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Rudrakshas are the seeds of the Elaeocarpus ganitrus , an evergreen tree that primarily grows high in the mountains of the Indian Himalayas, Nepal, and Indonesia. The Rudraksha seed has been used for thousands of years in Hindu prayer beads in India, principally due to the natural hole located in its center. There is considerable Folklore about the Rudraksha bead, and it is known to have various spiritual and powerful healing properties . The Rudraksha tree bears white flowers with blue fruit, and inside is the sacred and spiritual Rudraksha. These seeds are extracted by soaking the mature fruits in water and then removing the bulk of the pulp to expose the pits. The seeds are then cleaned and dried. According to the ancient Vedic and Sanskrit scriptures, the word ‘rud’ means to wail, howl, or cry. Rudra is also one of the many names of  Shiva, who is amongst the three central holy figures in Hinduism. The second part of the word, which is 'aksha,' means eyes. The bea

In yoga's sister science Ayurveda , a happy digestion relates to a balanced health and normal functioning immune system. When food is poorly or not properly digested, it can creates what is known in Ayurveda as ‘ama’ or toxins in the body. Ama makes us feel heavy and lethargic and creates bad morning breath as well as low energy and a depressed mood. More importantly, ama is seen as the root of all disease in Ayurvedic theory. Detailed below are some simple dietary and lifestyle suggestions to help reduce the build-up of ama in the body. 1. Avoid eating a heavy evening meal Ayurveda recommends making lunch the main meal as our digestive fire is at its strongest around noontime. Once we go to sleep our digestion slows down markedly and it is difficult for food to get properly digested. When this happens, we are more likely to experience low energy in the morning and have no appetite. 2. Eat only when you are hungry While this may seem like common sense, it is certainl

The Sanskrit word mantra consists of the root "man" which means “to think” and the suffix "tra", means “tool or instrument”, therefore a literal translation of mantra is “instrument of thought.” The subtle vibrations of mantras originate from the 50 basic sounds of the sacred Sanskrit alphabet. Although they have no literal meaning, the primary  bijas (seed sounds), form the essence of a mantra and are the source of its power. Moreover, bija mantras serve as building-blocks and foundation for longer and more complex mantras. Each of the five words set out below—a tiny selection from the various seed mantras—are extremely potent. These five see mantras correspond to one of the 7 chakra energy centers . The Seven Seed Mantras Ham–chakra 5 (throat) This bija mantra corresponds to the energy of the space and the sense of hearing. This bija mantra activates and stimulates the throat chakra. Yam–chakra 4 (heart) This bija mantra corresponds to the energy of

When you’ve been on the computer for hours on end, with a heap of work to complete in too little time you naturally trigger your stress response. Your shoulders are moving closer to your ears, the jaw is getting tighter, there are new wrinkles on your forehead, and your belly is hard as a rock. Unfortunately, that’s not a nod to your abs of steel either–it’s a source of the tension created in your belly. When we hold our abdomen tight because we’re either too tense or because our clothes are too tight, we tend to move into shallow chest breathing. Chest breathing can increase feelings of stress and anxiety. The way we breathe has a significant impact on our mental-emotional state. It works in reverse too; our mental-emotional states affect our breathing pattern. For example when we’re sad we tend to sigh a lot. When we’re angry, the breath becomes rapid. When we’re anxious or fearful, the inspiration can become shallow and moves from the chest. When we’re at ease and relaxed,

Yoga Nidra is a potent yogic technique that teaches you to relax consciously and deeply. It is a systematic method of physical, mental and emotional relaxation. Yoga Nidra is both a deep relaxation and a meditation practice done from a lying down position. It’s also one of the most comfortable relaxation and meditation techniques, making it suitable for all levels of experience and ability. Yoga Nidra can be thought of as ‘yogic sleep’. Yoga means union and Nidra means sleep. In Yoga Nidra the purpose is to unite your awareness with the act of deep relaxation the looks like sleep. Externally it may look like you are sleeping, but internally your awareness is fully awake and you are conscious of the deeper layers of the mind. In Yoga Nidra your awareness hovers on the borderline between waking and sleeping. This is known as the hypnogogic state. Being in this state gives you access to your subconscious mind. And there you come to know yourself and your mind. When practicing Yoga Ni

The practices of yoga affect not only the body and the mind, but also the subtle energetic body. The energetic body permeates the whole physical body. Yoga acknowledges that energy is obtained from the breath, food, water and the universe itself as well as from the burning of food. In yoga we call this energy ‘prana’, in Chinese medicine it is referred to as ‘chi’. Within the energetic or pranic body there are said to be 72,000 pathways of subtle energy (prana). These paths or channels of energy are called nadis. The nadis are not the nerve pathways; they are more subtle in nature. The nadis have major junction points along the spine where they intersect, and at these junctions we find chakras. Chakras are defined as wheels of energy Situated along the spine are six major chakras. Each chakra controls the circulation and distribution of prana throughout the body and also acts like a switch turning on different parts of the brain. Each chakra governs a particular region of th