Best part about healing through Reiki is that its not limited to physical ailments only. As it works on the entire energy system of the person, it brings harmony and balance in all aspects of life. But for this to happen there are certain qualities rather attributes which one needs to understand and follow first. These were developed and named by Dr. Usui as ’5 principles of reiki’. Following which a person whether a practitioner or the recipient of the therapy will be able to produce better results.

These principles are:

1. JUST FOR TODAY, DO NOT BE ANGRY

2. JUST FOR TODAY, DO NOT WORRY

3. JUST FOR TODAY, BE GRATEFUL

4. JUST FOR TODAY, WORK WITH HONESTY

5. JUST FOR TODAY, BE KIND TO ALL OF CREATION

These principles emphasize more on today (or rather present) because its easier to practice these principles and bring into life day by day.

These principles are found to be very effective in self- transformation (if performed sincerely) and helps in having a more positive outlook towards life.

FORAWHILETAKEABREAK

vs.

FOR A WHILE…TAKE A BREAK

See…things become more meaningful and expressive when breaks are introduced.

This is just an example but something similar happens to us.

Most of the time, we don’t realize that we force ourselves to follow the routine & never ending things. We indulge ourselves so much into our work that gradually we start recognizing ourselves with things associated with it like job position we hold, type of work we do, remuneration we get and praises & criticism we receive from people around us.

Especially, when we take our work too seriously, it becomes a way for self-escapism and we start ignoring our real self & keep moving on this endless journey. Even if we stop working physically after full day, our mind does not stop as it holds the inertia of being engrossed for so long. And once initiated it’s hard to stop by itself unless an external factor acts on it.

That’s where is the need for a BREAK. Break from the routine, break from the usual, break from everything that is keeping us busy. And if that break could be unplanned, nothing like it. Taking breaks which are too planned may not help. For example, if you are taken blind folded to a beautiful place and are asked to open your eyes and you see something never seen before, you will be like ‘awe’. For a moment, you will enjoy that moment without knowing about it.

In Zen practices, one is encountered with an unplanned and sudden events, which helps in breaking the inertia of mind and bring it to the blank moment.

Something similar happens when we are unexpectedly advised to take rest. Suddenly mind has to disassociate itself with all the connections which were keeping it busy.

The idea of taking a break is to bring your mind into a state, which can break the momentum of your mind, disconnect with its daily patterns and bring it to the state of blankness, which we also call as the present moment. And in that moment, first time we start getting the glimpse of the real self. And which is worth exploring anything & everything else in this world!

So get ready & gift yourself the next surprise break!

What is Meditation

There is no single and universal definition of meditation and that’s the beauty of meditation. You may Google it and it will show you innumerable definition of meditation by various scientists, experts & spiritual gurus from all the directions. Everyone has it’s own version based on their practices, experiences & realization.

Interestingly, the importance of meditation is not in the act of meditating, rather in the realization which one experiences while going through the process and later. You can easily define the ‘how to’ act of meditating (and there are too many of them) but it becomes hard to define the experiences and realization in words. And that’s the reason why we find so many definitions of meditation.

For me, meditation is an act (rather inactivity) to bring yourself to present moment.

Why we need to bring ourself in present moment ? Cos’ in present moment there is complete awareness, no associations with the past, no imagination of the future. As time has its identity only in relation with past and future, the dimension of time becomes meaningless. In present moment, time stops or rather time does not exist, the subject becomes one with the object.

You start sensing things as they are, not as you have been habituated to sense them till now.

Thoughts are function of our mind, so while meditation mind gradually dissolves. Which means for that period there are no thoughts, it’s a state of thoughtlessness, which we rarely-rarely experience in our daily routines. Thoughts work even when we are asleep.

One may ask, so what’s so great about the state of thoughtlessness? Why I should be least bothered about it? I’m so glad the way i’m right now.

If you too feel the same way, may be some scientific findings & theories can help -

- Ordinarily, we encounter with 12000 -50000 thoughts per day. Most of which are not productive  at all, rather 70% of them are negative.

- Neuroscience says that giving rest to brain is crucial for its development and proper functioning. That’s why there is so much emphasis on sound sleep for restorative purpose.

- Brain consumes 20% to 30% of our daily calorie intake. Harder it works more it consumes.

- Our brain emits tiny electro-chemical impulses of varied frequencies, which are called Brain waves. During meditation our brain emits Theta waves (4-7 pulses per second), which invoke a deep sense of relaxation and also encourages creativity.

Science has been trying to demystify meditation to understand its nature and effects on mind and body. Various scientific experiments have shown the alteration in the brain wave patterns while one enters into the meditative state.

Usually our mind oscillates in the past and future, missing out on the present moment. Present moment from where you realize your inner-self for the first time, from where you unlock your hidden potentials, from where everything looks afresh and from where the existence reveals it’s hidden secrets to you.

