As we all know Yoga and Meditation were originally hailed from ancient India, but gradually transported to the entire world. Today's world plagued by daily stress, fatigue, and pollution, more and more people are seeking that elusive sense of relaxation and inward awarenes through Yoga and Meditation. But what is there that everybody is striving for?

Here are some reasons why more and more people are practicing Yoga:

• Yoga relaxes the body and the mind. Even in the midst of stressful environments, Yoga helps control breathing and clears the mind of cluttered thoughts, leaving only deep physical and mental refreshment.
• Yoga can help normalize body weight. For people who are either overweight or underweight, Yoga Exercises can help achieve the desired weight. The principles of balance and moderation in physical activity and diet under Yoga can also lead to a healthier lifestyle.
• Yoga improves your resistance to disease. The postures and movements in Yoga massage the internal organs, enhancing blood circulation and functionality, thus, lessening the risk of illness.
• Yoga increases your energy level and productivity. For as quick as 20 minutes, Yoga can replenish the mind and body with precious energy needed to respond to daily tasks and challenges.
• Yoga leads to genuine inner contentment and self-actualization. Meditation -one of the aspects of Yoga- focuses the mind, taking it away from the distractions of the highly-materialistic world and leading it to genuine happiness.

1. Sit still. Simply sit quietly in a comfortable position. Don’t answer the phone or make a list of things to do. It’s hard to sit for 10 minutes, and you will appreciate how restless the mind can be.

2. Tune in. While sitting still, pay attention to the sensations in your immediate environment, such as feelings of hot or cold, and the hardness or softness of the surface on which you are sitting.

3. Just breathe. Don’t try to control your breath, just pay attention to it, and note the quality of the inhales and exhales.

4. Repeat a mantra. Come up with a favorite word, phrase, prayer, or poem to repeat softly to yourself several times.

5. Listen up. Listen carefully to the sounds around you, wherever you happen to be taking time for meditation and stillness.

6. Send love. While sitting quietly in a meditation, think of someone who could benefit from a little extra TLC and send good thoughts to that person.

RETIRED high school teacher Hassan Ali, 63, of Lautoka (Fiji) has mastered the age-old vedic technique of Transcendental Meditation which has proven to be a unique method of creating a better person and society at large. ‘TM’, as it is commonly described by its Western followers was introduced to the world by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi of India and a total of 600 scientific researches have since been carried out in 200 universities and research institutions around 32 countries to prove its authenticity. Maharishi Mahesh opened the gateway of enlightenment to millions of people and his influence is now bringing the untapped knowledge of Natural Law to the field of health to create a disease-free society.

SHALENDRA PRASAD of Fiji Daily Post west office talks to Master Hassan about TM and its benefits.

Full interview

IN THIS fast paced 24/7 lifestyle, most of us do not have time and are living under stress. Overweight, stress, and other related problems are resulting to cause major diseases. You might have not had the time to think about better life. This is particularly true for all those business executives who travel a lot, with little or no time for regular exercise. As a result of physical stress-demanding jobs and time constraints, there is an increase in lifestyle-induced illnesses. Millions of people are unwell, suffering from overstress, which has become a part of our lives. We all are are searching for solutions.

In order to perform to the maximum level, it is time now to revisit your daily schedule and adopt a scientifically sound, safe, and effective life-style change to say hello to a fitter you. It is often difficult to find a way to squeeze time for exercise in your busy schedule. However, coming to know that some of the most successful businessmen exercise regularly, might motivate you to find a way to work it into your routine. In order to manage your time, start early. This part of your morning routine has your greatest control over it. Therefore, get up 30 minutes earlier than your daily schedule.

Having set your goal, without any ’ifs’ and ’buts’, you must now allot a realistic time schedule to achieve successful lifestyle modifications in order to achieve healthful living through diet and exercise. You might have tried several times to lose weight, as it is not that simple to melt off extra pounds. In order to lose weight, you need to be resolute and jot down a personal action plan. Today, more and more people are turning to the practice of meditation and yoga to improve their physical and mental health.

You must also encourage your spouse to be involved in adapting new concepts and ideas by drawing a calorie-based menu card, making sure that you eat well and walk more. Eat small meals throughout the day that include a variety of healthy, low-fat, low-calorie foods.

Meditation:
There are many deeply spiritual, sacred meditation techniques that can help us sharpen our intellect. Our thoughts have enormous powers. Meditation opens the door to infinite reservoir of energy, creativity, and intelligence. All you need is absolute trust. When you live with such trust and surrender your mind, body, and senses to the entity you trust in, you are automatically enlightened.

Look ahead to greater awareness and start controlling your mind through meditation, bringing an overall change in your personality. Take a new plunge in life at whatever age you are now. As you go through these simple steps, you will have better appreciation of spiritualism, selflessness, humility, courage, faithfulness, and love for your country. Meditation is a focusing of mind on your beloved deity, creating the cessation of all thoughts. One meditates with one’s eyes closed. The person meditating, produces a meditation sound in his thoughts. This is to be done with ease and compassion and without strain. Thoughts, impressions, experiences, images, bodily sensations, and feelings come and go spontaneously and influence the repetition of the meditation sound.

