Let there be many windows in your soul,
That all the glories of the universe
May beautify it. Not the narrow pane
Of one poor creed can catch the radiant rays
That shine from countless sources. Tear away
The blinds of superstition; let the light
Pour through fair windows, broad as Truth itself,
And high as heaven.

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

This remarkable book, First There is a Mountain: A Yoga Romance by Elizabeth Kadetsky chronicles her time in India studying meditation yoga with renowned yoga teacher, B.K.S. Iyengar.

New Light on Yoga

Excerpt from a review at Amazon by Malcolm McLean, RYT:

“Here is a powerful tale of a yogi’s quest for truth – the truth of her own life, revealed in her own body, accessed and then uplifted though yoga.

“The truth of her guru BKS Iyengar, clouded in legend and rivalries, and here pierced with the eye of a conscientious journalist. She has woven a rich tapestry from the threads of her own life, her yoga practice and experience with Iyengar, and the story of yoga.”

Not What I Expected

Here’s a candid Amazon review by David Brunton:

“As a practitioner of yoga for about a decade or so, I’ve learned to separate the life-changing art of practicing yoga from writing ABOUT yoga, the latter of which tends to oscillate between the flaky and the just-plain-stupid. So I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when a yoga-practitioner friend of mine recommended Kadetsky’s book.

“To begin with, I was instantly drawn in by her magnetic prose and lush descriptions of India, but as I read on, I also began to admire the subtle way she navigates between the foibles and sublimities of B.K.S. Iyengar, a man who is perhaps one of the twentieth century’s most enigmatic teachers. Her thoughts on the connection between modern yoga and Hindu fundamentalism are well worth the price of admission. For anyone who has ever found their own quest for spirituality caught between the allure of an ancient past and the grittiness of the modern third world, this is a great book.

“My only complaint is that I didn’t see what the subtitle, ‘A Yoga Romance,’ had to do with her book, since needless to say, there is no love-interest in this book.”

First There is a Mountain: A Yoga Romance

This short meditation video is from one of my syndicated podcasts.

Although we can almost take breathing for granted, observe the breath is an important practice. It relaxes the body-mind. And it’s essential in preparing for deeper meditation, or even guided healing imagery (I’ll be uploading at least one more meditation video for healing).

Developing proper breathing as a practice can be powerful on its own.

The Power of Prana teaches how to use breath to enhance the vital or life force.

For now, just recognize that your breath supports your overall health and well-being. Take time for observing your breath during meditation. It naturally leads to a habit of breathing properly.

The benefits of meditation are similar to those of proper breathing, helping to:

* Assist or boost the immune system
* Support circulatory and other systems
* Relieve deep rooted tensions
* Improve overall mental abilities
* Naturally manage and relieve your pain
* Open the way for your spiritual breakthroughs

Although its fun to use a meditation video as a start, you can take a short breathing break any time you think of it.

Thanks for stopping by,

Donna
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Observing life from a state of detachment is not the same as ignoring the life going on around you. It’s not apathy. And it isn’t a state of resignation.

Ignorance, apathy and resignation are mindstates. And through meditation techniques, such as observing, you find that these unproductive mindstates tend to naturally transform. You can mindfully allow new mindstates to help form part of a new, natural outcome.

How? By any number of ways. One is by cultivating a habit of daily meditation.

One of my favorite meditation techniques is simply observing

You condition your mind to be still, to really listen to silence during your meditation session. You begin to see things differently.

You realize you have the freedom to prioritize the importance of events or things. Sometimes the very things that used to be not only difficult to sort through, but hidden or even denied.

It can also result in providing new insight.

For example, you might emerge from meditation and come up with an idea about how to meet difficult situations. With a solution that could work things out well for you and any others concerned.

One meditation technique might be to pose a question before meditation, and then let it go. And find, through insight, that the mind takes you back to the point from where you began the meditation. But you emerge with a fresh new awareness, a new attitude. Try it and see.

If you’re looking for more meditation techniques, I recommend this highly rated book, The Best Meditations on the Planet: 100 Techniques to Beat Stress, Improve Health, and Create Happiness-In Just Minutes A Day (Most Effective). Just go look inside, it’s filled with great meditation techniques.

Kind thoughts,

Donna

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The deep azure blue of this meditation supplies box attracted my eye. A beautiful gold foil handmade Lokta paper image adorns its cover. This is the historical figure, Sakyamuni Buddha, founder of Buddhism.

Though one of many Buddhas or enlightened beings, Sahyamuni Buddha is the earliest expounder of the Dharma or Buddhist teachings.

This Buddha meditation supplies box will create a beautiful spiritual focus for your meditation altar and practice. You can easily take it with you on trips.

Inside this box (handmade by Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian artisans in accordance with Fair Trade guidelines) you’ll find these meditation supplies:

• an herbal Buddha figurine
• Khata (greeting scarf)
• votive
• Nag Champa incense, and a
• gilded ceramic bodhi leaf incense burner

It also includes an educational tag explaining the spiritual meaning and potential use of these meditation supplies. Measures 6 inches wide x 3 inches high. Click here to view the details of this and related products.

Although singing bowls are often associated with meditation, keeping a simple meditation bowl on your meditation altar has its own purpose. It’s a symbol of your offering or intention.

