How to improve your “Emotional Intelligence.”

Emotional intelligence is our capability to recognize our own emotions and those of others. This encourages the development of discernment between different feelings so we can label them appropriately. If we become able to structure our emotional information it will guide our thinking and behavior, towards easier transition into different types of environments facilitating us to achieve our goals.

While emotions are associated with bodily reactions that are activated through neurotransmitters and hormones released by the brain, feelings are the conscious experience of emotional reactions.

Feelings are sparked by emotions and shaped by personal experiences, beliefs, memories, and thoughts linked to that particular emotion.

Strictly speaking, a feeling is the side product of your brain perceiving an emotion and assigning a certain meaning to it.

In summary the difference between emotions and feelings are as described bellow…

Emotions are neuro-physiological reactions unleashed by an external or internal stimulus (emotions are physical). This explains why not being able to decompress trapped emotions as response to environmental stress can erode our cells tissue eventually creating physical and mental struggles.

Feelings are a self-perception of specific emotions, being a  subjective expression of emotions (feelings are mental).

Here are some tips to improve your emotional intelligence:

1. Reflect on your emotions.

2. Assertive communication, but still respectful.

3. Ask for others perspectives.

4. Accept criticism. Ask what you can learn rather than resist.

5. Press the “Pause” button. Allow your attention to your breath, press your tongue towards the roof of your mouth (behind the front teeth) inhale deeply through your nose and when you exhale allow yourself to let go of any resistant feelings that clouds your critical thinking (the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment) process.

6. Practice maintaining your positive attitude regardless of others.

7. Respond rather than reacting to conflict. (Review tip #5).

8. Practice self awareness. Keeping attention into the present moments protects from triggers rooted from unrelated past experiences that might unconsciously boost behavior projections.

9. Explore and understand the “why.”

10. Empathize, Empathize, Empathize.

11. Be observant.

12. Hunt for the good stuff (make inventory of each emotion, looking forward to find something good or a lesson out of each life’s event).

Example:

If a job interview was suddenly cancelled and rescheduled, focus your energy thinking that the Universe is giving you more time to prepare or that it could be heavenly protection from driving on the road that specific day.

13. Journal your thoughts and emotions. It will help you reduce your stress and to learn from your experiences.

14. Allow yourself to embrace yoga. The practice of yoga helps achieve a balance within the internal and external environment, thereby seeking to attain mental, spiritual and physical well-being.

15. Practice always. If you practice at least *21 days how to improve your emotional intelligence you will see the difference making it part of your daily routine.

Last but not least;

” See thru the eyes of compassion. Listen with ears of tolerance. Speak with the language of love.” -Rumi

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Retired Veteran and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; RYT-200 hrs; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

* Scientific research has shown that 21 is the required amount of days to develop cellular memory in order to create a good habit.

Life is a Journey…

If we live in the higher vibrational frequencies of love…, we will become more resilient.

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Retired Veteran and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

How to Attract Good Energy.

One of the lessons I appreciate every day, from becoming a Reiki Master is the awareness towards energy; I have developed while I’m teaching yoga.

Our minds, bodies and spirits are composed of energy, which vibrates out and is felt by others. Those vibrations resonate within us and impact our own energy stores.

As we move through our day, we are sending energy into the world and we receive energy back.

High frequency energy can boost our feelings of well-being, dissolve feelings of anxiety and improve communication.

Low frequency energy results in feelings of discord, conflict and resentment.

Although is challenging not to be exposed to low frequency energy…

Our goal should be to attract good energy and repel the bad.

It is not complicated to raise our energy level and aligning yourself with positive vibrations.

Allow yourself to consider the following 9 daily tips to tune up your inner vibrations and start feeling positive energy flow your way.

1. Cultivate gratitude.

You can practice gratitude each morning by thinking of 5 things you’re grateful for. Then think of at least one person you’re grateful to have in your life.

Consider keeping a gratitud journal, where you can quickly jot down a list of little joys and things that give you a sense of happiness and contentment. Remind yourself of all the bad you have been through. When you see how far you’ve come and all of the difficult storms you have weathered, it will make you more appreciative of what you have in your life now.

2. Align your current self with your future self.

Things you spend time, energy and money on will impact you far beyond today. If you want to have positive energy flowing through you, you need to start making decisions that will steer you to become the kind of person you want to be, with the job and relationships you want to have.

Ask yourself these questions:

What do you most desire in the world?

What goals and dreams are you working toward?

Now imagine what this life you want feels like.

Who are you in this ideal future? What are you doing?

Start to align your current self with the future self you want to become.

As you start taking steps toward creating the reality you wish for, you’ll feel motivated to take control of more parts of your life.

The more actions you take toward the positive, the more you create your own favorable reality.

