable meditation cushion. If you need other things to allow your body to sit comfortably without strain, get them. If you set yourself up with the things that you need, you are removing a future potential pitfall to your practice.
Meditation is one of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself, like any lasting and meaningful relationship it takes energy and commitment, it takes understanding and tolerance. If you put these things in to your practice meditation will become your best friend, and powerful resource.
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Yoga Gains Respect Among Doctors
November 13, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
The ancient practice of yoga is finding a new following — among doctors and medical researchers who work to discover its benefits for a variety of illnesses.
Researchers at UNC Hospitals are studying yoga’s benefits for people with irritable bowel syndrome. Doctors at Duke University recently completed a study showing that yoga provided significant improvements with hot flashes, sleep and energy levels for postmenopausal women with early breast cancer.
And in Eastern North Carolina, an oncologist in Beaufort County sees improvement in his patients who take yoga classes.
"There’s been an explosion of data using yoga as a treatment option," said Dr. Shelley Wroth, an obstetrician at Duke Integrative Medicine and a yoga teacher. She said studies have found that yoga helps people suffering diseases such as hypertension, anxiety, arthritis, chronic back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, stress, depression, diabetes and epilepsy.
"It shows so much promise," Wroth said.
Read the whole article here
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out moreKundalini
November 11, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · 4 Comments
Some say that the ultimate purpose of yoga, is to facilitate the awakening of kundalini. From a certain viewpoint, this is true, and from other perspectives it is not. So what is kundalini and what is yoga’s relationship to it?
Vedic philosophy, in particular the school of Tantra, sees Kundalini as the link between the human body and cosmic Divine consciousness, responsible for creation. Kundalini is a potent seed of this force lying dormant at the base of the spinal column in every human body. According to Vedic and Tantric texts it is coiled around the base of the spinal column in three and a half spirals. Hence the ancient sages of India called it kundalini, the one coiled like a snake, and a snake has been symbolic of kundalini ever since. Kundalini is considered manifest aspect of the Divine – the Divine Mother – ‘Shakti’ (Power or Force). She is seen as the aspect of the Divine present in the manifestation and animation of the physical/material world.
The ancient Rishsi (seers) described an intricate network of 72,000 nadis, an energetic vein-like system spread throughout the human body, very much like the meridians of far Eastern systems. The three most important of these nadis spiral upwards from the base of the spinal column all the way to the crown of the head and the seventh yogic chakra called Sahasrahara. The middle pathway, considered the most important of all, is called Sushumana. The other two major nadis on either side of Sushmana are called Ida (the feminine/moon channel) and Pingala (the masculine/sun channel). The six yogic chakras,centers of consciousness, are located vertically above one another at specific intervals along Sushmana where Ida and Pingala cross Sushumna. This complete web of nadis and system of chakras exists, in a subtler dimension of our being. It remains unknown to science of today as it’s subtle form is undetectable to current technology.
When kundalini is awakened, it begins to rise through sushmana ultimately to reach sahasrahara, uniting with Param Shiva, the eternal unmanifest masculine aspect of the Divine. As it spirals upwards through sushmana, kundalini enters the network of nadis and ascending opens the chakras/cakras one by one as it rises.(NB:The chakras of the Indian yogic tradition do not correspond to the chakras as they have been understood and popularized in contemporary times – I will write a separate article on this subject)
It is here that we can see clearly the relationship between yoga and kundalini. As outlined through the eight limbs of yoga, yoga as a spiritual practice is a process of ‘purification’. This purification can be seen as preparation for the awakening and rising of kundalini. Essentially the more purification has been achieved, the faster and more easily kundalini will ascend .
There are many differing ways for the kundalini to awaken and rise. Probably the rarest is when the kundalini rises directly to the crown of the head ‘sahasrahra’. For such a rising of the kundalini to take place a great deal of ‘purification’ must already have taken place, as spiritual practice in the current or other lives. Unfortunately this is often how kundalini awakening is thought of, and without proper understanding seems highly desirable. More commonly the process takes many many years, and may not even complete in the same lifetime that the rising began. In such an instance the process will begin again and continue in another life, sometimes beginning as early as childhood.