Coming to ‘how to do meditation’, I often write about various meditation techniques in my posts like active meditations, silent meditations, chakra and rainbow meditation & sound meditation techniques.

Meditation is the food for soul, Do it More and Do it Often. That’s the best you can contribute from where you are to the Higher Consciousness.

If you like this post, feel free to comment on it.

And for former few, life is like a music, they are in-tune with the rhythm of the universe. For them life is full of surprises, miracles, awesomeness rather than a challenge. And these are the people who live in abundance and enjoy the life in its real sense.

Now think about this: What makes them so different?

You may quote the reason to be their upbringings, the legacy they carry, circumstances they live in, the support they get, hardwork and dedication they show or if that’s not convincing, it might be a play of their fortunes or the karma theory.

Whatever may be the case, it is still not convincing because we have seen some of the great achievers overcoming the biggest adversities in their lives. At the same time you will find many people doing the equal effort, sharing the same support and circumstances and still receive dramatically different results.

So what’s the secret behind this abundance?

Secret behind this is very simple, so simple that it may not be convincing enough that how can such a simple thing be so rewarding.

And that secret is the “Attitude of Gratitude”, which means being grateful to everything, every aspect of your life that surrounds you. Be it your health, family, friends, pets, even your vintage car. Be grateful to the whole existence, the food you eat, people you meet, nature that refreshes you, morning sun, flowers in your garden and love that you receive from others. Be grateful to all of them. Feel grateful from your heart and not from your mind. The more you’ll be grateful, the more you’ll receive it back. It works like nature’s law of attraction.

Practicing the attitude of gratitude-

- Start your day by saying thanks to the existence for another wonderful day

- Be grateful to yourself for being as you are

- Be grateful to your loved ones. Your parents, spouse, kids, siblings, friends, teachers & your pets

- Be grateful to your health and food you intake

- Be grateful to your work place, your position and people you work with

- Be grateful to everything you encounter during whole day. Be it your car, your cellphone or even your office chair,

and be grateful to all of them from your heart.

- Again, say thanks to whole existence while going to sleep

Some of them may sound odd but they have a magical impact in your life. Great of greatest achievers have given the credit of their abundance to the attitude of gratitude. It works like a magnet, it attracts everything you want, just that you need to apply this from your heart.

Bring this attitude of gratitude in practice and gradually you will notice the abundance entering into your life. When you live in abundance, it starts reflecting in all aspects of your life. It is not limited to the financial abundance only, it starts showing up in you, it fills you from inside-out.

There are quite a few reasons why these chakras get imbalanced -

- Traumatic experiences

- Hard-coded Belief patterns

- Imbalanced lifestyle (Excess or deficiency of anything)

- Lack of meditation (Like food nourishes our body, meditation nourishes our chakra system)

- Unhealthy food habits

And when our chakras are out of balance, it results in various physical, mental and emotional disorders like health problems, dissatisfaction, fear, anger, frustration, lack of self-esteem, wealth problems, addiction, lack of mental peace and many more.

To start with, let’s discover which chakra in your body is out of balance. For this, one can take the 3-minutes Chakra test designed by Carol Tuttle, which I personally found to be quite accurate and specific. Don’t panic if results show imbalance of more than one chakra, it’s quite normal.

Once you find out which all chakras are out of balance (or weak), you need to focus more on those chakras while doing the meditation.

There are many ways in which one can meditate on the chakras e.g. Rainbow Meditation, Chakra Sound Meditation and Breath Meditation. Here we are going to discuss about the Rainbow meditation.

Rainbow Meditation

How to Do:

Choose a comfortable position for your body (lie down in the corpse position or sit on a matted floor or chair). Relax your body and start taking few normal breaths (just observe the breath going in and out). This is to relax your mind and prepare it for the next stage.

Now continuing with normal breaths, bring your awareness to the first chakra (in the coccyx area). Imagine the color Red surrounding this chakra. Red is the color of first chakra, hence it nourishes and gradually remove the blockages of first chakra. In the beginning, your awareness might shift to something else, but that’s fine. Bring back the awareness to the chakra. While doing this whatever comes your way e.g. any imagery, memories, emotions, just let it pass away, do not stick to it and continue breathing. After a while (say 2-3 minutes), you can shift your awareness to second chakra. Some of the symptoms of first chakra imbalance are – Obsessive behaviour, Depression, Fear of survival, Indecisiveness, Lethargy, Obesity, Suicidal feelings and Workaholism.

