February 8, 2022

Chakra Meditation: 7 Chakras Of The Body

Author By - Carol Penn Categories chakra meditation fitness health meditation mental health
Chakra Meditation

The term ‘chakra’ refers to ‘wheel’ in Sanskrit and is a part of an energy system inside our bodies. There are a total of seven points in this system and each point is known as a chakra. Chakra meditation has its origin in ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas. The chakras have been said to be shaped like lotuses and are connected with distinct chakra sounds. Namely, the seven important chakras are as follows. 

  • Muladhara (Root chakra)

This chakra is situated at the base of our spine and it helps to maintain inner peace and stability.

  • Svadhisthana (Sacral Chakra)

With an energetic function of regulating our desires and emotions, this one is located in our pelvis. 

  • Manipura (Solar plexus chakra)

Situated in our belly button, it provides us with the confidence we require to process things and let go of those that do not serve us a purpose.

  • Anahata (Heart chakra)

This one focusus on unconditional love and is located at the middle of our chest.

  •  Vishuddha (Throat chakra)

This chakra at the base of your throat is going to help you express yourself in the most authentic way.

  • Ajna (Third eye chakra)

Knowing ourselves is extremely important. You should strive to know yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually as well. This is exactly what this chakra located in the middle of your forehead helps in doing. 

  • Sahasrara (Crown chakra)

This point is at the top of our head and guides us in becoming a better version of ourselves by developing a connection with all and functioning in an enlightened manner. 

The objective of chakra meditation is to enhance your emotional awareness and to maintain mental balance. Your chakras need to open up and be in line with one another. If all your chakras are not aligned and in sync with one another, there might be some negative physical and emotional symptoms such as excessive sadness, fear, discomfort, headaches, digestive issues, etc. There are three distinct ways to go about chakra meditation. You can begin meditation on energy, meditation on chakra colors or meditation on a specific chakra.  

What Is Root Chakra Meditation?

Root chakra meditation is an example of meditation on an individual chakra for improving the emotional or physical areas that are associated with that particular point. When you opt for root chakra meditation, your focus would be to acquire chakra elements such as stability, security, and basic needs in general. You could also be targeting emotional requirements such as responsibility, and interconnection as well as basic needs such food, shelter, water, and safety. Whichever point you decide to focus on, your ultimate goal would be to ensure that your chakras are open, thereby allowing the free flow of energy throughout your body. This would lead to a strong and stable connection between your body and mind. 

December 23, 2021

Restorative Yoga Poses

Author By - Arti Sharma Categories fitness health restorative yoga savasana yoga
Restorative Yoga

Some terms that are usually associated with restorative yoga are gentle, slow, relaxing, and calm. This is because restorative yoga is a type of yoga that promotes physical, and mental relaxation. As the name suggests, it helps in restoration and rejuvenation, that is, positive healing. The poses that are practiced are done extremely slowly and steadily since the key is to complete the session in an organic, unforced manner. It focuses on holding postures for a long time unlike other forms like power yoga, Bikram yoga, etc. You are expected to hold a pose for 5 minutes or more. This is why very few postures are included in a single session of restorative yoga. Deep breathing plays a very important role in this form. One major motive of this form is to awaken the parasympathetic nervous system. Let’s talk about some of the main poses of this form. 

  • Legs-On-The-Wall Pose 

This is one of the defining poses of restorative yoga. To achieve this pose, place your yoga mat close to the wall. Next, lie down straight on the mat, with cushions or blankets underneath your head and back to provide extra support. Next, straighten your legs upwards and rest them on the wall. The distance between your buttocks and the wall should be as less as is possible for you to sustain. Hold this position for about 10 minutes and focus on deep breathing. This would help relax your body and release the tension in your muscles. This pose is great for providing a mild stretch to the back of your neck and hamstrings. It reduces back-related issues and treats tired legs and feet. 

  • Corpse Pose

The pose is commonly known as savasana and is done after several yoga and other fitness routines. It’s known to relieve muscle tension and stress. Achieving it is quite simple. Lie down straight on your yoga mat with a pillow or blankets under your head and the back of your knees. This would give you extra comfort and support. Your hands should be placed on the sides, with the palms facing upwards. There should be a slight gap between your hands and the body. Attempt to hold this position for about 10 minutes and concentrate on your breathing. Take slow, but deep breaths and let your body muscles relax. If you do this regularly, it would have an immense positive impact on your mental, as well as physical health. Once you begin restorative yoga, the results will not disappoint you. 

December 22, 2021

Bikram Choudhury And Hot Yoga

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories bikram yoga fitness health yoga
Yoga Session

There are currently over 1650 Bikram yoga studios around the world. Bikram yoga is a type of yoga that was introduced in the 1970s by Bikram Choudhury in California. In this practice devised by him, one is required to perform the same 26 hatha yoga poses for 90 minutes. Furthermore, this must be done in a hot room with a temperature of 41 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit), hence the name “Hot Yoga.” While any style of yoga performed in a hot room can be called “hot yoga,” Bikram yoga rooms are the hottest.