Ideally a person has a well-established and integrated spiritual practice prior to, and initiating kundalini awakening and rising. Even more ideally they have the guidance and protection of a Sat Guru or perfect master. If not, my advice would be to find one, and satisfy yourself that they are indeed a fully liberated being. Each individual experiences this opening in a unique way and there are no set pathways. There are lots of common experiences, but each person moves into this awakening on a path of their own. Only a perfect master will be in a position to help guide someone with a kundalini rising.
The Kundalini force in rising, initiates irreversible spiritual purification as it moves through the subtle channels of the body. This cleansing process manifest in the body as yogic ‘Kriyas’. Kriyas are involuntary body movements that occur mostly during meditation or even relaxation. Swaying of the body, rapid movements of the head, twitching and jerking in the body and limbs, are typical of these ‘Kriyas’. Sometimes kriyas take the form of yoga asanas, with people performing them involunatrily . From the onlooker kriyas may appear strange or even alarming when we don’t understand what is happening within the person. For the person experiencing them they do not cause any bodily harm and can even lead to states of deep absorbtion. ‘Kundalini’, being an energy of Divine consciousness, is aware of what is the appropriate step in the process, making the practitioner perform ‘Kriyas’ that are specific to this end.
Often of greater challenge are the mental and emotional dimensions of this transformational process. Our vasanas*, samskaras* and karmas are held, or stored, in the subconscious. The body in turn holds, or stores the subconscious. We can liken the nadis to the subtle energy storage structure of the subconscious in the body. This means that all experience from our past, that is unhealed, unresolved, or incomplete, is transmuted by the kundalini in it’s movement upward through the body towards the crown of the head ‘sahasrahra’. This subconscious material, feelings, emotions, and accompanying beliefs invariably consists of trauma, pain, and fear. In the process of its transformation the egoic mind can experience depression, darkness, and emotional pain, sometimes so deep and inexplicable it seems unbearable. Obviously this can be deeply distressing, not only to the person, but also those close to them. This is exacerbated if there is no awareness of kundalini as the cause, or spiritual process.
Yogic texts elaborate how the kundalini piercing the different consciousness centers (chakras/cakras), can equip the practitioner with siddhis (powers) such as, clairvoyance, the ability to see the past and future, and perceive the existence of subtle planes of existance (among the least dramatic). The vivid and colorful descriptions of the siddhis can be another misguided motivator to pursue awakening the kundalini, in fact these can be quite an unhelpful diversion. When the Kundalini reaches Sahasrahara, and the entire system is ‘purified’ the human spiritual journey is complete as nothing now remains to create the illusion of separation from the Divine and True Nature. This final condition, when all vasanas, samskaras and karmas have been dissolved, is the state known as Moksha. Moksha is then the condition of complete liberation. This differs from enlightenment which begins with the end of identification with mind and reaches it’s final conclusion only with Moksha. Until Moksha is attained, the ‘enlightened’ can still become once more identified with mind, it’s vasanas, samskaras and karmas.
If we make an examination of mystical literature and traditions in cultures outside India we find that kundalini, called by various names, seems to have been a universal phenomenon in esoteric teachings for at least three thousand years. Kundalini-type descriptions or experiences are found in esoteric teachings and symbolism of the Egyptians, Tibetans, Chinese, some Native Americans, and the Kung bushmen of Africa. Kundalini has been interpreted from the Bible as "the solar principle in man," or possibly the concept as ‘pneuma’, and is referenced in the Koran, the works of Plato and other Greek philosophers, possibly as well in alchemical tracts (the philosopher’s stone), and in Hermetic, Kabbalistic, Rosicrucian, and Masonic writings.
Kundalini is then the power of the Divine within us, and it’s awakening and rising will ultimately result in the ultimate ‘union’ of yoga, the union of Divine consciousness in the human body.