Next, bring your awareness to the second chakra (in the sacrum area). Imagine the color Orange surrounding this chakra. Orange is the color of second chakra, hence it nourishes and gradually remove the blockages of second chakra. While doing this whatever comes your way e.g. any imagery, memories, emotions, just let it pass away, do not stick to it and continue breathing. After a while (say 2-3 minutes), you can shift your awareness to third chakra. Some of the symptoms of second chakra imbalance are – Fear, Extreme sensitivity, Lack of creativity, Alcoholism, and Blood disorders.

Next, bring your awareness to the third chakra (in the navel area). Imagine the color Yellow surrounding this chakra. Yellow is the color of third chakra, hence it nourishes and gradually remove the blockages of third chakra. While doing this whatever comes your way e.g. any imagery, memories, emotions, just let it pass away, do not stick to it and continue breathing. After a while (say 2-3 minutes), you can shift your awareness to fourth chakra. Some of the symptoms of third chakra imbalance are – Arrogance, Diabetes, Dominating, Hypertension, Lack of confidence, Sarcasm and Unhappiness.

Next, bring your awareness to the fourth chakra (in the chest area). Imagine the color Green surrounding this chakra. Green is the color of fourth chakra, hence it nourishes and gradually remove the blockages of fourth chakra. While doing this whatever comes your way e.g. any imagery, memories, emotions, just let it pass away, do not stick to it and continue breathing. After a while (say 2-3 minutes), you can shift your awareness to fifth chakra. Some of the symptoms of fourth chakra imbalance are – Anxiety, Dullness, Fear of unknown, Heart difficulties, Feeling loveless, Skin disorders and Unforgiving.

Next, bring your awareness to the fifth chakra (in the neck area). Imagine the color Blue surrounding this chakra. Blue is the color of fifth chakra, hence it nourishes and gradually remove the blockages of fifth chakra. While doing this whatever comes your way e.g. any imagery, memories, emotions, just let it pass away, do not stick to it and continue breathing. After a while (say 2-3 minutes), you can shift your awareness to sixth chakra. Some of the symptoms of fifth chakra imbalance are – Amnesia, Arthritis, Communication difficulties, Insomnia, Lack of discipline, Low self-esteem, Overly intellectual and Passiveness.

Next, bring your awareness to the sixth chakra (in the center of eyebrows). Imagine the color Indigo surrounding this chakra. Indigo is the color of sixth chakra, hence it nourishes and gradually remove the blockages of sixth chakra. While doing this whatever comes your way e.g. any imagery, memories, emotions, just let it pass away, do not stick to it and continue breathing. After a while (say 2-3 minutes), you can shift your awareness to seventh chakra. Some of the symptoms of sixth chakra imbalance are – No trust, Manipulative, Not organized, Quiet, Schizophrenia, Shy and Sluggish.

Next, bring your awareness to the seventh chakra (at top of the head area). Imagine the color Violet surrounding this chakra. Violet is the color of seventh chakra, hence it nourishes and gradually remove the blockages of seventh chakra. While doing this whatever comes your way e.g. any imagery, memories, emotions, just let it pass away, do not stick to it and continue breathing. Some of the symptoms of seventh chakra imbalance are – Aging, Lack of Concentration, Problem in decision making, Fear of death, Frustration, Lost interest in life, No enthusiasm and Rebellious.

Now as you have visualized 7 different colors at these chakras, be with this inner rainbow for sometime. After 5-10 minutes, gradually come out of meditation and slowly open your eyes. Be quite for a while and avoid any jerk or sudden shift in mood immediately after the meditation.

If you are a beginner, you may practice this technique daily for at least a month. This technique helps beginners as well as the seasoned practitioners to bring their chakras in balance.

Note: Based on your chakra test results, you may focus few extra minutes on your weak chakras.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, leave a comment or any query you might have.

This place is in Central-East of India (District Patna, Bihar) and the ruins are found near village Baragaon.

I was overwhelmed by the magnificence of this place which is recorded as one of the Biggest University ever known in Indian history.

From archaeological findings it existed from around 4^th century AD-12^th century AD and was a great centre of Buddhist learning, which attracted students from China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Turkey, Sri Lanka and South East Asia. During its existence, it was patronized by kings of Gupta, Maurya and Pala dynasties.

It is said that this residential University had over 10000 students and about 1500 teachers. There were 3 big libraries, which were the knowledge pillars of the university. According to the available text, this place has produced some of the great scholars and intellectuals, along with spiritual research and inner development.

It was spread over an area of about 20 sq.kms (only 1 sq. Km has been excavated so far by the Archaeology department).

Architecturally, this place has seen various eras and styles. Among the few prominent architectural findings from the excavation are the Monasteries or Viharas, Stupas and Temples or Chaityas.

