Tag Archives: fasting

5 Positive Lifestyle Changes for the New Year (part 1)

Are you in a rut? Are you feeling like you’re losing your “touch”? Is complacency becoming the norm? Maybe what you need are some basic lifestyle changes. In the coming days we will review five suggestions for the New Year to help improve your health and overall wellbeing – helpful advice that may also initiate a sense of self-renewal and give you more energy, which in turn will give you a whole new outlook on life. Here’s part 1 of 5…

1.    Go on a cleanse or detox diet.

Cleansing can be compared to a knife that cuts away much superficiality, getting right to the heart of the matter. Effectively, a cleanse works on deeper levels than most of us realize because it is able to break up our daily patterns, those patterns upon which we have become so dependent (our comfort zones). When those patterns of pleasure or selfish indulgence are disrupted, we are left with our own internal resources. If those resources are bankrupt, then during a cleanse, you may come face to face with a vacuum that only your inner self (Self) can fill.

A proper detoxification program also applies pressure to the physical body and we may be appalled at how much the body will squirm and resist. But it is high time that the body be put in perspective with the role of our own inner (spiritual/essential) self. Cleansing dethrones and places the body under the jurisdiction of our will. It is this creativity of a freed will which lifts us above our animal instincts and releases us from the cages of our monotonous and empty routine.

Cleansing accomplishes two purposes. First, it will reveal how much the physical appetites have taken control of our emotions. And secondly, it will serve in breaking the body’s habitual cravings and the power they hold upon the will.

An extended cleanse (a week or longer) will invariably bring to the surface deep seated fears which affect thinking and decision-making. It does this by challenging that complex human instinct called self-preservation. This instinct has been created in every living thing on earth, including us. But we are able to choose to “recreate” ourselves, building a new life not to be controlled by old habits and base instincts. Because of our ability to make these life changing choices, we will have the power to recreate ourselves into a radiant being of a higher and grander design than that of our former life.

Cleansing compels us to face the chaos of our addictions, compulsive behaviors, depression and internal pain. It’s like pressing the pause button of life, and quietly observing how crazy and detached we have become to who we really are.

So, IMHO, a deep bodily cleanse will do much more than help us to detox our bodies and lose those extra pounds, it also clears our mind, purifies our soul and frees our spirit for a better reception of the healthy, spiritual life intended for us. This blessing is our birthright and all we have to do is remove the obstacles we have placed in our own way.

Set aside a day, a weekend, a week or even longer to recharge, rejuvenate, and renew yourself. Everyone can benefit from a good cleansing, especially following the holiday season and all its delightful indulgences. It’s a great way to jump-start your body for a more active life, a healthier life.

Keep in mind our bodies are continuously and naturally detoxifying every day. Detoxification is the normal process of eliminating and/or neutralizing toxins through the colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph glands, and even the skin. All the days of our lives our hearts beat nonstop and our lungs breathe in and out continuously; just so our metabolic processes also work continuously, attempting to dispose of wastes and toxic matter as fast as we accumulate it.

Despite all its efforts, the environmental toxins of modern-day life; the pollutants, chemicals, other synthetic substances, are more than the average body can handle. Whenever the body becomes overburdened and doesn’t know what to do with all these foreign substances, it will store them somewhere inaccessible to these regular elimination systems, and to keep us from getting poisoned those toxins start building up in our body fat.

It is common, at this time of the year to feel “congested” or “out of sorts” from too much food or the wrong kinds of food and you may want to consider a good detox program. If your energy seems low, if you’re feeling sluggish or maybe you’ve been taking some medications that have not yet been eliminated from your system, a detoxification regime will probably help you feel better, restoring your health and your sense of wellbeing.

 

Stay tuned for part 2. – “Improve your dietary choices.”

Health, Wellbeing & the “Little Known” Bindu Chakra

Most yoga practitioners are familiar with the Seven Major Chakras mentioned in the Vedas. They are…

  1.  Sahasrara: The Crown Chakra
  2. Ajna: The Brow Chakra
  3. Vishuddha: The Throat Chakra
  4. Anahata: The Heart Chakra
  5. Manipura: The Solar Plexus Chakra
  6. Swadhisthana: The Sacral Chakra
  7. Muladhara: The Root Chakra

A Google search will provide an abundance of information on these subtle energy centers. But, there is one frequently overlooked chakra called the “Bindu” Chakra (also referred to as the “Moon” Chakra).

