Find Peace During Pandemic Uncertainty with Kundalini Yoga and Meditation

By Shanti Kaur Khalsa

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the world far more uncertain. It’s impacted our work and finances, our relationships, and of course, our physical and mental health. Finding the sense of surety we all crave is almost impossible, which leads to stress, anxiety, and powerlessness that drains us emotionally. These feelings of helplessness can be traumatic, putting our body and mind in a constant “flight or fight” state. Staying in this tense state for too long not only hurts our quality of life but makes our immune systems more vulnerable. 

It’s important to recognize that this stress is a natural response to what’s happening in the world. After being gentle with ourselves, we also need to find a self-care routine that treats both the body and the mind, helping us to break the cycle of endless “what-ifs” about tomorrow’s challenges. 

There are plenty of ways to cope with anxiety from uncertainty. Exercise, meditation, and breathing techniques have all been proven to mitigate stress. Recently however, health care professionals, researchers, and practitioners are finding consensus around an activity that combines these three techniques into a powerful tool for regulating emotions and managing stress – Kundalini Yoga. 

How Kundalini Yoga Can Help

Kundalini Yoga is an ancient practice that incorporates movement, dynamic breathing techniques, meditation, and mantras to channel your body’s energy. While most forms of exercise produce the endorphins that make you feel better, Kundalini Yoga also releases the tension and anxiety that builds up over time in your body’s glands and nerves. It resets your stress response so that you can achieve an internal biochemistry of calm, balance, and depth of self.

This is supported by a growing body of evidence indicating that contemplative practices such as yoga and meditation are effective at treating anxiety. In one recent study, researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston University and the Sundari Satnam Kundalini Yoga Center compared Kundalini Yoga with common cognitive treatments in reducing symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. Those who were treated with yoga had lower relative levels of anxiety and had a decrease in physical symptoms compared to traditional treatments (Visit JAMA Psychiatry to read the study).

Start Your Practice at Home

One of the many beautiful aspects of yoga is that it requires no special equipment – though a yoga mat is helpful — so there’s nothing to stop you from practicing Kundalini Yoga in your living room. Training with a qualified Kundalini instructor will eventually be necessary to learn proper form, but there are plenty of techniques you can easily perform on your own that will help to cope with the uncertainty of the pandemic. 

Try this Kundalini mediation at home whenever you feel worried or anxious. Choose a peaceful surrounding, inside or outside.  You can have soft music playing to enhance your sense of peace.

1. Sit in Easy Pose.
   • Sit on the floor. You can use a pillow or cushion for comfort.
   • Cross your legs in front of you in a comfortable and relaxed way.
   • If you are uncomfortable sitting on floor you can sit in a chair with your legs uncrossed and your feet flat on the ground.
   • Place your hands on your knees, palms down, close your eyes and observe the sensations of your body and mind.
     
2. Place your hands on the center of your chest at heart level. 
   • Begin by resting the back of your left hand in the palm of your right hand. 
   • Gently grab your left hand with your right, so that your right thumb is nestled in your left palm.
   • Cross your left thumb over your right. 
   • Curve the fingers of your right hand around the outside of your left hand and hold it gently with the four fingers of the left hand remaining straight. 
   • Bring your hands to your heart center, resting them against your chest. 
     
3. With eyes closed, inhale deeply and relax. Breath slowly for 10–30 minutes. 
   • In daily life we typically breathe 15 times a minute. Try slowing down to 4 breaths per minute by inhaling to the count of 10 and exhaling to the count of 10.  A slow breath will slow your heartbeat, reduce your stress response, and give you a peaceful, secure feeling. 
   • Your mind will begin with a lot of “chatter” and anxiety.  That is normal!  Don’t try to suppress your thoughts, let them come and go until your mind is peaceful.  If you have a particularly persistent thought, try naming it.  Say to yourself, “This is my worry about my son,” for example.  And let it go.
   • It is difficult at first, but if you do this breathing technique regularly you will find that your mind will welcome the silence and will start to relax. Soon, you will build the habit and the capacity to keep your mind calm in challenging environments.