Bikram Choudhury has chosen eagle posture, tree pose, cobra pose, and other classic hatha yoga poses. One of the most significant aspects of Bikram yoga is that the poses cannot be performed in any random order. When doing Bikram yoga, you must follow a precise sequence. According to Bikram Choudhury, the main man himself, the poses are designed in such a way that new and fresh blood reaches all regions of your body in a methodical manner, including every fiber and organ. If the precise order is not followed, the same benefits will not be attained. Bikram yoga has a number of advantages, according to its practitioners. Because it’s done in a heated environment, you’ll be sweating from the beginning to the end of your session. This guarantees that toxins are removed from your body through sweat. Furthermore, the high temperature promotes blood flow and allows oxygenated blood to reach muscle tissue. This increases overall flexibility while also assisting in weight loss. Bikram yoga is also good for people who suffer from back pain or low blood pressure. It sharpens the mind and enhances physical and mental well-being. In some people, Bikram yoga can help with glucose tolerance, bone mineral density, blood lipid profile, arterial stiffness, mindfulness, and stress perception.

While there is evidence to support the benefits of Bikram yoga, there are also some risks associated with it. Many people believe that being in a hot environment for too long might cause dehydration, dizziness, and nausea. As a result, if you’re a beginner, you should practice under the guidance of an expert. At no point should you overwork yourself. The key to achieving the best results is to follow your trainer’s directions.

December 18, 2021

Techniques Of Zen Meditation

Author By - Debbie Gobin Categories fitness health meditation mental health therapy zen meditation
Meditation

Zen meditation is a branch of mediation that is associated with spirituality. In this form of meditation, one needs to be in sync with the authentic nature of his mind. It involves decoding the true powers of your mind. The purpose of this form of meditation is to clear the mind of evils such as anxiety and depression by providing you with the actual perspective of how the human mind functions. Zen meditation has originated from the Tang Dynasty of China that existed during the 7th century. It is a Buddhist practice but with time, it spread to several parts of Asia such Japan and Korea. “A special teaching transmission outside the teachings; not established upon words and letters; directly pointing to the human heartmind; seeing nature and becoming a Buddha” are the words of Bodhidharma, a Buddhist master while he described Zen meditation. It does not simply involve the reduction of stress and anxiety, but it is connected to the deeper questions of life that often have no solid answers. These questions are explored to find out the nature of the mind. Some techniques of Zen meditation are mentioned below. 

  • Silent Awareness 

A very important aspect of Zen mediation is to just let the mind be. This is called “shikantaza” in Japanese that refers to “just sitting”. In this practice, you would have to allow your mind to simply be a passage wherein thoughts flow in and out, instead of reacting to them. You would have to let the thoughts pass without any sort of judgements, either positive or negative. You would simply have to refrain from any sort of feeling. Your goal would be to be free of all judgements and practicing meditation. This is important if you want to know how clear your mind can truly be and how freely can it function. 

  • Observing The Breath 

You would be expected to sit on a cushion, chair or mat while you are performing this meditation. You would have to hold the Seiza pose, Burmese or half-lotus before channelizing all your energy on one particular aspect of the meditation process, namely, breathing. You would have to focus all your attention on your breathing and the completion of inhalation and exhalation with your belly playing an important role. The more accurate your effort is, the faster would you notice desirable results. The motive of this is to make your mind feel more alert and attentive, thus regulating your emotions better. 

December 18, 2021

What Is Individual Counseling?

Author By - Asmita Bhattacharjee Categories counseling health individual counseling mental health professional help therapy
Individual Counseling Session

Personal or individual counseling refers to a private session between a professional and an individual who seeks help on matters of personal or professional interest. It’s a one-on-one conversation with an expert and you can talk to them about things that concern you or have been troubling you. Moreover, you can also ask for their advice on things or situations that are significant in your life. More often than not, the expert would engage in a friendly conversation with you to be aware of the circumstances that might be going on in your life. They would try to understand and analyze your issues and instruct you on ways that would help you get rid of your problems. In this article, we’re going to talk about how individual counseling can help you. 

  • Coping Well With Situations 

Mental illnesses like anxiety and depression cannot be treated in one day. It requires regular effort. Once you begin individual counseling sessions, you would learn a lot about the actual causes of your problems. In this way, you would be able to stay away from them in a conscious manner. Whenever you feel disturbed, the instructions given by your counselor would help you cope with the situation and act in an organised manner. Even if you’re not able to fully control your emotions, you would have the basic idea about how to deal with them gradually. This is one of the major advantages of individual counseling. 

  • Unhindered Attention 

One of the main pros of individual counseling is the aspect of getting one-on-one attention of the counselor. This helps immensely in the process of curing mental illnesses because most of these result from or worsen because of the lack of having someone who would listen. If you’re suffering from a mental illness, you would always want to talk to someone who would listen to you and understand you without judgement. This is the exact role played by a counselor. You get the unhindered attention that you crave for. Moroever, since the person sitting right in front of you doesn’t know you, there’s scope for developing new perspectives and dynamics that you’ve not encountered before. Quite often, you would be surprised how newer perspectives can solve your problems way easily than you had expected.

  • Improving Relationships 

When you’re not fine mentally, it directly or indirectly affects your relationships. However, when your problems tend to subside as a result of the individual counseling sessions, you would automatically be in a position to fix your relationships and improve them. Moreover, you’ll also learn to deal with them in a better manner, despite all the issues that you might be facing. 

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