BINDU

Bindu is most often translated or interpreted as a ‘focus’, or ‘point’. (Bindi are the jeweled or painted ‘points’ that Indian women adorn their foreheads with). The Bindu Chakra is said to be placed approximately at the point on the back of the head just above where the spine would meet the skull. Anatomically it is located where the bones of the back and sides of the skull meet (the occiput and the parietal). It is where Indian holy men (Brahmin) would grow a single tuft of hair on the back of their heads to honor this chakra.

This chakra was considered a fairly prominent chakra in most Tantric traditions. In most Yoga books the Bindu Chakra is not generally even mentioned, but in Tantra Yoga great importance is attached to the healing and rejuvenating effects of this Chakra.

The most notable understanding of the effect of the Bindu Chakra lies in its production of the ”Nectar of Immortality” or contrarily, the “Poison of Death”. This designates the power of knowledge and wisdom this chakra offers to those who are able to comprehend. What can be derived from the meaning of these words is that knowledge is powerful, but Wisdom and Experience are Immortal. This is the Chakra that can synthesize our knowledge with our experiences. When that synthesis is successful, then we can achieve inspiration and true Wisdom. Whenever it’s not successful or misused, then we gain misunderstandings and misperceptions, transforming the potential wisdom into dogma and empty ritual, and then we are stuck, unable to progress and mature in our yoga practice.

The Bindu Chakra is an important energy centre for health and wellbeing, giving us the power to recuperate and regenerate both physical y and mentally. This Chakra benefits eyesight and quiets the emotions, promoting inner harmony, clarity and balance. Concentration on the Bindu Chakra relieves anxiety and depression, nervousness and also feelings of oppression in the heart.

With the help of this Chakra we are capable of controlling hunger and thirst and throughout history yogis have used it to assist in fasting, cleansing and internal purification, gaining the ability to overcome unhealthy eating habits. This occurs because the most outstanding effect of the Bindu Chakra is the production of Amrita, the nectar of immortality.

Physiologically this means that along with the awakening of the Bindu Chakra, the Pineal Gland, which is influenced by this centre, becomes active, emitting a hormone that has a “fountain of youth” influence on both the body and the mind. This is why the ancient Rishis gave it the name “Amrita” (nectar of immortality). The more the Bindu Chakra becomes activated, the more plentifully this precious nectar flows. The ancient scriptures claim that just one concentrated drop will prompt new shoots to begin growing on a piece of dry wood, bringing even a dead log back to life.

In Ayurveda this life-giving nectar is called “Sanjīvini Bhuti” and there are Yogis who eat no food for long periods of time, nourished exclusively by the nectar from the Bindu Chakra. If we become able to utilize this life-giving elixir, we would not only prolong our life but also enjoy optimal health for as long as we live. Unfortunately, this does not happen without effort, this precious nectar usually drips straight down into the fire of the Manipūra (Solar Plexus) Chakra and is consumed before its effects fully develop, leaving our body susceptible to illness while it continues to deteriorate with advancing age. Through specific yoga practices the yogi can succeed in catching these drops of nectar in the Vishuddhi (Throat) Chakra subsequently supplying and rejuvinating the entire body. The Vishuddhi Chakra is responsible for the purification and detoxification of the body if and when an imbalance occurs due to exposure to toxins or other harmful substances.

Additional Notes on Bindu…

The Bindu Chakra is connected with Sahasrara (Crown) Chakra providing its foundational support, and is often depicted in the center of Sahasrara. It is Bindu that is located at the top of the head when an animal is on its fours as we were in our sub-human times.  But it no more remains the top, and becomes the back of the head, as soon as the animal becomes upright and stands on two legs, thereby qualifying as a human.  Being on fours balanced our musculature in such a way as to naturally keep the Bindu Chakra open. The moment we became “homo-erectus”, we lost our natural connection with the Bindu Chakra. Many of the Rishis of old taught that until humanity regains this connection to the Bindu Chakra we will remain susceptible to disease (mental and physical) and constant turmoil. This is why human life at the present time is so replete with corruption and confusion in every walk of life; whether it’s politics, economics, business, sports, relationships or health.

One final but important point: Your nectar of immortality will likely differ from any other person’s. Everyone’s experience and understanding of spirit is unique and valuable to them, and wisdom doesn’t take the well worn paths. It happens in the shadowy un-forged path that a person ventures out on by themselves. And it is vital to remember that every path has value.