Friday, October 24, 2014

The 21 Stages of Meditation

Date: November 1-3 & 7-9
Time: 8am-5pm
Location: 2308 N Richland St, Phoenix AZ, 85006
Cost: All 3 journeys - $1320 (including lunch, tea & snacks)
         1 journey - $500 (including lunch, tea & snacks)

Register at www.yogaphoenix.com. 
 
Whether you are a Kudalini Yoga teacher, a student or someone with an interest in meditation, you can take this course to dive deeper in to the art and science of meditation.

What are the 21 Stages of meditation? The 21 Stages of Meditation describes the different experience that one goes through during meditation. Learning about the 21 Stages of Meditation can help one to identify one’s strengths and weaknesses and what one can do to progress to the next stage and toward understanding one’s Self.

The 21 Stages of Meditation is divided into 3 journeys.

First Journey: The Crystallized Self
The focus of the first journey is to recognize, experience and crystallize the Self. The blocks are encountered in the first four stages: upset, boredom, irritation and frustration. The first ascent starts when we have a sense of our Self, separate from all the commotions, emotions and sensory impulses; we begin to focus and recognize a still point, a nucleus within, which is the Self. It is this crystallized sense of Self that is needed in order for consciousness to work.

·         Stage 1 – Upset
·         Stage 2 – Boredom
·         Stage 3 – Irritation
·         Stage 4 - Frustration
·         Stage 5 – Focus
·         Stage 6 – Absorption
·         Stage 7 – Experience and Crystallize the Self

Second Journey: The Expressive Self
In this second journey, the initial challenge is to develop a sensitivity to the Self, as we engage in relationships and participate in life. When we take the seed of our Self and our identity and project it into the world, it expands. In this second journey, we cultivate the meditative skill to merge with our projection yet still be able to distill our Self from the various roles we play; in this way, this second journey prepares us to maintain our integrity in action and ultimately to find the stillness within every action.

·         Stage 8 – Rasa
·         Stage 9 – Delight
·         Stage 10 – Politeness
·         Stage 11 – Humility
·         Stage 12 – Elevation
·         Stage 13 - Graceful Enlightenment
·         Stage 14 – Express and Be Your Self

Third Journey: The Transcendent Self
In this final journey, we recognize all that we are as the formless presence of the infinite Self. We open the dimension of our Transcendent Self. This journey requires us to go beyond differences and similarities
into reality and unity. By forging an elevated identity with our infinite Self within our finite self, we become spontaneous, creative and flexible. We excel in this infinite game of the soul. Love, compassion and kindness become the core of our experience. At the peak of this journey we become the nothing within the center of all that is. Mystery is now mastery. The sacred space opens up to intuitive presence, which serves innocence, loves life, blesses all, and praises the Infinite, the all within All. You become you, nothing more, nothing less. In this final journey, we become realized human beings.

·         Stage 15 - Presence Like a Beacon
·         Stage 16 - Everywhere Radiance
·         Stage 17 - Prayerful Stillness
·         Stage 18 – Preacher
·         Stage 19 – Teacher
·         Stage 20 – Sage
·         Stage 21 - Infinite Pulse

"Meditation is a duty toward the self. The moment you become aware of the self, you become beautiful to self because the moment you concentrate on self, your frequency changes and the universe around you changes also. This is a cosmic law." - Yogi Bhajan

(The 21 Stages of Meditation information from kundaliniresearchinstitute.org)



Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Sharing White Tantric Yoga Experience: Jasjeet Kaur

Kundalini Yoga teacher, Jasjeet Kaur, talks about White Tantric Yoga: 


White Tantric Yoga is a great opportunity to grow in your yogic practice. A full day of yoga with a partner gives one an experience of conscious cleansing as well as an opportunity to share and grow in the group energy!


Jasjeet Kaur teaches Kundalini Yoga at YMCA on 17th Ave and Missouri.



Related article:
Yoga Phoenix to Host White Tantric Yoga 2015 at the Phoenix Zoo! 

Sharing White Tantric Yoga Experience: Haritej Kaur




Kundalini Yoga teacher, Haritej Kaur, shares her experience with White Tantric Yoga:
 
I had my first White Tantric Yoga experience during Level 1 Teacher Training in 2012. Before that I have heard so many stories about White Tantric Yoga. I was fascinated and horrified at the same time. Holding a posture for 62 minutes? How can I possibly accomplish that? Later, I learned that White Tantric Yoga is not about how physically strong you are to hold a posture perfectly over a long period of time. It’s really about going inside yourself, and facing the “demons” or the “junk” inside your head to let them go, and making peace with yourself. Like Joseph Campbell once said: “The cave you fear to enter, holds the treasure you seek.” White Tantric Yoga may seem scary at first, but it gives me the greatest treasure: the triumph of the spirit. I have stopped fearing White Tantric Yoga since then. I just do the best that I can, and trust the Universe to take care of the rest for me.  
Do White Tantric Yoga to clear the "junk" out of your head!
White Tantric Yoga is a powerful cleansing process. Once you clear out all the “junk” from inside, blessings will flow into your life. After all, you have to empty yourself in order to receive all the juicy good stuff from the Universe. Many things in my life changed after White Tantric Yoga, all in a good way. A lot of blessings just flow into my life. 

Another reason why I love White Tantric Yoga is the community. So many dedicated yogis and yoginis gather in one place to mediate. The energy that we generate is just incredible! We also get to know each other and learn a lot of things from each other throughout the day. White Tantric Yoga is like a big family gathering to me. I just love our community! 

After my first White Tantric Yoga experience, I just know that I must keep participating to improve myself. To me, it is a sacred practice for the spiritual warrior and I love everything about White Tantric Yoga!
 
Cleanse your mind at White Tantric Yoga, let your light shine through!
"White tantric yoga enables you to break through these subconscious blocks so that you can have a more enjoyable life. In the shortest time, you can experience release from a lot of the burden and extra weight that you carry in your head. As you see and act on each moment with clarity, you will gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your life will change. Your mind, body and soul will act together as one. This is the path to personal freedom and awareness and will bring more success to every area of your life." – Yogi Bhajan 


Haritej Kaur teaches at Yoga Phoenix every Tuesday, 5:30pm-6:45pm. She also teaches Kundalini Yoga and Art Connections every 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7pm-8:30pm. 

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