This hand-cut, 24% Leaded Crystal meditation bowl is a rare treasure. It’s  dated as “pre-1900, (actual age unknown)”, and measures 4.5 x 4 x 4 inches.

With it’s diamond-like rainbow colors, it makes a beautiful offering bowl for your meditation altar, to symbolically hold your prayers.

It comes with it’s own stand, and advertised as having been “Dakini Blessed, Reiki Tummo Infused by Reiki Master.” The meditation bowl is also advertised as being sold “to Support Free Tibet & Nepal”.

Buddhist Antique Leaded Crystal Meditation Offering Bowl to benefit all sentient beings

A meditation bowl can hold meditation accessories such as mala beads, crystals, Tibetan Medicine, Gold, or water. It can be used alone as a meditation tool, serving as reminders of the goal of Buddhist practice: to develop these qualities in ourselves, with the aim of fully benefiting all sentient beings.

I’ve always felt my meditation bowls and other tools were not for decorative purposes. So I was delighted to read on the sales page the seller’s admonition: “[An altar is] not for fame, showing off wealth, or to increase pride, but rather to reduce one’s mental afflictions & to seek the ability to help all sentient beings.”

Since this meditation bowl is a one-of-a-kind item, there were no ratings on the site. It’s worth clicking through to visit the sales page just to read the sellers’ detailed instructions for setting up a mediation altar; I enjoyed their views on this. Click here to learn more about this  Buddhist Altar / Leaded Crystal Offering Bowl.

Feel free to share your comments, at the bottom of this post, any stories about how you found your meditation bowl.

Proper breathing is not just essential in preparing you for meditation. It’s actually a practice of meditation itself.

With breathing being so natural, it’s almost taken for granted.  Yet we access our vital force, also known as Prana, through the breath.

So instead of just another “how to” book on breathing exercises, Meditation Portal recommends The Power of Prana: Breathe Your Way to Health and Vitality .

This book is about breathing your way to health and vitality. As one of the most highly rated meditation books by Amazon readers, it provides an elevated understanding of the breath and how it energizes the body.

Learn about The Nine Energizing Breaths

How these breaths stimulate your nervous system. And in ways that maximize your absorption rate of this vital force.

The author, Master Co, says, “Although prana is always all around us, stress, strong emotions, and various other factors keep us operating at a ‘subsistence level’ of pranic intake.”

Drawing on his knowledge of energy medicine, yoga, and martial arts, as well as his experience as a healer, Master Co shares expert guidance on:

• The key role of your eleven chakras in maintaining your health and longevity
• Simple diet and lifestyle tips for keeping your energy pure
• Advanced practices and meditations that infuse the highest quality of prana deep into your body
• Plus more

Who can’t use a little help to instantly recharge during the day!

With the typical life-span increasing, it’s important to do all we can to enjoy more long-term health benefits.

Others who have read The Power of Prana agree that this book offers a complete guide to help you thrive and live a more vigorous, energetic life. Here are their excerpts the book’s review page:

Vine voice reviewer ‘feemeister’ gave it a 5-star review and said that “this is a very readable book, with GREAT information!”

Here is an excerpt of that review:

This is a great book, and it is VERY readable! It has a blending of yoga and Chinese philosophy.

I love the idea of the breathing and the qi gong being so good for your health, and can’t wait to try his exercises out. I was very disappointed though, that his Twin Heart meditation can’t be done by people with high blood pressure, as it sounds like it would be great! (But on the other hand, it’s really good that he’s so thorough about things like that!)

I really like the combining of philosophies and the simplicity of everything in this book.

Purchaser, ‘leety’, also gave it a five-star review:

This material is written in a direct, easy to read format. It is informative and compelling. For the novice to PRANA, it is fully explained and it flows easily.

Top reviewer, ‘K. Salinger “MBA, RN, RRT, sFNP” ‘ said that the book is a “good synthesis of breathing techniques from different practices”.

Here is an excerpt from the review:

While this book uses PRANA in the title, it is not specifically Indian in it’s approach. The author has studied different breathing practices and synthesized them to some extent into a practice as outlined in this book. In addition, he has general wellness & lifestyle suggestions that seem pretty “mainstream alternative” in their approach (likely the result of the physician co-author?).

For me, the synthesis of breathing modalities into the style author CO has created is great. However, the more generic lifestyle and wellness advice is so very “mainstream acceptable” that it wasn’t at all useful and I glossed over all of that.

Folks who are pretty well read in alternative medicine will also likely be disappointed in the lifestyle/wellness recommendations, but someone completely new to the alternative world might find it useful.

Buy it for the breathing techniques but skip the lifestyle/wellness suggestions (unless you are new to alternative healing).

Meditation Portal Recommendation: Buy The Power of Prana

SUMMARY: Like meditation, taking the time to develop the power of prana can be powerful. And a worthwhile practice on its own. This book, The Power of Prana, gives you just what you need to begin this important, life-enhancing practice now.

Click here to buy your own copy and begin these simple yet effective breathing techniques yourself.

After you’ve read The Power of Prana, we’d love it if you’d come back and leave your own review in the Comments section (at the bottom of this article).
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