Monday, June 24, 2013

Creating A Sacred Space In Your Own Home


Lay out a rug or sheepskin and some sacred or meaningful objects when you are ready to meditate.


It seems so common now for most of us to live a life that is loaded with stress. However, it is unhealthy for anyone to hold on to stress. Kundalini Yoga is excellent for getting rid of stress, restoring health to the body and mind, keeping a person’s spirit strong and positive. Besides taking yoga classes, it is also important for us all to have a sacred space where we can relax and be ourselves; a space that can remind us to reach inside ourselves to find peace. Having a sacred space is a good way to remind those around you to respect and treasure our environment.
The home has always been considered a sacred space in many different cultures. Treating the home as a sacred space can do so much good for the mind and relationships as well. Here are some suggestions that can help you to create that sacred or meditative space in your home:  


-         Keep your home clean and clutter free. When the physical environment is cluttered, the mind can become cluttered as well.
-         Play uplifting, spiritual music or mantras around the home. Music with higher, divine vibration can alter the energy of the home, creating a peaceful and relaxing environment.  Also, consider decorating the home with some beautiful and meaningful objects such as pictures of mandala, peacock feathers, crystals, things that can attract positive energy to your home.
 


An altar could be of a very simple design with a few objects.


-         If you have the room, create a space that is dedicated to meditation or just for you to relax. You can keep the design simple and decorate with a few meaningful objects or host a small altar. 
-         If you do not have the space, consider having a small rug or a sheepskin that you can unfold and spread out whenever you need to meditate. You can also prepare a box and fill it with some objects that remind you of your higher self. Whenever you are ready to meditate you can unroll the rug and arrange these objects around you. 
-         If you absolutely have no room to spare or the time to sit down and meditate, remember there is a sacred space inside all of us! Whenever you get stressed out, remember to breath deep and go inside yourself and find that peaceful space inside you. Inhale “Sat” exhale “Nam” (Sat Nam – truth is my identity), mentally hear the mantra in your breath as you go about doing your daily work. Even something as mundane as doing dishes or laundry can be potentially turned into a meditation. You can also play some mantra or something uplifting in the home as you work.  
-         Children also need sacred space. Here is an activity that both kids and adults can participate in to create a sacred environment. You can fill a box with beautiful stones, crystals, shells, feathers, things from nature that are kid friendly. Lay out a rug on the floor and invite kids to sit down and arrange these objects into mandala designs. Encourage them to be creative with these objects (check out how this blogger and her children made mandalas from flowers). You can teach kids to incorporate meditation into this activity. Chant something uplifting like a simple mantra (for example, “Sat Nam” – truth is my identity) or positive affirmations while creating the mandala. Whether a grown-up or a kid is doing this activity, remember to breath deep, relax, and have fun with it!  
 
Coloring mandala can help children to connect with the peace inside them.
-         Another good way to create sacred space for children and to introduce them to meditation is to let them color mandala. You can find free printable mandala designs online or buy mandala coloring books for your kids. Again, remind your kids to breathe and repeat positive affirmation as they color the mandala. Help your children to connect to that sacred, peaceful space that is in their souls. 
I hope these ideas will inspire everyone to create a sacred and meditative space in their own home. Do your best to find ways to create that space that will work for you and maintain that connection with your inner peace.  

You can create something simple and beautiful for your sacred space.


I have also created a simple mandala design for a candle holder. Print out the pattern below and follow this instruction to make this candle holder for your sacred space. Remember to set your paper orientation to landscape before printing. Sat nam!


Bahuta Karam --- Prosperity Meditation



"You have three minds: negative, positive and neutral. A person who does not deal with the neutral mind, even with all the wealth, shall not prosper and can’t be happy because negative and positive cancel each other.
It is the neutral mind which becomes the intuitive force in you."

–© The Teachings of Yogi Bhajan April 22, 1997


Tonight, June 24, 2013, 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm, join Jaap Kaur at Yoga Phoenix to explore yoga for prosperity using our neutral mind. 

Tonight's class will include: 
- Long deep breathing with sitali breath 
- Developing a strong arc line to draw prosperity to you!
- Kriya Set for Heart and Soul, to open the heart center, build    flexibility, strengthen nervous system and the navel chakra. 
- Meditation to the 25th pauri of Japji, Bahota Karam, for prosperity.  

Join us tonight to experience the healthy green energy and power! 



 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Teaching Maturing Populations & Practicing Seniors Gentle Yoga with Kewal Kaur (Cathie)

Next Tuesday, June 25, 2013, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, we are having a special event with Kewal Kaur. Kewal Kaur is going to teach appropriate ways to modify Kundalini Yoga for seniors. She will teach students how to use props like blocks, bolsters, and chairs to get maximum benefits . She will also teach meditations for mental agility and breath for strengthening the body and clearing the mind.

Teachers and students of all levels are welcomed to this event! Don't miss out this opportunity to learn and deepen your yogic practice!




Kewal Kaur (Cathie) is a certified Hatha Yoga Teacher and graduated from the Kundalini Teachers Training Program at Yoga Phoenix. Kewal has been practicing Kundalini Yoga since she was 15. She is a very experienced teacher, especially with teaching children and seniors. 


(For those who are interested, here is a great article about the health benefits of yoga for seniors.)

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Solstice Celebration Event, Tuesday, June 18, 2013



Summer Solstice is just around the corner (June 21, 2013). Many people from all over the world are getting ready to attend 3HO's Summer Solstice Celebration at Guru Ram Das Puri, New Mexico. For those who are staying in Phoenix during Solstice, you should take advantage of this time of the year to do Kundalini Yoga and meditation. That is because the energy at this time of the year is very powerful for cleansing, healing, and rejuvenating yourself. If you start practicing a meditation now for 11 days during Summer Solstice, the effect would be equivalent to 40 days of meditation! That's how powerful the energy of Solstice is! 


Kundalini Yoga teacher at Yoga Phoenix
So keep up with the practice of Kundalini Yoga and meditation. Come take some classes and stay cool at Yoga Phoenix (our new space is fully air-conditioned!). If you are looking for something special to celebrate the Solstice, next Tuesday evening, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, Ardas Kaur is hosting a special Solstice Celebration Event. 

In this event Ardas Kaur will lead students through a special breath and kriya, "Withstand the Pressure of Time". The meditation for this evening will be the First Sutra of the Aquarian Age - the same meditation that is being practiced by our global community for Solstice. Students will also have the opportunity to relax to the sound of the gong for additional clearing. 

This is an evening that will be filled with high energy and lots of fun. Come celebrate with us, and experience the unique power of Summer Solstice energy! Come joins others to cleanse and rejuvenate yourself, and be part of a community! 

(For additional reading, follow this link to excerpts from Yogi Bhajan's lecture at Summer Solstice, June 18, 1973. Also, take a look at this advertisement for Summer Solstice published in 1978!) 


Solstice Celebration Event at Yoga Phoenix
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm 
Visit www.yogaphoenix.com for more information.