For more ways to reduce stress through Kundalini Yoga, visit: https://www.3ho.org/

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Shanti Kaur Khalsa, a yoga teacher and business consultant who brings spiritual values to every aspect of life.  She is an engaging Sikh teacher and her involvement with Sikh youth has led to mentoring young people around the world. She is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher who has traveled widely teaching and giving inspirational kirtan and lecture programs.  Shanti is a published historian and regularly contributes articles on both current events and Sikh history.  

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5 Ways Meditation Makes Us Better at Yoga

Meditation. Yoga. The two go together like Batman & Robin (though with less capes… usually).

As spiritual health practices that have both found popularity in the West over the past 50 years, we tend to lump yoga and meditation together. Whenever we read of one, the other usually isn’t far behind. And when we’re shopping for yoga pants it’s no surprise to see a meditation mala in the vicinity.

Yet despite the obvious correlation between yoga and meditation, there are still countless people who do one or the other and not both.

Big mistake. 

Yoga makes you better at meditation because it creates a relaxed body that is conducive to a relaxed mind. Not to mention, it also makes it far easier to get into lotus position without feeling like your legs are going to snap in two.  And meditation makes us better at yoga in five key ways. Let’s take a look.

How meditation makes us better at yoga

1. Meditation helps us focus on asanas

When we’re practicing yoga, we are, of course, exercising the body. But we ought to be exercising the mind at the same time.

Every time we place the body in an asana (pose), we should be focusing on that pose. By focusing the mind on the body while in a pose, we experience the asana in full. Yoga asanas offer many mental health benefits, but in order to glean those benefits, we have to actually focus on what we are doing. 

Sadly, many people don’t leave their thoughts and distractions at the yoga studio door. And so they are not able to focus on the yoga.  

Meditation is well known to improve focus and concentration. And because of this, it makes it easier to focus the mind on the body when we enter a yoga pose. The result is complete mind-body immersion in the asana.

2. Meditation lowers oxygen consumption

One of the lesser-known benefits of meditation is that it changes the way the body uses oxygen.

Scientific research shows that meditation lowers oxygen consumption rate by 10%. This means that we are more able to control the breath during and after meditation. This is a game-changer for anyone who gets short of breath when practicing yoga. If that’s you, try meditating before doing yoga, and during your yoga session, take a few moments here and there to practice mindful breathing. This will help regulate the breath.

Not only does this help us practice yoga for longer, it also gives us more control of pranayama. 

3. Meditation helps you to discover the philosophical aspects of yoga

While most yoga studios these days are more concerned with physical exercise than philosophy, historically yoga has been about both.

If you want to truly embrace the yogic lifestyle, you have to get in touch with the philosophical side. Meditation can help.

The yogic system itself includes many meditations, such as Trataka (Still Gazing), chakra meditations, mantras, and sound meditations (Nada Yoga). Not only do these meditation techniques help train the mind, they also prepare the mind-body for more advanced stages of yoga. After all, it’s hard to truly experience Pungu Mayurasana  (Wounded Peacock Posture) while you’re worrying about that business meeting.

4. Get too sweaty doing hot yoga? Meditation will help

Anyone who practices Bikram (hot yoga) knows what it’s like to sweat a little too much. But meditation can change that.

We get sweaty when our body temperature rises. But meditation reduces heart rate and blood pressure, and this cools down the body and thereby reduces sweating.

So if you’re worried you might be a little hot, sweaty and, yes, smelly when you’re doing hot yoga, try meditating.

5. Meditation improves balance 

Feel a little wobbly in Warrior III? Meditation will change that, at least according to one scientific study. 

Ying Kee, PhD, and his colleagues at the Nanyang Technological University’s National Institute of Education took 32 men and split them into two groups. Kee made both groups stand on one leg while holding a basin of water.   While they were doing this, Kee asked one group to be mindful of their hands, while the other group were allowed to think of anything they liked. Kee then tested the balance of members of both groups.