*vasana: (Sanskrit) "Subconscious inclination." From vas, "living, remaining." The subliminal inclinations and habit patterns which, as driving forces, color and motivate one’s attitudes and future actions. Vasanas are the conglomerate results of subconscious impressions (*samskaras) created through experience. Samskaras, experiential impressions, combine in the subconscious to form vasanas, which thereafter contribute to mental fluctuations, called vritti. The most complex and emotionally charged vasanas are found in the dimension of mind called the subsubconscious, or vasana chitta.
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Non Violent Communication
November 10, 2008 by Maria · Leave a Comment
I am wanting to begin by introducing myself…………. My name is Maria and I live on an island in the Pacific. I have a beautiful daughter who will turn four in January. I was born in Africa and have traveled to over 40 countries. I left home at 17 and recently have been in a period of life looking back. The thing that brings me the most peace, joy and ease in my life is Non Violent Communication. NVC is the work of Marshall Rosenberg. I started studying it almost four years ago and have come through challenging situations in my life in ways I never dreamed possible. I think out habitual responses in situations that cause pain and discomfort that are learned and very hard to change. We tend to reacts to disappointments, setbacks and other perceived negative situations with a reactionary response that does not usually serve the individual or those around. Non Violent Communication is a way to take a breath, get some space and then move forward in a conscious response to the moment. Ahhhhhhhh space in the moment, not a habitual reaction……..Yes!! Possible, I have learnt that with commitment and dedication it is possible.
In this post I would like to offer a quick exercise that may be applicable with anyone in your life. I am going to apply the explanation to my daughter. Time………. we can move it around and go back now and remember a time when your child (or other) was so precious to you that your heart melts, and deep love and joy is flooding it with feeling a real connection. Capture this snapshot and imprint it in your mind, heart and consciousness. When your child (or other) is really bringing up anger, sadness, frustration, hurt etc……………. I invite you in that moment to close your eyes and realize you have a CHOICE in how to proceed, how to respond……………. Bring up in your mind that snapshot of your precious child, this wonderful being and hold and feel the snapshot in your minds eye. Remembering how precious this little being is connects you with the deepest truth of who they are, an dyour relationship with them. Remembering them this way creates a space in which you can let go off your habitual response to the challenge of the moment and create a place of connection and empathy with the person
Try this exercise and see if it can help you to take that moment before your habitual response kicks in and more harm is done to both of you.
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Enlightenment – Eckhart Tolle
November 10, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · Leave a Comment
Continuing our look at the how different spiritual teachers describe enlightenment, here is a video of Echart Tolle speaking on the subject.
“Living Liberation - Meditation Training, and so much more" "It changed my life"Find out more
Yoga & Diabetes
November 9, 2008 by Ray Baskerville · 4 Comments
Diabetes is an increasingly common condition in the developed world, in the US it is responsible for over 350,000 deaths annually. Clinical research in the west has focused exclusively on diabetes as a physical disorder and hence the treatments that have been developed involve stimulating the pancreas through drugs, or by controlling the glucose levels by dietary restrictions, artificial insulin, and more recently, by physical exercise. Clinical research in India, by contrast, has recognized diabetes as a psychosomatic disorder, in which the causative factors are sedentary habits, physical, emotional and mental stress and strain. It has studied the beneficial effects of the practice of yoga, and the factors that make it more than a just physical exercise.
Several studies have focused on why yoga is more profoundly successful in treating diabetes than other forms of exercise. One of the keys seems to come down to yoga’s effect on stress. Stress plays an important role in diabetes because it elevates blood glucose levels and increases the odds of developing certain complications, such as heart disease, stroke and infections. Yoga and meditation are undoubtedly two of the best practices for reducing stress.