Sit quietly in open with back upright, hands at your sides or in your lap and concentrate on the rhythm of your breath. Play some smooth music in the background, which will create a serene atmosphere. Keeping your eyes closed, follow your breath. It is beneficial to chant the mantra, OM aloud and repeat the same several times. As you inhale and exhale, keep a track on the movement of your breath and recite some sacred hymns or Hanuman Chalisa. Even recital of mantras of your favourite deity will be beneficial. This will calm your mind and make you fit for meditation. There are some great audio CD’s of Gayatri Mantra and other sacred hymns of Durga, Shiva and Ganesh that bring spiritual benefits and develop a new kind of vibration and energy in you. Relax and pray for two-to-five minutes, focusing, maintaining natural breathing, and a light smile on your lips. Imagine that you are sitting with your beloved deity, seeking blessings for a happier beginning of the day. This way, keep your prayers in your heart, leaving all your worries on the Almighty.

Meditation improves concentration, memory, will-power, tolerance, inner peace, and whole body well-being. India’s popular guru, Swami Ramdev with his unique yoga mix for health and well-being is presently holding long duration camps in USA and Canada.

Pranayama and Yogic breathing:
It is time now to change your lifestyle, adopting yoga to live more amply, accomplishing more, with more joy and less stress. Yoga strengthens your body and mind providing mental peace and physical power, help you generate untapped energy within you to fight disease and live a healthier life. Since yoga is a healing practice, it is safe to accept it as a health care system. Once you begin a dedicated practice, a curious thing happens - you start realizing yourself to be growing flexible and strong.

While a regular meditation practice provides you to reduce stress, sharpen your perception, and gives you power to enhance your creative expression, practising pranayama reduces stress, induces a peaceful state of mind, and improves overall health. There are a number of DVD’s featuring complete solution for various ailments.

Pranayama, as taught by Swami RamDevji Maharaj consists of the following four breathing exercises in sequence:
Kapal Bhati Pranayama
Anulom Vilom Pranayama
Bhramri Pranayama
Udeeth Pranayama

These exercises are excellent for the nervous system, lungs, heart, and are extremely useful for digestion, alleviates backache, keep the mind stable and relaxed. The tendency of development of allergies while travelling shall also decrease. In the day-to-day context, it is important to follow simple yogic exercises, leading you to a purpose of living. This way, sustained practice would be pulling you away from the outer world of commotion and reconnect you to your inner strengths.

Regular and systematic practice of pranayama will bring a glow on your face with a peculiar shine in your eyes. Your voice will become sweet and melodious.

Diet
Next thing that you will have to control is your diet. For leading a healthy life, the lifestyle can only be changed if you also try to control your diet.
By taking simple yogic exercises you can shed the extra pounds without much struggle. Change your diet, avoiding excessive alcohol and fatty food. Avoid fried and junk food. Bring your cholesterol level within the prescribed limits. Consume a protein-rich diet, supplemented by lots of green leafy vegetables. Regulate your weight as per the recommended standards. Continue to take your normal medicines as prescribed by your physician till your next check-up. You’ll find that the half-hour of meditation, Pranayama practice relaxes you, heighten mental abilities, and removes those dreaded diseases much before their surfacing. Renew your energy and be full of super-charged confidence and motivation. Change your lifestyle and live longer.

A novel research by Dr R Chattha of the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore indicates that yoga can lower hot flashes and night sweats among women going through menopause. It also meets the eye that it may sharpen mental function.

For the study, researchers affixed 120 menopausal women between 40 to 55 years old to practice yoga or regular stretching and strengthening exercises, five days a week for eight weeks. The exercises did not have any particular pattern. This enabled scientists to examine if yoga would really aid in physical and cognitive symptoms of menopause.

The researchers remarked, “The postures, breathing and meditation included in the yoga intervention were aimed at one common effect, i.e. to develop mastery over modifications of the mind… through slowing down the rate of flow of thoughts in the mind.”

They further commented, “The present study shows the superiority of yoga over physical activity in improving the cognitive functions that could be attributed to emphasis on correctness in breathing, synchronizing breathing with body movements, relaxation and mindful rest.”

The subjects were divided in two groups mainly a yoga group and a control group. Participants of the former group listened to lectures on the benefits of yoga in managing stress in addition to other yoga related topics. Those in the latter group on the other hand were given lectures on the physiology of menopause, exercise, stress and diet.

After a follow-up of eight weeks, the researchers discovered there was an eminent decrease in hot flashes, night sweats and sleep disturbances among the women in the yoga group. These changes were not observed in the control group. Additionally, both groups in an analysis of attention and concentration showed certain improvements. In the yoga group however, the improvement was much greater. Women in the yoga group refined in eight out of 10 components in a test of memory and intelligence in comparison to women in the control group who showed an improvement on only six.

With research to support it, yoga may be a great solution to soothe those frequent menopause symptoms. So what are you waiting for? Get going and practice some yoga.

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