The results showed that being mindful of the body increases balance, where thinking about something other than what we’re doing will actually lower our balance.

So, if you want to stay in an asana for longer, be mindful of your body while you’re in the pose.

Anyone who is serious about getting better at yoga should embrace both the physical and the mental exercises. And of the latter, meditation is the most important.

By practicing meditation not only do we embrace more of the yogic lifestyle, we also prepare the mind for success in the yoga studio.

The benefits of meditation are significant, and they are invaluable when it comes to improving our yoga practice.

If you’ve been doing the physical side of yoga without practicing meditation, perhaps it’s time for that to change.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Paul Harrison, a meditation teacher based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He has 20 years of experience and has spent more than 2,000 hours meditating. He also works as a freelance journalist.

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How to Support Your Student’s Wellbeing During COVID-19

Approximately 1 in 4 people (in the UK) suffer from a mental health condition. Couple this with recent research suggesting that 300 million people practise yoga worldwide, and it is reasonable to assume that someone in your yoga class has experienced, is experiencing or will experience an episode of poor mental health. Given our current circumstances, this likelihood is significantly higher, as mental health charities have reported an increase in cases of anxiety, OCD and depression due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yet for all this, yoga teachers are not therapists, nor should they be dealt with the responsibility of counselling their students. Mental health is a delicate matter that requires a unique sensitivity and education, knowledge not obtained in a foundation teacher training.

What yoga teachers can do is take steps to ensure their students feel safe and supported in class. Below are some suggestions on how to do so.

“How are you, really?”

Ask your students how they are. It is a simple question, and yet one that is charged with meaning. These four words create an opportunity for your student to open up, to put into words thoughts or feelings that may have felt incommunicable. Contrary to what you may expect, you do not need to provide life-changing advice, the mere act of taking an interest and listening to your students is enough to show your support.

In a yoga class, we often ask students to check in with themselves or pay attention to our thoughts and feelings. For some, this introspection can stimulate an emotional response. While guiding a class through the physical practice, it is important we are sensitive to the emotional reactions. Checking in with your students at the end of a class allows them the space to verbalize their experience, and in doing so, perhaps identify something that needs exploring/greater attention.

Pay Attention

Unlike the stark cast signalling a broken arm, mental health conditions are not so evidently visible. Because of this, it is all the harder to approach/address. In absence of crutches, a shoulder sling or bandage, it is all the more important to pick up on subtle signs: missing a regular yoga class, entering the class late, seeming distracted or leaving a class immediately.

It is well established that physical activity is good for mental health, as is keeping up a regular routine. Of course, you cannot force your students to attend weekly yoga classes, however beneficial it may be to their wellbeing. However, you can make doing so more accessible. Monthly packages encourage a sense of accountability and commitment to showing up each week, even if that is so not to lose out financially!

Create a Community

In lockdown we have a heightened awareness for the importance of connection, but community and social support has always been crucial/fundamental to our sense of wellbeing. As yoga teachers we have the opportunity to connect like-minded individuals, whether that be through weekly “challenges” to build group spirit/solidarity, or separate means of communication through Facebook or WhatsApp groups. Being part of a group can combat feelings of isolation that so often arise in those struggling with their mental health. While we are not able to physically attend classes, virtual groups serve to foster this element of belonging and community.

Direct Them to Resources

As mentioned above, yoga teachers are not counsellors. It is a distinction that is often blurred by those working in the industry, their career choice motivated by a desire to help others. Yet, while it may be tempting to share personal experiences and guidance, such advice can be misconstrued or even damaging by those in a vulnerable position.