M.V. Bhole and K.N. Udupa, two scientists who research yoga in India, have measured the effects of yoga on mental stresses. They have shown that yoga is more powerful in beneficial in treating stress than regular exercise because it begins to change one’s attitude towards the situations of life by developing mental relaxation and balance. It is also a holistic system and develops health and vitality at physical, emotional, mental and spiritual levels of being. Being holistic in nature, at the physical level the whole system is effected positively, and as a system the body is naturally predisposed to move toward balance and health. In this view, illness is a symptom of imbalance in the system,
Researchers at the Laboratory Division, Central Research Institute for Yoga, Delhi, India studied the effects of yoga on 149 non-insulin-dependent diabetics. Sixty-nine percent of the respondents showed a fair to good response. The researchers concluded that yoga was a simple and economical therapy useful for non-insulin dependent diabetics.
Another study at the Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi attempted to discover whether yoga postures could help diabetics release insulin from the pancreas. Twenty healthy young volunteers were given four sets of yoga postures to perform. The asanas given were:
1) Dhanurasana (bow pose)
Matsyendrasana (seated twist)
2) Halasana (plow pose)
Vajrasana (thunderbolt pose)
3) Naukasana (boat pose)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
4) Setubandhasana (bridge pose)
Pavanamuktasana (wind relieving pose)
Each volunteer practiced the above sets in random order for five days with a two day interval between consecutive sets of asanas. Blood tests showed that the cumulative effect of yoga led to improved "sensitivity of the b-Cells of the pancreas to the glucose signal."
In another study at The Yoga Biomedical Trust, founded in 1982 by biochemist Dr. Robin Monro and an Indian yoga research foundation, it was discovered that if people practiced yoga for 30 minutes a day for one full month, the activity helped reduce blood glucose levels in some diabetics.
One of the studies conducted to cure diabetes was the one set up where yoga patients participated in one or two 90-minute weekly sessions for 12 weeks. Participants worked out with certain yoga classes in their homes; including the bow, the spinal twist and some abdominal breathing.
Near the close of the session, the participants’ blood sugar levels decreased greatly across the board and were only somewhat elevated in the control group, a group who had not participated in the yoga sessions. Notable also was that three yoga students were even able to reduce their own medications they’d been on, including a person who had been on the same drug regime for nearly 20 years.
A 2005 study published in the Nepal Medical College Journal put 20 people with type 2 diabetes on a 40 day yoga routine taught by an expert yoga teacher. The postures performed were:
Surya Namaskar (sun salutation)
Trikonasana (triangle pose)
Tadasana (mountain pose)
Sukhasana (easy pose)
Padmasana (lotus pose)
Bhastrika Pranayama (breathing exercise)
Pashimottanasana (posterior stretch)
Ardhmatsyendrasana (half spinal twist)
Pawanmuktasana (joint freeing series)
Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
Vajrasana (thunderbolt pose)
Dhanurasana (bow pose)
Shavasana (corpse pose)
At the end of 40 days of yoga, most of the participants had a decrease in fasting glucose levels, a significant decrease in waist-hip ratio and beneficial changes in insulin levels. These asanas have great effect on the pancreas and other glands, such as adrenal, thyroid and sex glands. The muscles and organs of abdominal area are fully activated practicing these asanas providing stimulation and rejuvenation to the cells of the pancreas and other endocrine glands by way of compression. Compression of these glands, followed by relaxation, causes an increased volume of highly oxygenated blood to reach the cells, bringing nourishment that rejuvenates atrophied cells.. As a result of this activation the condition and functioning of the pancreas is energized and strengthen. It also increases the blood supply to various parts of body, improving insulin administration in the body.
Specific asanas like backward bending postures bring stimulation to the pancreas, as they exercise the erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, obliques, deep intertransversarii and posterior abdominal wall. Also, most of these postures cause the internal viscera to stretch, bringing stimulation to the pancreas and other glands and organs that otherwise receive no stimulation.
If you have any concern that you may be at risk from developing diabetes or may even be in the early stages of it’s onset The American Diabetes Foundation have a self test you can do here.
To practice the asanas mentioned in this article it is recommended you seek out a knowledgeable and experienced teacher.
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