Spiritual Magazine | Wellness Magazine

April 2018, Be inspired / 04 Apr 2018
Pranayama
ASHTANGA YOGA SERIES What if someone told you there was a simple set of practices that could help you manage every aspect of your daily life, and at the same time take you to a level of human potential beyond your wildest imagination? Would you be interested? Most people would at least be curious. That is in fact an accurate explanation of the practices of Yoga, but most people don’t realize it. Yoga includes a holistic set of practices for overall self-development and the well-being of the body, mind and soul. A few thousand years back, the great sage Patanjali compiled the current yogic practices of that time into a simple framework consisting of eight parts or limbs, and that framework is still used today. It is known as Ashtanga Yoga. But the practices of Yoga have evolved since Patanjali was alive, in response to the needs of the time and especially during the last 150 years. So in this series DAAJI explores each limb of Yoga in the light of the modern day yogic practices of Heartfulness. He shows us how to integrate inner spiritual practices with living in the world and refining our personality, so as to create that true state of Yoga – skill in action and integration of the spiritual and worldly as aspects of life. PRANAYAMA Prana • Pranayama • Prana Pratishtha • Pranahuti Pranayama is the fourth of Patanjali’s eight limbs of yogic practice. Here DAAJI explains the purpose of the practices of Pranayama and some key dos and don’ts. He also introduces Prana as the base of all these practices, as well as touching upon Prana pratishtha in traditional worship and Pranahuti in the Heartfulness way of meditation, describing how the regulation and stabilization of our energy field helps us to dive deep…

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April 2018, Be inspired / 04 Apr 2018
How to know the nature of your being – part 2
Author of The Untethered Soul – The Journey Beyond Yourself, MICHAEL A. SINGER, shares his thoughts on the nature of the world, the mind and the heart. In part 2, he dives deeper into the nature of the mind and the heart, and how to handle the human heart – how to be at peace with the tremendous range of the heart. If you want to know why your heart is attracted to some things and repulsed by others, it’s pretty simple. For the most part, your heart is programmed by your past experiences – just like your mind. In yogic philosophy this programming is called samskaras. Samskaras are past impressions that have created habitual energy patterns in your heart. When stimulated by an object, the heart will tend to flow in these learned directions. Note that it is not just objects in the outside world that stimulate the heart; thoughts can also stimulate the heart. The heart affects the mind and the mind affects the heart. But you already know this. When your heart gets attracted to something, your mind wants to think about it all the time. Your thoughts didn’t used to fixate on that person, place or thing, but now they do. Likewise, when you get really scared by something, suddenly that’s all you can think about. Now I want to discuss your heart in a way that you may not like. Your heart is a very active field of energy with underlying vector flows, and none of it has anything to do with you. It is just one of the things you are aware of. One moment you notice you are attracted to something and five minutes later you’re repulsed by it. It happens all the time.You can feel completely attracted to someone until they say or…

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April 2018, Interview / 04 Apr 2018
Agro-ecology, love & Socrates – part 2
In part 2 of this exclusive interview with PIERRE RABHI, he speaks about Colibris and some of the other projects he has taken up to bring awareness and change in society. In particular, he speaks about the pressing need for moderation and reduction in human consumption, and the importance of transcendent love and joy. Q: In the first part of this interview, you said that your approach and action developed in 3 ways: through philosophical reflections about society, a spiritual quest and a practical approach. Does the creation of Colibris in 2007 fit into this scheme? How did this movement start, and how do you explain its incredible development? PR: In 2007, along with several friends, including Cyril Dion and Isabelle Desplats, we decided to create a grass roots movement for active reflection and practical ways to build a greener and more humane society. Today, Colibris has grown enormously! It has three main objectives: to inspire, to connect and to support citizens engaged in individual and collective transition processes. These days, Colibris implements so many projects that I would have a hard time presenting them all to you. To highlight just a few, we have the series, Domaine du Possible, published by Actes Sud, some of which is co-published by Colibris; many local action groups; the University of Colibris which offers free online training on eco-construction, permaculture, agro-ecology and education; and finally Fabrique, which is a platform for everyone to do their bit by offering time, talent, material resources and donations in the service of inspiring projects. In short, there are so many things, and I am very happy today about the work accomplished and the number of projects that have been implemented. This growth has accelerated because now libraries and bookshops are full of books that take note of…

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April 2018, Taste of life / 03 Apr 2018
Walking
LLEWELLYN VAUGHAN-LEE & HILARY HART explore the contemplative, spiritual value of walking in Nature, and share with us a simple walking practice. In the busy-ness of our contemporary life, we are drawn into ceaseless activity that often separates us from the deeper dimension of ourselves. With our smartphones and computer screens, we often remain caught on the surface of our lives amidst the noise and chatter that continually distract us, that stops us from being rooted in our true nature. Unaware we are drowned deeper and deeper in a culture of soulless materialism. At this time I find it more and more important to have outer activities that can connect us to what is more natural and help us live in relationship to the deep root of our being, and in an awareness of the moment which alone can give real meaning to our everyday existence. Over the years I have developed a number of simple practices that bring together action and a quality of heart-centered attention, or deepening awareness, that can nourish our lives in hidden ways. These activities, like walking, cooking with love and attention, can reconnect us with the web of life, our natural interconnection with life in its beauty and wonder. They can help us ‘declutter’ our outer life and instead become rooted in what is simple and real. One of these practices, which combines action with awareness, is walking. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. —Thich Nhat Hanh I have always loved to walk early in the morning, to sense the Earth at the beginning of a day, to feel Her pulse, Her beauty and magic, before thoughts and demands clutter my day. Waking early, I have a hot cup of tea, meditate in silence, and then, as soon as…

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April 2018, Focus / 01 Apr 2018
It’s time to unplug!
In the era of constant technology, MEGHANA ANAND calls for some digital detox, and shares her ideas on how we can remember to experience the old-fashioned human forms of communication in our disconnected-connected world. The other day I was out dining with my mom at a restaurant, when I suddenly noticed the look of amusement on her face as she stared at the table across from ours. A young couple was waiting for their dinner and both of them were engrossed in their mobile phones completely oblivious to the world around them and even to each other. I was more amused with the look of amusement on my mother’s face than with the couple, as to me they represented the mass of the population these days. This episode left an impression in my mind. After reaching home I made a mental list of my own routine, and I wasn’t too happy to realize that I did feel a constant urge to reach out for my mobile and social apps at frequent intervals, whether it was necessary or not. While more and more researchers these days are coming up with their findings about the hazards of electromagnetic frequency (EMF), what is a matter of great concern is the effect these gadgets may have on the future generation, our children. Dr Natwar Sharma, a pediatric intensivist, shares his experience: “Today, we don’t realize how much impact gadgets are producing on kids’ minds. I find them getting very angry with their parents when they don’t give them the iPad or mobile phone, or let them sit at the desktop and things like that. It’s very scary. I call it ‘gadgetomania’, because these kids are going crazy behind gadgets. And it is we who give these gadgets to our children, because we don’t have…

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