"Se o teu corpo não está sob o teu controle, a tua mente não está sob o teu controle, e o teu espírito não está sob o teu controle, como vais enfrentar o desafio do tempo e do espaço?" - Yogi Bhajan

quarta-feira, 11 de maio de 2011

Pranayama – a importância da ciência da respiração

Os exercícios de respiração – Pranayama - são um método simples e eficaz para acalmar o corpo e a mente, para energizar o sistema nervoso, para regular o metabolismo e a digestão, promovendo um estado de consciência meditativo. Isto deve-se ao facto de que a respiração permite que o prana flua livremente no corpo.

A Respiração Longa e Profunda, também chamada de respiração ióguica, produz quase automaticamente um estado de tranquilidade; aumenta o fluxo do prana, ajudando a remover bloqueios e a limpar os canais energéticos; rompe padrões subconscientes e hábitos; estimula a secreção no cérebro de substâncias que ajudam a combater a depressão; regula o equilíbrio do pH do corpo, o que permite uma reacção mais positiva ao lidar com situações stressantes; reduz as toxinas nos pulmões; e ajuda a limpar o sangue.

Em postura fácil, coluna recta e alongada, ombros relaxados e os olhos fechados. Lentamente, inspirar e sentir que o ar preenche primeiro a zona abdominal, seguido do peito e por fim, expandindo-se na zona clavicular. Ao expirar, lentamente, soltar o ar da zona das clavículas, depois da zona toráxica e, por fim, esvaziar o abdómen, contraindo o ponto do umbigo a fim de expulsar o ar restante.

O prana circula no corpo através dos nadis - rios de energia - e embora tenhamos 72,000 nadis em nosso corpo, quero mencionar brevemente os três mais importantes – Sushumna, Ida e Pingala. Sushuma sobe pelo centro da coluna, desde a base onde os três nadis se encontram, até o topo da cabeça; Ida vem do ovário ou testículo esquerdo até à narina direita e Pingala, vem do ovário ou testículo direito até à narina esquerda. Estes dois últimos nadis não vão em linha reta, eles serpenteiam, cruzando o corpo de lado a lado diversas vezes. E a cada vez que se cruzam, no ponto em que se encontram, os chakras – centro de energia subtis - são criados.

Ida corresponde à energia de limpeza Apana - a força eliminadora do corpo. Conhecido como o canal lunar, estando localizado no hemisfério esquerdo do corpo, tem natureza feminina, e representa a respiração pela narina esquerda. Ida é responsável por restaurar a energia no cérebro e proporciona calma e a sensibilidade. Pingala correspondem à energia do Prana que nutre e alenta. Este canal é conhecido como solar, estando localizado no hemisfério direito do corpo e que tem natureza masculina. Pingala torna o corpo mais eficiente e dinâmico, e representa a respiração pela narina direita. Os pranayamas ajudam precisamente a limpar esses canais para que o prana possa fluir livremente.

Podemos usar a técnica da respiração através de uma das narinas, a fim de beneficiar de suas qualidades específicas, ou podemos usar a Respiração Alternada. Inspirando pela narina esquerda e expirando pela direita, ajuda a acalmar, aliviar o stress e a livrar-nos das emoções negativas; a inspiração pela narina direita e expiração pela esquerda, proporciona clareza, foco e uma atitude positiva. Com este tipo de respiração Ida e Pingala são gentilmente purificados, equilibra os dois hemisférios do cérebro e cria uma sensação de bem-estar a todos os níveis - físico, mental e emocional.

terça-feira, 10 de maio de 2011

May 2011 Numerology

Check Your Emotional Seismograph

By Nam Hari Kaur Khalsa, California, USA, in AQUARIAN TIMES

The month of May brings a restless intensity of spirit that is looking for a major life breakthrough. We will find ourselves thinking, planning, and strategizing our next great move in life, while deciding who we would like to take along for the ride.