3. Act in good faith.

We all know that we should treat each other with fairness.

Treat others with the same respect and consideration, that you would like to be treated.

Unfortunately, we don’t always follow through with these principles when we interact with each other on a personal or even professional level.

4. Embrace compassion and kindness.

Research shows that people who are kind and compassionate to others are more satisfied with their lives, enjoy better physical and mental health, and have stronger relationships.

Giving to others creates a positive feedback loop — the more you give, the more good feelings will be received in return.

Nonetheless, be careful not to give more than what you receive in order to keep an even energy flow.

5. Find your inner strength.

Insecurity, self-doubt and fear are good-energy killers. Those negative feelings rob you of confidence and undermine your ability to bounce back from adversity. Embracing inner child meditations, in order to identify intermittent patterns of behaviors, or the search for behavioral help, supports detachment from unresolved childhood issues.

When you have developed resilience by overcoming difficult situations; inner strength grows.

6. Change the tone of your thoughts.

Negative thinking can be hard to stop. It’s easy to allow yourself to slip into pessimism or take on an air of indifference. But if you want to attract good things, you must let the positive guide you, not the negative.

Think before speaking. Once you speak your thoughts become decrees.

7. Pay attention to the energy you’re emitting.

Negative energy is bound to impact your relationships. It may be subtle, but the attitude you approach others with will generally be reflected back at you. What kind of impression do you make on people?

If you naturally seem to draw others in and people seek out your company, chances are you’re doing a good job of emitting positive energy. If people avoid you and sidestep your assistance, you’re stuck at a lower, negative, vibration. Focus your energy on the positive.

You can’t expect to attract good energy if you’re giving off loads of negative energy. Think about the kind of vibes others get when they spend time with you. Do you exude a sense of peace, calm and happiness? Or are you more gloom and doom?

8. Cut off negative influences.

Negative vibes can disrupt your sense of well-being and drain you of happy feelings and contentedness. These negative influences can be people, places or things that have an unfavorable sway over your life. It may be that there are people in your life who are toxic to your overall happiness.

Cut off these negative influences and begin creating the life you want to live. Look for the negative influences in your life.

You may be able to completely avoid or remove some of them, which is a surefire way of eliminating that influence.

For those that are a permanent fixture, work to limit your exposure to them and mentally fortify yourself before you encounter them.

9. Expand your circle.

Surround yourself with positive, successful go-getters who are supportive and caring. Keep company with those who bring positive energy with them, and make sure you nurture and protect those relationships.

The same way you try to limit your negative influences, make sure you start spending time with positive ones.

Bring your own good energy into your circle and help create a positive synergy that will permeate the group.

Lastly, the universe manages to align you with people, things, situations that match your vibration. The higher you are vibrating, the more you will see things that are beneficial to your wellbeing, manifest in your reality.


Author:
Glenda Lee Santos; Retired Veteran and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

Can You Keep Balance Through Drishti?

https://iamyogawarrior.com/2022/glenda-lee-santos

Trust, Breathe and do not lose your drishti about deserving better.

Hey there beautiful Souls;

I want to briefly approach the word “Drishti.”And is because when I teach balance poses in yoga, I encourage a lot the intention of maintaining balance while in a difficult moment; as we all find ourselves during our life’s journey.

When we are able to connect with our breath, we can surrender with trust into our instincts. This becomes a self-love act, in the event that we start to embrace adversity with poise and self-trust to prevail into our higher selves.

We learn how to set boundaries without setting for less than what we deserve.

Now let me explain the term “Drishti” which is actually a focused gaze, actually a great tool for developing concentrated intention.

Also, I would like to humbly request your support by voting for my participation into the I am Yoga Warrior 2022, competition in order to be able to share my physical and emotional rehabilitation through yoga (integrated into 90 physical and aquatic therapies); also how yoga helped me move out from a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as result from a car accident I had on January 8, 2021, while I was still serving into Active Duty Military.

Please click into below link and read my story. Furthermore, the reason why I would like to keep integrating resilience through yoga to my local military in order to provide my brothers and sisters in arms permanent resilience skill to keep healing physically and from combat trauma.

https://iamyogawarrior.com/2022/glenda-lee-santos

Always with love and light,

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Retired Veteran and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

Your Relationship To Gravity And The Ground While In Yoga.

The whole of the pose while in yoga practice depends on its relationship to gravity and the ground.

Also the ground gives you a clear and stable reference for feedback about your body, as such is helpful to start building your pose by attending to the foundation.

All these must work in accord with the connection to the ground if it’s to work well.

If our foundation is compromised, so it’s our attention and our abilities.

If the foundation is weak, the pose will be weak.

That’s why at the beginning of a practice establishing the rule of breath awareness and synchronization with movement is essential.

