Monday, January 18, 2010

BANDHANA KRIYA

" There can be tremendous change in your destiny, because it brings the neutrality of the tattwas ( elements)" Yogi Bahjan

About 13 years ago I was drawn into hand reading. I bought some books and walked through the lines of my hands into the depths of my psyche. I internalized the knowledge in the books and filled them with stories I heard from my inner self. For more than a year I was totally fixated on the interior of mine and other peoples hands.
One belief I came across was the connection between a cup shaped handpalm and the disability to create material wealth. A stretched palm that could hold water, poured into it, is similar to a hand of a beggar, always reaching out to receive alms. Unfortunately I have two hand palms shaped like this and a history of times with low cash flow.
It would be easy to connect my financial droughts to several circumstances of my life starting with a low focus on money, an inner incapability for putting a little water by the wine and a choice of profession with a substantial need for luck and perseverance to belong to the happy few with a 'royal' income. But precisely luck and perseverance are two traits in life I can always count on. Nevertheless, I feel a source of imbalance and I rather see a connection with an old collective christian believe pattern: true spirituality and material wealth don't belong together. Of course by now we know better. But are we already intrinsicly heeled and ready to move towards the new believe pattern? And what is that new belief? Franciscus of Assisi lived in and created a whole movement around poverty. But he was so rich on compassion that he even now fills the hearts of people with joy. Osho was a great enlightened artistic magician and next to bunches of books he also materialized 80 Rolls Royce and I thank him for that wholeheartedly! He shacked my spiritual structure like no other with this deed..., I still remember the lightening and thunder in my system, my struggle to comprehend; and the opening towards light by the acceptance that we are all born rich and that there is no guilt ore shame involved living it out.
But there are different qualities of richness like there are different people. Ask a professional cook and she can tell you probably a lot about the richness belonging to different sorts of food: texture, colour, smell..... So the importance is to open up towards our own intrinsic richness.
Living our unique traits, created by the perfect blend of the elements ( tattwas ) is, from my point of view, the one road towards righteously earned wealth in whatever form.
Practicing the Bandha Kriya gave me the understanding how important it is to work, if needed, on the 'belief gap' in our structure. Thinking that wealth is our natural right of birth is a good first step. Creating a new elemental structure to hold this belief (if you are like me 'blessed' with the inheritance of an old structure) is for the step to follow.
Knowing to have lived numerous life's 'in the name of god' my cupped hand palms seem a perfect materialisation of a christian duality which dominated for centuries our thinking. The yogic technique of the Bandha Kriya gives you and me the tool to change this line of fate and seize again infinity within our human capacity. We balance our self by perfectly connecting both palms and neutrality is created by adding rhythm, rate, pranic force. The elements can reasamble themselfes like they are ment to be in this life, Wahey Guru!


Bandhana Kriya
Sit in Easy Pose with a straight spine. Press your hands together in Prayer Mudra (like you see in the picture above). The hands must be exactly pressed together, the fingers must be exactly fitted against each other, the thumbs fully connected, and palms perfectly pressed together. Leave no room for error. The eyes are nine-tenths closed with a line of vision paralleling the nose. Inhale deeply, hold the breath in, and mentally chant Wha-hey Guroo eight times. Then exhale completely, hold he breath out, and mentally chant Wha-hey Guroo eight times at the same rhythm and rate. Continue 31 minutes.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

SPIRITUAL NAME

Shortly before I started with my first teachers training I applied for a spiritual name. The Kundalini Yoga practice of spiritual name giving here in the West originated by Yogi Bhajan. He passed this method down to others for sustaining this knowledge. Within this tradition it is up to you to take the first step towards this gift. You certainly don't have to be a teacher or advanced practitioner to apply. When you feel ready it's just a matter of taking initiative and than waiting to get 'written prove' of your souls destiny. It presents the highest purpose of the person who is called by that name. A spiritual name is like a personal mantra guiding you to that destiny.
Spiritual names where quite fare out for my apprehension at that time so I wasn't  attached to the outcome. It just seemed fun to do. But when it arrived through the mail it hit me big times: Two little words - big impact! The name I received was Guru Karta. No big explanation came with it like I had seen by others; just the four words 'God is the Doer'..., and everything fell into place.
Before I started teaching Kundalini Yoga, I was a professional artist. The point was that I lost myself in doing. I couldn't handle my passion in a good way and ended up being a frantic workaholic with no further life at all. Doe to the physical consequences of it I started this yoga. I learned by now that vanishing in doing is marvellous but an art on itself doing it the 'right' way. The name helped and still helps me a bunch to stay focused on this essence. When becoming to attached towards the outcome or loosing the big picture by being too frenzy I repeat "God is the Doer". The frantic me vanishes ( more or les, hihi) and gives space to my soul . What a relieve!
Interested to read more about it or inspired to make a request of your own? Here is the link:

Saturday, January 9, 2010

ISHT SODHANA MANTRA

15 feb 2009 I started with the Isht Sodhana Mantra, to manifest intention so that destiny can be fulfilled. My intention was to do this meditation for 1000 days. By now I love it so much that my intention shifted towards a lifelong commitment.
We are quickly approaching the transition to the Aquarian Age.
Much has been written about this. From the yogic point of view it is humanity’s transition from adolescence to maturity. We leave behind the Piscean Era and enter into the age of global awareness, radiance, intuition and cooperation. We believe an age of equanimity and prosperity wil arise accompanied by an evolution in our capacity to perceive, think, feel and sense. Such growth would mean a lot of change: old structures and ways of thinking, communicating and living, everything has to change.....
I have read that this period of testing and growth will last until 2038.
Yogi Bhajan, who brought Kundalini Yoga to the West in the sixties, gave us a great tool with this mind blowing technique to prepare and open up to the possibilities of the new Era. With the expanded awareness we can act effectively, support others and join spontaneous the creativity of life. By the way, precisely at 11:30am (PST), November 11, 2011 the cusp period will end and the Age of Aquarius will begin.
In Kundalini Yoga we practice 40‐day meditations to embody new experiences or increase capacities.
We practice 90‐day meditations to clear our subconscious and build new habits.
We practice 120‐day meditations to realize that awareness in our daily lives.
But when we want to experience self‐mastery and confirm our consciousness, beyond every change of
time, space and circumstance, we practice 1,000 days.

The Isht Sodhana Mantra is a meditation with the intention to embody your unique qualities of being a co-creator.
From the Mayan point of view we are now in the phase they call the galactic underworld. Integrity, living from the hart, is the most important trait to obtain in our awareness during this period.  A necessary step before the last and completing step, towards a new cicle: becoming a co-creator.
So if you are in for a little preparation towards this new consciousness pattern join in with this indeed 'monumental' mantra meditation!11 min. a day are aready enough to create the inner buzz.
You can order a CD with a beautiful version + great explanation by visiting the link below:
Cheers, Sat Nam and In lak'ech,
Anne

   

Friday, January 8, 2010

A CLEAN START....

As above so below. Let's create a Solar Tribe here on Earth!

If you want to have a clean start in the New Year and just feel like experiencing one of the most efficient and wonderful cleansing and healing diets your wellkom to try this recipe below from the book "Ancient Art of Self-Healing". It's very suitable for the winter because of it's richness in proteine.
In okt.-nov. I followed this diet for 40 days (the whole day). First I felt restricted and sorry for myself...., my senses pulled and triggered my brain in every possible way to lure me in a little cheating, temptation around every corner. But after some days I felt so light but well fed, balanced and clean from inside that it got better and better. My focus got strong because I didn't wanted to loose that new experience. I never felt better in my belly and my intestines than during this diet! It altered my understanding about food. I'm quite a health freak and this experience added a new dimension of wellness created by food to my knowledge. I now prepare it once a month. Because it takes some time to prepare I dubble the amount given underneath. It's enough for three days for two people adding some fruit in the morning.

Enjoy and greetz,
Anne

Mung Beans and Rice ("Kitcheree"):

1 cup mung beans
1 cup basmati rice
9 cups water
4-6 cups chopped assorted vegetables (for example: sweet potatoes, carrots, zucchine, broccoli, etc. be creative!)
1/2 cup of olive oil or ghee (cleaned butter)
2 onions, chopped
1/3 cup minced ginger root
8-10 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping teaspoon tumeric
1 heaping teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon pepper
1 heaping teaspoon crushed red chillies
1 tablespoon sweet basil
2 bay leaves
seeds of 5 cardamon pods
salt or tamari sauce to taste

Wash beans and rice. Bring water to boil. Add rice and beans and let boil over medium-high flame. Prepare vegetables. Add vegetables to cooking rice and beans. Heat oil or ghee in large frying pan. Add onions, ginger, and garlic and saute over medium-high flame until browning. Add curcuma (tumeric), black pepper, and chilli (no salt or herbs). When nicely well done, put this mixture into the cooking beans and rice. Add herbs. Stir well. Continue to cook until totally and completely well done, over a medium-high flame, stirring often. The consistency should be rich, thick and soup-like (mine I like a little thicker), with ingredients barely discernable.