Number 5 represents change, and the risks we are willing to take to implement those changes. Five also embodies the emotions of flexibility and tolerance; however since 5 is challenged this month, we will be noticing a lack of flexibility in peoples’ behavior. This will require us to become very quick and emotionally agile in order to avoid another person’s intolerance and aggravated outburst. Look out, because it’s definitely coming. Does this mean you have to walk around looking over your shoulder all the time? No, of course not. What it does mean is that you need to develop an “emotional seismograph” in order to navigate around the brewing storm. Everything in nature gives a warning first. You just need to develop the sophisticated sensitivity to tune into it. The wildlife of the land is always on the run before the tsunami hits the shoreline. We as humans need to develop the ability to decipher the subtle cues in the environment (including human behavior) so we are not blindsided by misfortune. Have you ever heard yourself say, “I knew it, I just knew it!” but you still didn’t listen?

We are moving into an accelerated flow of time which does not allow for careless mistakes. This need not create fear, and as I like to say: “It’s not beware, it’s be aware.”

May brings a time of increased effectiveness in the area of future planning. Get your ducks in a row now so you don’t end up having to row against the tide later in the year. The calendar year of 2011 has the interesting effect of sharply bringing the actions you initiated in the first half of the year full circle into the last quarter of the year—kind of like a boomerang. This can be tremendously positive if you have been doing your spiritual homework, or a total let-down if not. We are in the zone of “no middle ground.” There is now the ability to swiftly manifest and play out our thoughts and desires. This can be fantastic, or a total nightmare. The key is to keep your mind clear so that you are not in the vicious cycle of your subconscious habit patterns. This requires discipline. Five represents the ability to create a structure of healthy habits so we can experience the freedom of our higher self. As Yogi Bhajan has said, we should be, “Contained, Content, and Conscious.” These three touchstones create a triangle of stability for our spirit. Having a base of containing our energy in a discipline will then connect us to a consistent space of contentment. This allows us to rest on our own pinnacle of Consciousness. It really is just that simple.

Five represents the physical body and the quality of endurance. This is a good time to check in with yourself and ask the question, “How is my health, and is there room for improvement?” Remember, next year in 2012 (2+0+1+2=5) there will be many changes on planet Earth. These changes will challenge us on a physical, mental, and emotional level. Increasing your endurance now will serve you well later. Making time for your own well-being is a human requirement. We all have pressures which consume our energy and make it easy to create excuses for self-neglect. Shift your priorities so there is time in the day for nurturing your health and spiritual growth.

Looking to the world of music, there was a popular singer and actress who started out in the 1930’s named Lena Horne. She had a particularly difficult path to forge in the entertainment industry of her day, because not only was she a woman, she was of Black-Caucasian ethnicity—not the power card of those times. In some parts of the United States there were still White/Colored signs on the drinking fountains. Her early films of the 40’s often had to be re-edited, because if the film was shown in a U.S theater where black people were not allowed to enter, her role was left out. Also, no black people were allowed to have a leading role in film in the 1940’s.

As society evolved, Lena did gain a presence in film, and also made grand strides in the music industry. In 1981 she won a Tony Award and two Grammys for her Broadway show “Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music.” Lena was later honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989. From her humble beginnings in the 1930‘s where she started out as a chorus girl at the Cotton Club in NYC, to her farewell performance at Carnegie Hall in 1993, Lena Horne carried herself with a grace and dignity which defied all obstacles and boundaries. She excelled in spite of the negative forces around her who felt that she should “know her place” and just stay there. Six decades later someone asked her how she was able to maintain herself in spite of all the odds against her. Lena’s simple reply was, “It’s not the weight that breaks you; it’s how you carry it.”

Call Nam Hari Kaur to set up your personal reading. Hidden away in the numbers of your birth date are the secrets to your life’s happiness and true potential. Nam Hari specializes in the area of relationships, and your questions on love, money, and destiny line fulfillment are answered. 310-202-8937 or 575-305-0017 email:akara@cybermesa.com.