Inside our bones there is growing and regeneration of the soft bone marrow, (which function is to produce our red and some white blood cells), just imagine what would happen if our red blood cells wouldn’t be able to carry the best quality of OXYGEN to our tissues and platelets.

Our inmune system (by default), would directly suffer collateral damage.

When our inmune system is compromised, as such is our mental awareness and concentration.

Why is this happening?

Oxygen keeps body cells working by releasing energy from the nutrients we obtain from food and breathing draws in plenty of oxygen, but an efficient transport system is required to carry the oxygen around the body.

Our heart and circulating blood are responsible to perform this role.

It is through the breath that we keep our blood circulating, the process of waste gas, carbon dioxide (produced by our body cells) is also happening.

So without breathing our brain would not be able to transmit electrical signals through our body taking us to an imminent energy shut down.

Needless to say, this could turn into an unnecessary challenge establishing
foundationb for any pose during a yoga practice.

Two sets of stretching seated asanas, will benefit the practitioners as part of a slowly somatic foundation.

For these reasons my experience as a Yoga Teacher is to start at the ground or bottom during a class with beginners or first time practitioners.

This will help them gain confidence to work up their transition based on a stable feedback gained from the relationship to gravity and the ground.

During advanced Vinyasa or Power Yoga, the practitioner had already gained the above mentioned relationship required for a good foundation.

That is why is considered an advanced level of yoga practice.

Rooting vs. Pressing

When we say “root or ground your feet” etc., what we mean is to establish a clear, even, and living connection with the ground. This is a sensate and dynamic experience. It is more than “pressing” because it is also receiving the information the action offers, and requires periodic attention to the regularly changing signals of your nervous system in order to sustain good practices. The foundation is an evolving process, not a one time act. As we warm up into a pose our needs shift, and what is possible changes.

Feet

The feet are comprised of a number of arches, maintained in a state of dynamic tension. If there was no tension your feet would be flat. You are the person who is maintaining your arches! Arches a resilient structures, which absorb shock as well as provide a springy dynamic quality to movements. To do this they need enough tension. One way to get a sense of augmenting their dynamic tension, and thus increasing their arch, is to lift the toes up strongly, and draw the sides of your feet towards the heels. After getting a sense of the feet drawing in and up with the above actions, lay the toes down and grip the ground with them. The toes are an essential part of your connection with the ground. You can play with these actions in standing poses. It will help cultivate a stronger foundation and more resilience.

When the Feet are part of the foundation one way to make sure they are firmly connected to the ground is to imagine they have four corners, and to root each of those corners in turn. This is a helpful intermediate step, but don’t get stuck believing they really have corners. After playing with the four corners see if you can find even better ways to refine your connection to the ground.

Hands

Like the feet, when the hands are part of the foundation it is important that they are intelligently placed—both to protect them, as well as your wrists and shoulders, and to give you the best possible support for your poses.

Floor Hands

Since many of the hand balance poses share the same hand configuration, for brevity we are calling this “Floor Hands.” Floor hands have the following qualities:

The horseshoe shaped perimeter of the palm roots down, This includes the sides of the palms, as well as the metacarpals at the base of the fingers and thumbs. The metacarpals should root evenly. Avoid the tendency for the base of the index finger and thumb to rise. If you are unable to control this try spreading your hands wider a part and see if that helps. – The center of the base of the palm (at the carpel tunnel) should have a bit of lift, along with the underside of the wrists. This maintains space in the carpel tunnel. – The fingertips claw the ground, and the centers of the fingers lift. – The fingers are level with the ground—not leaning to one side. – If you are in symmetrical poses with both hands on the ground such as Adho Mukha Svanasana, place the wrist creases in a straight line. Also, place the center of your wrists outer shoulder width apart. If your shoulders are tight then the hands can be farther apart.

Air Hands

When your hands are in the air rather than on the ground, we are calling them “Air Hands.” Air Hands have the following qualities:

They are energized and alive. From the core of your torso extend out through the fingers actively. – Fingers can be either together or apart. Examine what effects these positions have in your body.

When we open our hands the feeling in the torso feels more expansive.

When they are closed the energy feels more pointed and directed.

Which serves you best?

Sitting

When your pelvis and feet become part of the foundation, it is valuable for your connection through them to be clear, strong, and supportive. This is more possible if you are comfortable. Make sure you modify any pose so that you can approach it’s full expression comfortably and safely.

Use a lift if your hamstrings are tight.

In any sitting pose if you are unable to sit with the sacrum at least perpendicular to the floor, if not leaning forward slightly, then sit on a lift. This is so your leg flexors (psoas, quads) and/or adductors do not have to work to keep you upright. The lift can be one or more folded blankets; a bolster, a firm pillow, or even a chair. Be creative..

