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Shreyas, an Inner Challenges initiative, is a retreat for discerning
guests to step away from the hectic demands of modern life and spend
time in unwinding, reflection, rejuvenation and rediscovering the
simple pleasures of life.
Spread over 25 acres of landscaped
gardens, the architecture and interiors are a seamless confluence
of traditional and the modern styles.
Extract from Guests’ comments:
Shreyas is a unique property combining nice facilities, peaceful
environment, re-energizing activities and excellent personalized
service… in short, an ideal destination to escape and forget
for a while a world that is not always so ideal.
Please keep making us dream and understanding ourselves better.
Thanks for all...
Stephane Junca (France) October ‘07
This was an amazing experience. I have loved the food, the atmosphere,
the place, the staff, the beautiful setting - my particular soft
spot is the way the staff have made the evening dinner settings
so beautiful. Thank you
Elin Thomas (UK) November ‘07
I want to bring my kids here to experience it and I want to
be there for them too, the way you have been here for me - during
an exceptionally busy and stress ridden time in my life. I will
be back.
Gaytri Kachroo (USA) November ‘07 |
Living the Wisdom of the
Bhagavad Gita
Pawan Malik
Contd from the Sept-Oct
2007 issue…
The Gita also shows us how a person should
behave when they realize they don’t know the answer. Many
existentialist philosophers were also seekers like Arjuna. These
philosophers did not have the courage of Arjuna to be humble about
their ignorance. Instead they turned their ignorance and offered
it as a solution. They have stated that life is an accident, it
has no meaning, and that you live, you die -that’s it. So
enjoy life – you have no one to answer to. This is dangerous.
Arjuna too could have provided answers but he chose to be a humble
seeker, and therefore received the grace of the Divine, acting through
Krishna, who illuminated him to the truths about life. We should
also be careful not to turn our ignorance into solutions. Generally,
you will find we seek affirmations from friends and family on our
own point of view, only because we can then convince ourselves,
we are right.
Krishna begins his masterful rendition of inspiring leadership in
the second chapter. On being asked by Arjuna to guide him, instead
of revealing his status as god incarnate, offering the solution,
and expecting Arjuna to follow his advice, he pushes Arjuna into
confronting his inner conflicts. He wants Arjuna to realize the
truth for himself for only then will he be able to withstand all
that life has to throw at him. He wants Arjuna to understand that
conflicts are a way of life and they present an opportunity to transcend
and grow.
Without journeying through doubt, faith will not become stronger.
Without experiencing suffering, happiness will not be appreciated.
Life has to be experienced and every living moment has to be cherished.
All apparent |
inequities and difficulties must be viewed as a means to grow
and to understand that there is a core within us all; something
that remains unaffected by pleasure or pain, life or death.
Many of us wish to escape
bad times, sometimes by adopting a Guru, who we feel would provide
us spiritual salvation and alleviate our bad times. We seek spirituality
not to understand our true nature, but to avoid hardships. Krishna
is showing all of us that spirituality must be lived, day-by-day,
moment by moment. Every conflict must be confronted, every drama
must be experienced – only then will we grow. The message
of Gita is to embrace life and never worry. Live life in its totality
and accept whatever this life brings to us. Not only accept but
rejoice in it since it is an opportunity to grow and learn.
The Gita consists of 18
chapters. The first is depicting the anguish of Arjuna. The second
chapter is the executive summary of the entire Bhagavad-Gita.
The following fifteen chapters are an exposition of the truths
revealed in the second and the eighteenth is a grand summary of
the teachings again.
The second chapter itself
is broken into 4 main sections. The first section is when Arjuna
asks Krishna to be his spiritual guide and Guru officially. The
second section is a sharing of the highest truths about life and
being – called Sankhya, and why Arjuna should not grieve
for the impending death of kin. The third is the teaching of Karma
Yoga and the fourth, the qualities of a spiritually enlightened
person.
(To be continued…)
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| Benefits of Yoga Nidra…
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Healing powers of water... |
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By practice of Yoga Nidra the body is progressively relaxed,
which in turn releases the accumulated muscular tensions.