It is, therefore, more prudent and helpful to guide your students toward professional support. Here is a list of several organizations your students can turn to:

SANE: http://www.sane.org.uk
Mind: http://www.mind.org.uk
Samaritans: http://www.samaritans.org
Mental Health Foundation: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk
Childline: http://www.childline.org.uk

Understandably, it is not easy to drop the above into a casual conversation. If possible, it is worth posting these helplines on the studio’s notice board or desk so that anyone interested can access help discreetly. Alternatively, you may want to add these as resources to your website or social media page as a signal of the help available.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Melissa Albarran from Yoga Alliance Professionals. She is a practicing yogi, dedicated runner, and avid writer.

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Why You Should Consider Fasting & 4 Tips to Prepare for Your First Fast

By Ram Jain

People have been practicing fasting for many years for religious, spiritual or health reasons. Yogic philosophy also approves of fasting as a way to cleanse the body and to control both mind and body. 

When you practice fasting you learn to control the senses and not to react on the tendency to eat food out of habit or routine. 

Fasting allows the intestines to take a rest. They always work and because we keep eating, they never get to rest. While fasting, the intestines get the chance to digest all the food, to clean itself and to rest. 

Fasting has always been a consistent part my lifestyle and has proven to be very beneficial, both physically and mentally. 

Fasting can be done in many different ways. There are differences in length of fasting: 

• 1-day fast every week
• 3-day fast every month
• one week fast a few times a year
• 10-day fast once a year or even several week fast

A 1-day fast is the best way for beginners to experience fasting for the first time and to see how the body reacts. Several weeks of fasting should never be done without experience and supervision. 

There are also differences in types of fasting: 

• water fast (only drinking water)
• juice fast (only drinking 2 glasses of fresh vegetable or fruit juice a day)
• partial fast (excluding certain foods such as wheat, carbohydrates, dairy)

You can choose which type of fasting you want to do, depending on the situation and your experience. It is important that you always listen to your body and that you do it step by step. So don’t start with a 10-day water fast if you have never fasted before!

Remember: All of these fasts have the same goal: to give the body the opportunity to cleanse and detoxify itself.

For those who don’t have experience in fasting, here are four tips on how you can prepare yourself and how you can make your first fast a success:

1. Be completely devoted

Fasting will be the most comfortable and beneficial if you are completely devoted to do it. Make sure you know why you want to do it (for health, spiritual or religious reason) and truly believe you are doing something good for your body. Only then your mind will calm down and accept it and you won’t crave for food so much.

2. Eat light before you start fasting

Before you fast there should be a transition period where you eat less and light. This transition period is generally half of the fasting period. So if you do a 1-week fast, you should start eating light and less 3.5 days before. This way your body can already prepare itself and the transition from little to no food is easier than if you have a big heavy meal the evening before you start fasting the next day.

3. Be prepared for some physical reaction

Each body reacts different to fasting, depending on the constitution of your body, your eating habits, your mental state, etc. Some people might feel weak, tired, get a headache, or have mood swings. Be prepared for some physical reaction but if the reaction is too strong and too uncomfortable, you should slowly stop the fasting and try a lighter form the next time. It is important to always keep listening to your body. The first times are usually the hardest, but it gets easier as your body gets more used to the fasting.

4. Limit your physical activities

Try to plan your fasting period so that it fits in your personal lifestyle. Don’t start fasting in a very stressful period where you keep running here and there. If possible don’t do too many physically intensive activities. They can make your body more tired and make you feel weaker and hungrier. Those who are more used to fasting will have less problems with this.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Ram Jain, the Founding Director of the Arhanta Yoga Ashrams in India and the Netherlands. Within the last 10 years, the Arhanta Yoga Ashrams have become renowned internationally for their professional yoga teacher training course in India and various other yoga certification and have up to present trained over 4,000 yoga teachers from all over the world.

Born in New Delhi, India, in a traditional and spiritual family, Ram’s yoga and Vedic philosophy education started at the age of eight years as a part of his primary school education. He has in-depth knowledge of various ancient scriptures like Vedas, Bhagavad Gita, Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Hatha Yoga Pradipika as well as anatomy and physiology. 