In seated poses where one or both knees are bent, feel free to place a support under them if they don’t comfortably rest on the ground or your feet. Unless you are actively addressing the muscles that lift your thigh and knee from the ground in that position, it can be counterproductive and fatiguing for the body to have to support the lifted thighs.

Last but not least;

Always keep in mind during yoga and even into life that “Without a solid foundation, you’ll have trouble creating anything of value.”

Namaste

Author:
Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

We are like a Snowflake…

We are different in our own beautiful way.

However, when you choose joy you feel good and when you feel good you do good… You do good and when you do good it reminds others what joy feels like and it just might inspire them to do the same.

This year has been a global wellness lesson for all of us. Having to embrace a pandemic, that pushed us to leave our comfort zone and even more how to learn to go and grow with the flow.

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.

Remember although we fall, we break and fail sometimes if we keep our thoughts focused on thinking; what is the best I will take out of this?

You will allow yourself to rise, to heal and overcome whatever is on your way.

Merry Christmas and thanks for so much support through so many followers of Semperlee Yoga Blog.

I feel so honored, humbled and grateful to be part of your choice as a blogger.

I also hope to serve you even better every single day.

Last but not least, may all our thoughts, words and actions contribute to the peace, healing and love of this humanity.

Namaste

Author:
Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

Spread Your Wings And Fly

Until you spread your wings, you’ll have no idea how far you can fly. When the stormy winds of life threaten to knock you down, may you have the courage to spread your wings and fly!

No bird can fly without opening its wings, and no one can love without exposing their hearts.

You’ve to spread your wings if you really want to fly. Take risks, try new things, go places you haven’t gone, be willing to not know, be okay with making mistakes.

Death and love are the two wings that bear the good man to heaven. Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.

No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings. Imagine what will happen to a child who’s not provided the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence.

How to let go of what weighs you down?

Begin by learning to control your breath. Allowing yourself that awareness will provide you better physiological responses of relaxation in the midst of challenges.

Begin to meditate “To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrender.”

Embrace mindfulness, keeping yourself at the present will decrease unnecessary worries about what will happen tomorrow.

Embrace into the practice of yoga, it will help you to let go and release from mental and physical blockages that creates a sensation of carrying the world on your shoulders.

Becoming able to master both skills, is to surrender and winning at the same time. Because once you control the turbulence of you thoughts, you are able to let go anything that weighs you down. Hence you will go further than you could ever dreamed possible.

God will only push you off a cliff if He’s going to give you wings to fly.

Spread your wings of love, and let your mind fly to a distant land where love is the air of life.

Last but not least;

It was pride that changed angels into devils, it is humility that makes men as angels.

Namaste

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; RYT-200 hrs; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

Learn About Your Five Layers of Being.

Have you participated in a yoga class, and your teacher guides you (during the integration process) to scan yourself seated in sukhasana pose?

During my teacher’s training I could not understand this. I even felt some kind of reactivity to the subject; what I didn’t know (back then) about, was the kind of amazing inner tool for self-transformation and empowerment I had been introduced.

First ask yourself the following two questions:

   Have you exercised your subtle body yet? Or your causal body?

The great Spiritual Masters throughout the ages have taught that we are not just what we see reflected in the mirror.

The enlightened teachers from all ages and cultures have taught us that we are much more than just our physical body and that our Being is composed of multiple layers or dimensions.

We posses as human beings the potential to have experiences outside of the known physical layer of reality.

Although these experiences are not always easy to prove, there is a mounting preponderance of evidence that we do in fact have an astral or energetic body, and furthermore that all humans are interconnected in a complex field of Consciousness outside the bounds of space-time.

Hence, this wouldn’t be a better explanation to the physical lightness sensation of someone extremely relaxed while in savasana (final part of a yoga class) or during a reiki therapy (which targets the overall wellness and balance of our energetic body).

According to the yoga tradition, every one of us has five bodies, each made of increasingly finer grades of energy. And if we intend to live a fully balanced, healthy life, it tells us, all our bodies need to be kept in good condition.

Yoga teaches us, that every one of us has five bodies, each made of increasingly finer grades of energy.

Exactly and indeed, energy.

The five progressively subtler bodies that compose our personality are described in a yoga classic called the Taittiriya Upanishad:

Human beings consist of a material body built from the food they eat.

Those who care for this body are nourished by the universe itself.


Also inside there is another body made of life energy. It fills the physical body and takes its shape. 

Those who treat this vital force as divine experience excellent health and longevity because this energy is the source of physical life.


Within the vital force is yet another body, this one made of thought energy. 

It fills the two denser bodies and has the same shape. 

Those who understand and control the mental body become able to fully control their fears.


Deeper still lies another body comprised of intellect. 

It permeates the three denser bodies and assumes the same form. 