• 

  Nalanda Siteplan

  Siteplan of excavated ruins of Nalanda

• 

  Monastary

  Monastary having multiple rooms for students

• 

  Stone Stupa

  Stone Stupa at the excavated site of Nalanda

• 

  Brick Stupa

  Brick Stupa at the excavated site of Nalanda

• 

  Stone Carvings

  Stone carvings on the walls at Nalanda

• 

  Miniatures in Veerayatan

  These miniatures are located inside Veeraytan

• 

  World Peace Pagoda

  World Peace Pagoda - Rajgir

• 

  Buddhist Monks

  Buddhist Monks visiting the ruins of Nalanda

Photo Courtesy – Rajendra Patsute

Outside invasions have been recorded as the main cause of the downfall of this place and the reason for many great scholars to flee to different countries to save their lives.

Personally, I was so amazed to see the grandeur of this place and was fortunate to be accompanied by a like headed person as my project partner with whom I could discuss the glorious time period this place has witnessed, along with the dark time of its downfall.

It was like travelling back in time, where one can visualize the life style of the monks residing in the monastaries, feel the calmness in the air and for little more sensitive people, sense the vibrations of Buddha, who visited this place as mentioned by various historians.

We came back after spending 3-4 days in Nalanda but the memories and fragrance of this place is still so live in my mind that it forced me to write about it even after 7 years.

Apart from the ruins of Nalanda, we visited few more places in Rajgir, Bihar-INDIA, (which were worth visiting ) namely -

1. Xuan Xang Memorial

2. Veerayatan 

3. World Peace Pagoda

4. Nava Nalanda Mahavihar

For those who are interested in knowing more about this place or want to plan their visit to Nalanda can check out at Tripadvisor.

Disclaimer:  Information provided about Nalanda has been gathered by various sources like Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-Nalanda, ASI-Sarnath, Archaeological department, IT-BHU, Nalanda Archaeology Museum. Historians have different opinions on Nalanda University but author has limited the information to provide the facts and findings from the Archaeological department only.

This cardiovascular exercise is a series of 12 body postures in one cycle and has a great combination of forward-backward bending & stretching postures, which provides strength and flexibility to the whole body.

Each posture has its own mantra, which are dedicated to different names of the Sun-the vital source of life energy on our planet.

Also one need to be aware of the particular breath position associated with each posture.

To receive maximum benefits from Sun Salutation, one should perform these postures with full awareness, correct breath positions and chanting the related mantra (as a salute to the Sun).

Disclaimer: This Yoga should be treated as a complementary practice and should not be considered as a replacement to any ongoing medical treatment. In case of any doubt, one may take medical advice before performing this yoga.

Author has written this article due to his deep interest in Yoga & Meditation practices and has tried to be as informative as possible. All efforts have been made to retain the originality of this information. But still if any piece is omitted or reported incorrectly, please feel free to comment on this post.  

The day I came back from there, I was overwhelmed to write a post about this place. And today I could not resist more…

This place was located in the valley surrounded by lush green mountains from all the sides. The lifeline of this place was the river stream (river ganges) flowing at around 200 steps away from the cottages. The cottages are made from locally available material, thatch, wood and mud, which brings you to the era of ancient civilizations sprouted around the river beds.

Me & my wife spent 4 days there, enjoying the state of thoughtlessness, reading, writing, doodling & contemplating and above all just living in the moment, which was a natural attribute of this place.

Days are extremely vibrant with the abundance of nature around you, lush green trees, blue sky, chirping of colourful birds most of which are rare species. Vibes of this place takes you into a different world and entirely shifts your state of mind, which is nearly impossible to get in any urban environment.

Nights are absolutely silent that one can hear own heartbeat, only sound you hear at night is the music of the river, which gradually takes you into deep & relaxing state.

This place seems best for artists, authors, designers, photographers, musicians, bird watchers, nature lovers…basically for all creative people because of the freshness and novelty of this place.

In case you feel interested in exploring more about this place, check out their website at rishikeshvalley dot com.

Relation between sound of seven chakras, their colors and the musical pitch are shown below:

How to Do

Sit in a comfortable posture, close your eyes and take few deep breaths.

Bring your attention to the first chakra (first chakra, root chakra or mooladhaar) and start chanting the sound lam at the corresponding solfege (do) or sargam (re). While chanting, visualize the color “Red” surrounding the first chakra. You may repeat this for 2-3 times if you feel.

Then gradually shift your attention to the second chakra (Swadhisthana) and start chanting the sound vam at the corresponding solfege (re) or sargam (re). While chanting, visualize the color “Orange” surrounding the second chakra. Again you may repeat few time if you wish.

Similarly keep shifting your attention to third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh chakra and chant their sounds at correnponding solfege or sargam.

In the beginning, you may practice chanting the 7 basic notes of music i.e.  Solfege-Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti or Sargam – Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni in a pitch that is natural to you, that will help in matching the same pitch for particular chakra sound while doing the mediation. (You do not need any audio player or music CD to do this technique)