With practice one slowly moves towards the deeper
realms of the mind and, can recognize, confront and release the
deep-rooted emotional tensions and conflicts with full awareness.
In full awareness with the attitude of witness (Sakshi Bhava)
the suppressed and repressed emotions are released from the unconscious,
thereby relaxing the mind completely.
In Yoga Nidra, “the resolve”
trains the subconscious mind, and then the mind in its wakeful state
follows the path automatically. It helps in training the mind because
the resolve is planted when the mind is relaxed and ready to absorb
and accept it.
It helps in managing psychological disorders like
anxiety, hostility, insomnia etc. and psychosomatic diseases like
asthma, coronary heart disease, cancer, hypertension etc.
We tend to repress many wishes, desires and conflicts.
Whenever a situation threatens the ego, the defense mechanism is
called upon and the conflicting situation is repressed or suppressed
to the unconscious. These repressed desires, wishes and situations
remain in the form of symbols in the unconscious mind. In visualization
stage certain symbols and images are visualized with a witnessing
attitude. These are selected very carefully in accordance with
the symbols of the unconscious.
An abstract association is created between the
guided imagery and the associated repressed experiences of the unconscious.
For example, a particular image may bring out a traumatic past experience.
If this image which is observed with a witnessing attitude,
it helps in cutting off the personal identification with the experience.
When the personal identification ceases
to be cut off, the painful experience associated with the image
is repressed again. |
In this way, the practice
of visualization brings the unconscious repressed desires, experiences,
conflicts and frustrations to the conscious level and then cuts
off the personal identification with such experiences.
Conclusion
Swami Satyananda Saraswati (Bihar School of Yoga) re-introduced
the Yoga Nidra to the general public as till then it was only in
the domain of Spiritual seekers. We have quoted His words (unless
and otherwise specified) on the benefits of Yoga Nidra.
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Minimizes
tension: "a single hour of Yoga Nidra is as restful
as four hours of conventional sleep".
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Trains the mind:
"the sankalpa taken at the beginning of Yoga Nidra is like
sowing a seed, and the sankalpa at the end is like irrigating
it. So, the resolve taken in Yoga Nidra always brings result,
if it is taken sincerely".
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Relaxes
the mind: Each of the body parts has an existing centre
in the cerebral white matter, named by researchers as 'motor
homunculus' or 'little man'. The sequence of rotation of awareness
in Yoga Nidra is in accordance with the map in the cerebral
white matter of the brain. When the awareness is rotated in
the same sequence again and again, it induces a flow of pranic
energy within the neuronal circuit of the motor homunculus of
the brain. This pranic flow brings in a subjective experience
of relaxation in the brain.
To be continued…
Compiled by Rucha Sukhramani
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Up to 70% of the total body weight is due to water. Although it
is present in all parts of the body, it is more in organs such as
lungs, brain and fluids such as blood, lymph, saliva and secretions
by the organs of the digestive system. Most of us believe that we
feel thirsty whenever our body needs more water but recent research
studies have indicated that there are several other indicators,
than thirst, of inadequate water in some or all parts of the body.
Ignoring these indicators can lead to several major diseases that
medicines may cure but not treat.
Role of Water to Maintain Health
Necessary for all chemical reactions in the body, just as a seed
grow into a tree, it also helps our body grow from birth to adulthood.
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The flow of water inside and outside the
cells generates energy. This energy is stored in body along
with other chemical sources of energy in the body
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The energy generated by the water in the
cells helps to transmit impulses in the water.
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Helps in formation of a glue like substance
that helps the solid substance in the walls of the cells to
stick each other.
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Helps transport the chemical substances
produced by the brain that carry its messages to different parts
of the body.
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Water content in the body influences the
functions of the various proteins and enzymes that are dissolved
in it.
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Water helps maintain the moisture of the
lining of internal organs of the body.
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It maintains normal volume and consistency
of fluids such as blood and lymph.
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It regulates body temperature.
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It removes poisons / toxins from the body
through urine, sweat and breathing.
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Water is essential for regulating the normal
structure and functions of the skin.
To be continued…
Compiled by Dr. Sukumar K N
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