Those who establish their awarenes on their intellect,  free themselves from unhealthy thoughts and actions, and develop the self-control necessary to achieve their goals.


Hidden inside it is yet a subtler body, composed of pure joy.

 It pervades the other bodies and shares the same shape. 

It is experienced as happiness, delight, and bliss.


In other words it’s a Samadhi Yoga experience.

Samadhi is blissful.

The above structure is called koshas, or “sheaths,” in Sanskrit, because each fits in the next like a sword in a scabbard. 

Only the densest is made of matter as we know it; the other four are energy states invisible to the physical eye, though we can easily sense their presence inside us when we pay close attention. 

Since the inner bodies are the source of our well-being during life and are the vehicles we travel in after death, India’s ancient yogis developed specific exercises to strengthen and tone each one in turn.


Your First Body is your physical.

 Annamaya kosha in yoga,
maya means “made of” 

anna means “food” or “physical matter

 Your Second Body is the organizing field that holds your material body together. 

This is the life energy that governs your biological processes, from breathing to digestion to the circulation of your blood. 

It’s called chi in Chinese medicine and prana in yoga. 

Acupuncture and homeopathy don’t directly affect your physical body; they work on the vital force that activates and sustains it.

Orthodox physicians in the West recognized the importance of the vital force up till the 19th century, but with the development of sulfa drugs and antibiotics, their attention shifted from the energy states underlying human biology to focus exclusively on the physical body itself.

The second, and energy body is called the prana-maya kosha in yoga. 

When it ceases to function your physical body can no longer operate. 

Your heart and lungs stop working and your cells begin to disintegrate. 

In Western culture we strongly identify with our material body, yet without prana supporting and directing it, it can’t survive more than a few minutes.


Yoga devotes an entire class of practices called pranayama to replenishing the vitality of the pranamaya kosha.

Breathing Exercises like:

Diaphragmatic

Complete yogic breath Ujjayi

Alternate nostril breathing

JUST BREATHE!

Are specifically designed to enhance the proper functioning of your second sheath.

In addition, getting plenty of fresh air and sunlight is essential for maintaining the health of the vital force. 

Yoga texts explain that the sun is the ultimate source of prana.

Furthermore, is also explained that fresh whole foods are a major source of prana.

 Your Third Body

Manomaya kosha which is body made of thought processes.

Hence your mental body, which responsible for our sensory and motor activities and our day-to-day awareness when we’re functioning “on automatic.

It processes input from our five senses and responds reflexively. 

When we move through life passively, reacting to our environment rather than actively shaping it, our awareness is focused here. 

Many people, and most animals, routinely operate at this level.

In the West we associate our routine mental state with the brain, but according to yoga the entire nervous system (including the brain) merely mediates the activity of the manomaya kosha, expressing the commands of this higher energy state through the physical body.

Visualize a patient in a coma, and you will be able to have a clear sense of what the mental body. 

Their second sheath is still operating so their heart continues to pump and their lungs expand and contract.

 But the person has no awareness of the external world and no ability to take action because the activity of the mental body has shut down. 

The pranamaya kohsa operates from the moment of our first breath to our last.

Manomaya kosha shuts down temporarily on a daily basis, regenerating itself during the state of deep sleep.


The health of the manomaya kosha is tremendously enhanced through the practice of mantra meditation. 

This soothes and balances this inner body, and helps release “knots” of energy tied up in mental complexes and obsessive thoughts. 

Yogis who spend a great deal of time in meditation often have very little need for sleep, in part because their mental vehicles are functioning optimally, like a car that’s just had a tune-up.

The mental body “feeds” on the sense impressions we offer it.

If we supply our third sheath with a continual stream of violent TV shows and video games, for example, it begins to crave increasingly aggressive forms of stimulation, and may become more agitated and less sensitive to the suffering of others.

If we “stuff” it with too much work or too much play we may experience a form of mental “indigestion,” leaving us feeling exhausted. A harmonious environment, interesting professional challenges, and fun and supportive relationships offer an ideal diet for the mind.

A daily session of pratyahara, or sensory withdrawal, leading into meditation provides an excellent inner tune-up.

The practice of blindfolded yoga also provides a great inner tune-up to manomaya kosha.

Your Fourth Body

Subtler still is the vijnanamaya kosha (vijnana means “the power of judgment or discernment”).

It’s often translated as “intellect,” but the real meaning is broader, encompassing all the functions of the higher mind, including conscience and will.

This is the part during the integration of the class when I guide the student to evolve in wisdom throughout their higher state of consciousness by setting their class intention. Which ultimately is the reason that brings them to their yoga mat at least twice or three times a week, embracing their journey for a higher self.

It may be easier to understand the distinction between the third sheath or mental body and the fourth sheath or intellectual body by taking a look at those in whom the vijnanamaya kosha is underdeveloped.