He is also the author of the book Hatha Yoga for Teachers & Practitioners: A Comprehensive Guide to Holistic Sequencing

Website: https://www.arhantayoga.org

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5 Foods to Incorporate into Your Yogic Diet

By Simone de Villiers

Travelling from Australia to India for my first 200hr yoga teacher training course, I felt nervous about my belly. So I drank all the kombucha before I left and stocked my bags with probiotics and Imodium to make sure I’d be able to cure any “Delhi Belly” I may encounter. Who knew that I was going to leave my school, Gyan Yog Breath in Rishikesh, feeling healthier (and fuller) than ever. 

In the town of Rishikesh, the birthplace of yoga, everything is vegetarian. Previously a meat-eater, I was uneasy about the idea of just eating veggies and carbs for a month. I thought that having a meatless diet would leave me less energetic than usual. But the total opposite happened. I noticed that my mood improved, I was less bloated, I slept better and I was more energized. 

The school had chefs dedicated to feeding us two vegetarian meals each day that incorporated Ayurvedic ingredients. Each meal was freshly prepared with the intention of calming the functions of the mind and filling the body with life force energy, prana. They had taught us that the ideal yogic diet is one that does as little harm as possible and makes you feel good physically and emotionally. 

Eating right is an essential activity for your yoga practice, so here are a few tips on the types of foods and Ayurvedic principles that you can bring to the table as a yogi.

1. Fresh fruit and vegetables 

Always try to prepare a fresh meal with fresh, locally sourced fruit and veggies. Be sure to take note of what foods are in season where you’re living. Having a healthy mix of vegetables and fruits in your diet gives you all the healthy antioxidants and immune boosting nutrients your body needs for your yoga practice.

2. Herbal Teas

Herbal teas tend to contain herbs such as black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and turmeric, which all help boost the body’s immune system and improve metabolism. 

Some popular ones to try before or after your practice are peppermint, chamomile, green, and ginger and lemon tea.

3. Legumes and grains 

Rice, chickpeas, lentils, beans, peas and so many more. 

Legumes and grains are easy to digest and provide your body with a great source of protein alternative to meat. 

4. Water 

Hydration before, during and after yoga practice will make you perform better, increasing strength and flexibility. It is great for helping us to detox our bodies and provides us with the oxygen we need  to maintain clarity and focus throughout our practice. 

5. All the spices like ginger, cumin, turmeric and fresh herbs

Herbs and spices directly support the mind and also make your food taste delicious. According to Ayurveda, spices act as healing foods that support a healthy body and stimulate its repair and rejuvenation.

Our nutrition works the same way as our asana practice, and it’s just as important. The same way that each of our individual practices differs, so do our dietary requirements and our individual idea’s about what is right and wrong when it comes to food. There is no specific diet that is suitable for all of us; however, incorporating the foods above will help to make you feel good, physically and emotionally. As long as you have a healthy relationship with food, and not overly restrictive in giving your body what it needs, your  mind, body and spirit can all positively function together.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Simone de Villiers. Inspired by her education, experiences and travels, Simone is passionate about all things well-being. Her passion for yoga, Ayurveda and wellness led her to Gyan Yog Breath in India (www.gyanyogbreath.com), where she became enthusiastic about promoting holistic health. Alongside freelancing, she has recently started teaching yoga in Sydney.

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3 Mantras to Build Your Self-Love

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection.” Buddha.

Self-love. We all need more of it.

The teachings of yoga are big on self-love because of one spiritual truth: you cannot fully love others until you fully love yourself.

And why should we love ourselves? That’s what our ego so often asks. So much of the time we have very little self-compassion for our own vulnerabilities and fears.

But, these “negative” aspects of ourselves are merely part of being human. We come into this world as little innocents, afraid of nothing and curious about everything. It’s the experiences and traumas of life that create our fears and vulnerabilities.

We can use yoga and mantra meditation to see them for what they are, and cultivate self-love for ourselves so that we can live from our souls—our place of truth—free from fear and full of unconditional love.