One such type is someone who doesn’t seem to be in control of her (his) life, who is constantly reacting to circumstances rather than making a decision and responding proactively.

This kind of person has a hard time making up her or his mind, thinking genuinely or being creative. Hence there is very little willpower and is continually the victim of her or his own poor judgment.

Another example of a deficient fourth sheath is someone without strong personal ethics.

He may attend religious services and speak piously about moral values, but when the opportunity arises to benefit himself at the expense of others, he doesn’t hesitate to act.

His ability to discern between right and wrong is weak; conscience is a platitude rather than a living experience for him.

An activated fourth sheath is what distinguishes human beings from animals.

Only humans have the ability to direct their own lives, free from the promptings of instinct, and to make moral choices.

The sages considered the development of a healthy vijnanamaya kosha so important that they placed the exercises for it at the very beginning of the yoga system.

These are the yamas and niyamas, commitments every yoga student is asked to make:

Not to

• harm

• lie

• steal

• overindulge or desire more than you actually need; instead you are asked to be content, pure, self-disciplined, studious, and devoted.

Jnana yoga also works with this kosha.

This is the path of the intellect in which you are advised to study spiritual truths, contemplate them deeply, and finally incorporate them into the very core of your personality.

On this path your spiritual understanding becomes the “food” with which you nourish your intellect.

As your meditation practice deepens over the months and years, your ability to connect with inner guidance is enhanced.

You begin to experience the events in your life, even the painful ones, in a calm and objective manner.

Your yogic lifestyle, contemplation, and meditation lead to clarity of judgment, greater intuitive insight, and increased willpower as your vijnanamaya kosha grows stronger and more balanced.


Your Fifth Body

In the vast majority of humans, the fifth sheath is totally underdeveloped.

This is the anandamaya kosha, the subtlemost body which is experienced as ananda (spiritual bliss).

Generally only saints, sages, and genuine mystics have done the inner work necessary to make ananda a living part of their daily experience, and most people are hardly even aware that this level of consciousness exists within themselves.

The anandamaya kosha is extremely important in yoga because it’s the final and thinnest veil standing between our ordinary awareness and our higher Self.

Many individuals who’ve had near-death experiences (NDE) have reported experiencing a brilliant white light radiating all-embracing wisdom and unconditional love. A peaceful feeling from that white light that could make the way back to a grounding state hard to embrace. It’s the utmost connection to the Divine.

This is the experience of the anandamaya kosha.

Saints and mystics purify their minds so that they can have this experience throughout life, not just for a fleeting moment at death.

Another example from the tantric tradition, spirit is often symbolized as Shiva, the transcendent Lord who is ever immersed in divine consciousness.

Matter/energy is called Shakti, the Supreme Goddess whose divine body is this entire universe.

It’s said that they love each other with unspeakable intensity.

Their supreme love is experienced in the anandamaya kosha, where spirit and matter passionately embrace.

We can awaken our bliss sheath through three practices:

1. Seva, selfless service.

This opens our heart to our innate unity with other beings.

2. Bhakti yoga, devotion to God.

This opens our heart to our unity with the all-pervading Divine Being.

3. Samadhi, intensely focused meditation, which opens our heart to our own divine being.

I was certified as a yoga teacher from Samadhi Yoga Institute (Samadhi’s Method) which provides a flexible and creative yoga teaching somatic format.

As result the magical transformation that takes place into a human being when opening the heart to his or her divine being is an experience that stimulates a lot of inner resilience, and as previously explained it is a structured subtle work as result of body scanning our Five Layers Of Being.


Always remember that you are a multidimensional creature. Your awareness manifests on many different planes.

Yoga introduces you to yourself and trains you to live fully and gracefully at every level of your being.

From the hatha postures that strengthen and tone your physical body to the breathing exercises that balance and vitalize your life force, from the meditation practice that quiets and clears your mind to the self-study and selfless love that open up an inner world of knowledge and unity, yoga is a holistic system that develops and integrates every part of your personality.

By getting to know your five bodies and the inner Self (whose awareness illumines them all), you can experience the health and fulfillment of an enlightened life.

If you still find hard to resonate with the above description of the koshas, see yourself as an onion with only five layers, having each layer a different and important ingredient that will improve your cooking with a much better taste (your higher self).

Experiencing Your Five Sheaths

The five sheaths are not theoretical constructs. They are real parts of your being that you can actually experience.

The following eight-step exercise will help you get a fuller sense of these inner dimensions of your personality.


Sit comfortably with your head, neck, and trunk in a straight line.

Sit upright softening your face.

You’ll feel both alert and relaxed.

Close your eyes, withdrawing your awareness from the sights and sounds around you.

Bring your full attention to your physical body.

Be aware of your head and shoulders, chest and waist, back and abdomen, arms and legs.

This is your annamaya kosha.

Bring your full attention to the point between your nostrils and feel yourself breathe.

Gradually your breath will flow more slowly, smoothly, and quietly.

Be aware of the energy pulsing through your body. It’s making your heart beat, your lungs expand and contract, the blood course through your veins, your stomach gurgle.

The force orchestrating this movement—not your physical body itself—is your prana-maya kosha.

Allow your awareness into your brain. Pay attention to the part of your awareness that’s regulating your sensory input and motor output.

This is the part of you that notices your nose is itching and orders your hand to scratch it.

It notes that you’re uncomfortable sitting in one position for so long and wants you to move your legs.

It generates the reflexive mental chatter that continually fires through your mind.

This is your manomaya kosha.

Lift your awareness higher inside your skull.

Sense the part of your awareness that consciously made the decision to participate in this exercise and right now is commanding you to sit still and complete it.

It recognizes the value of expanding your self-awareness and compels you to get up early in the morning to do your yoga postures and meditation, even though lazing in bed might be more pleasant.

This is your vijnanamaya kosha.

Center your awareness in your heart. Relax deeply; keep breathing smoothly and evenly.

Now, taking as much time as you need, allow yourself to settle into a state of complete tranquility.

Buried deep in that inner peace is a sense of purest happiness.

This is not an emotional euphoria, though as you leave this state it may pour out of you as a sense of great joy and gratitude.

It is a space of perfect contentment, perfect attunement, and abiding stillness.

There is no sense of lack, or fear, or desire.

This is your anandamaya kosha.

Now simply be aware of your own awareness. The pure consciousness that is having this experience lies beyond this experience.

It is your true inner Self, your immortal being.

Rest in your own being for as long as you can hold your attention there.

Allow your attention to your breath.

Breathe slowly, smoothly, and evenly. Open your eyes.

Take a moment to relax and absorb this experience before you get up.

From Death to Birth—and Beyond

In many yoga texts you’ll find the five sheaths grouped into three.

The physical body and vital force are called the sthula sharira, the “gross body.”

The mental body and intellect are called the sukshma sharira, the “subtle” or “astral body.”

The bliss sheath is called the karana sharira, the “causal body.”

These are recognized in many different spiritual traditions.

We’re all spiritual beings with a spiritual support system on the Other Side that oversees and helps guide our lives from the moment we’re born to the moment we leave our physical bodies and return to Spirit.

Not knowing this fact is a severe handicap, as the Universe is designed to care for and nurture all its creatures and help make our life’s journey easier and more successful.

When we learn how to connect with our angelic guides, our lives naturally fall into a pattern of ease and flow during which we grow our souls, fulfill our life’s purpose, and make our time on Earth endlessly entertaining. 

Namaste

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; RYT-200 hrs; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

The Language of Your Shoulders.

Each time you lift your arms, your shoulder muscles (big and small), initiate a flowing movement of subtle nuances. Because of the complex interaction of those muscles, coupled with the unique structure of the shoulder joint, gives our arms a wide range of motion. You might want to keep awareness that, the shoulder is one of the loosest joints in the body.

That flowing freedom increases the vulnerability of the shoulders to injury; both from sudden falls and from repetitive action such as playing golf or simply throwing a baseball. The muscles of the rotator cuff, the most delicate movers of the shoulders, are particularly susceptible.

However, a regular targeted asana practice can help you maintain healthy rotator cuffs by bringing awareness to your alignment, strengthening your shoulders muscles, and opening your chest.

Let’s take a look at the special nature of the shoulder joint and, in particular, its relationship to the shoulder blade.

Though it is considered a type of ball-and-socket joint, the shoulder is unusual because the rounded “ball” or head of the humerus (i.e., the arm bone) doesn’t have a corresponding socket.

Rather, the ends of the collarbone and shoulder blade come together to form a shelf under which the humerus hangs.

This shelf is know as the acromion process.

Beneath it there is rounded depression that is part of the shoulder blade.

This is as close as the shoulder gets to having a “socket”; the head of the arm bone glides against this surface as it rotates, and the steady contraction of the rotator cuff helps to hold together.

The rotator cuff actually comprises four separate muscles-the supraspinatus, the infraspinatus, the teres minor, and the subscapularis-which wrap over, in front of, and behind the head of the humerus and stabilize the joint. These deeper muscles are layered over by larger, stronger muscles that attach directly to the acromion process.

The muscles of the rotator cuff guide the actions of the arm bone itself, while other larger muscles control the actions of the shoulder as a whole, with both arm bone and shoulder blade functioning as a unit.

How Injuries Occur

The most common rotator cuff injury occurs at the outermost corner of the shoulder, beneath the deltoid (the large muscle you use to lift your arm). The injury is to the supraspinatus, a small muscle that attaches directly to the head of the humerus and assists the deltoid in lifting the arm overhead. The very strength of the deltoid is often the cause of injury to the supraspinatus.