Then we can help others do the same, by seeing them for who they are—spiritual beings in a physical body, riding the ups and downs of this roller coaster called life.

All that said, how do we cultivate more self-love?

One effective way is through the profound practice of mantra meditation. Mantras specifically designed to cultivate self-love are some of the most effective yogic tools for creating lasting grooves in our minds and hearts.

Grooves that tell us we’re beautiful, lovable, and enough—just as we are.

A little time spent each day practicing mantras to build your self-love will work wonders! Not only will you come to know that you’re innately lovable, you’ll also see the exact same love in everyone you meet.

Why Do Mantras Work?

Mantras are healing tools for the mind, and when you repeat a mantra, you shift your brain state and transform your state of awareness. When you still the mind during mantra meditation, you open up space for the mantra to plant its seeds within your consciousness.

The more you do it, the stronger those seeds grow. And eventually, your mind becomes a beautiful garden of loving thoughts. This is the power of mantras.

3 Mantras to Build Your Self-love

No two people will ever live the same life story. This makes each and every one of us unique. You are a collection of unique talents, and no one on the entire planet is exactly like you. Only you have that special something to offer the world that no one else has.

When you truly understand this truth within your heart, then you can come to cherish the beauty in yourself (and others) in every moment.

We’re going to explore three mantras to embed this sense of knowing deep into our state of awareness.

1. Aieem namah– “My true nature is love and joy.”

This mantra opens your awareness to the true essence of who you are. You are the source of all strength, love, and joy. Let this mantra sink in, as you prepare yourself to sit in meditation.

As you sit, repeat the mantra over and over—out loud, or in your mind’s eye. You can repeat the mantra in Sanskrit, or in English—whichever resonates in the moment.

Every moment is different. Some days, you may prefer English, others Sanskrit. Listen to what you want, and let your soul be your guide.

2. Aham brahmasmi– “I am wholeness.”

You are whole—just as you are. Nothing needs to be added. Nothing needs to be taken away. Build your self-love by meditating with this mantra for a few minutes each day.

With time, you’ll come to rest in this state of inner knowing and self-love. As you repeat the aham brahmasmi mantra, allow each repetition to guide you into an expanded state of awareness. With time, you’ll understand just how whole and complete you truly are.

3. Aham prema– “I am love.”

We’re all on this planet to express every aspect of love that exists. All it takes is a tiny shift in the way we see ourselves in order to live from a state of pure love. And this is what happens when you repeat aham prema. You shift the way you see yourself on a profound level—from your state of deep awareness.

Unlock your kind, open, and generous heart with this mantra for self-love. The poet Tagore wrote that love is the only reality, and the only truth that lies at the very heart of creation. This mantra takes us to our true Self, our source, which is divine love.

To connect with love as the quality of your true spirit, repeat this mantra in Sanskrit or English for a few minutes each day.

Supercharge with a Mala

To supercharge these mantras, get yourself a beautiful set of mala beads and use them to practice your mantra 108 times whenever you sit. This is the holy number, the one that’s said to be sacred and auspicious. If your mind wanders, simply bring it back to the mantra, and to the beads.

This is yourpractice. Allow it to fill you with profound states of peace, compassion, and of course—self-love.

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Aimee Hughes, an advanced yogi (21 years) and mindfulness enthusiast. She earned her B.A. in French from Tulane University and then Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) credentials from Clayton College. She is a primary writer for Yogapedia.com, and she has gone on to pen more than 500 holistic health and spirituality articles for a number of worldwide publications, including Gaia TV, DOYOUYOGA, “The South African Journal of Natural Medicine,” “OnFitness” magazine, “Longevity Times,”  and more. Aimee has also authored a self-published vegan cookbook titled, “The Sexy Vegan Kitchen: Culinary Adventures in Love & Sex.”

Photo credit: Erriko Boccia

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Why Compassion in Community is Important