When you take your arms overhead, the deltoid is able to raise the arm to 80 degrees from the body. At this point, the deltoid can’t do much more lifting on its own: the arm bone is almost level with the shoulder, and from this angle the deltoid can only pull the arm bone into the joint rather than lift it higher.

As the arm continues to rise, the deltoid relaxes somewhat and the supraspinatus jumps in to help: it raises the arm for the next 30 to 40 degrees, after which the deltoid can resume its work.

It is within this range of 80 to 120 degrees that the supraspinatus can get hurt. The tendon of the supraspinatus, which is about the size of a large rubber band, is the part of the muscle most often injured, though the muscle itself can also tear.

This could happen in aggressive (downward facing dog) poses, as well as (side plank pose), and in advanced arm balances such as firefly pose.

Simple accidents can also injure the supraspinatus tendon.

For example, if you slip in an icy parking lot and use your arm to break the fall, the humerus gets jammed in the socket, pinching the supraspinatus against the acromion process or even tearing the tendon.

The simple repetitive action or raising your arm can also be at fault.

When you reach for something on a shelf above you, the deltoid can pull the arm bone up too hard, pressing it against the acromion process, thus punching the supraspinatus. Over time, these little injuries add up to a more serious problem.

The shoulder is built to avoid this pinching, but our patterns of use and everyday life leas to imbalance, pain, or lack of mobility. The problem starts with postural habits: many of us overuse the muscles of the shoulders to support the weight of our arms. The muscles closest to the neck (the rhomboids) and those running from the top of the shoulder blades up into the neck itself (the levator scapulae) take the brunt of the weight. This is especially problematic during arm-intensive activities such as typing, when your shoulders become set in a perpetual shrug. Chronic tension builds up, pulling the inner corners of your shoulder blades up toward your ears, causing your back to round and your shoulders to hunch.

This is the beginning of a vicious cycle; the more your shoulder blades creep up the back from the pull of these muscles, the more your muscles tense and shorten, pulling your shoulder blades up even higher. As a result of this tension and the postural misalignment that ensues, the deltoid is far less likely to relax when it’s supposed to. If your shoulders roll forward and the deltoid remains fully engaged as you lift the arm from 80 to 120 degrees, it can cause the humerus to press against the acromion process, pinching the rotator cuff tendon.

There are a variety of poses that can help break the cycle and restore strength and balance to the shoulder muscles-from simple standing poses in which you hold your arms a loft in various positions to those in which your arms directly support the weight of the body. Standing poses can help you reestablish the healthy mobility of the shoulder blades as you lift your arms; they will also enable you to activate other muscles to ease the burden on the rhomboids and levator scapulae.

The inversions, particularly the headstand, strengthen the shoulder muscles, keeping them more open and stress-free.

Last but not least;

“Allow yoga to wash the weight of the world from your shoulders.”

Namaste

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; Criminal Justice, BA; RYT-200 hrs; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; Reiki Master; Spirit Guide Coach; Master Resilience Trainer.

Some of our finest works comes through service to others.

Hey there beautiful Souls. Have you ever asked yourself “What being of service mean?

Furthermore, about the positive repercussions it provides to humanity and hence ourselves.

Well when you strive to empower the lives of others, you elevate the consciousness of this dimension. No good deeds is to small act of kindness and service are regarded at the spiritual realms as the loftiest of goals.

To ease suffering of another in any way from charitable contributions to volunteer work, or something as simple as making someone’s day brighter with a simple smile or kind gesture is and will always be the greatest gift you can give to yourself.

And I share this based on my personal experience facilitating Karma yoga to the military community at Puerto Rico.

Keep in mind that raising the energy of this planet by doing selfless deeds is a win-win for all concerned. By raising the vibration of others you raise the vibration within yourself.

Remember above all else you are here to leave this Earth dimension better than how you found it. Seek ways to make your mark, leave your signature with humbleness but do that effort and you will feel how that light which begins to shine (within the chamber of your heart) illuminates and shelters others.

It is not possible to fix all the anguish in the world, but it is imperative that you don’t create more. Be mindful of your thoughts words and deeds.

Last but not least:

“Be the chance that you want to see in the world.”

Namaste

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; RYT-200 hrs; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; CAI; CAHP; CCR; CCHP; CACR; SGC; MRT.

If there is a will, there is a way…

Change the way you look at things and the things you look at will change…

What is intention?

It is an aim or plan.

In the medicine and holistic fields is the healing process of a physical or emotional wound.

During the integration of a yoga class, we (the teachers) have the intention to guide the practitioner to allow him or herself to let go of anything that is not in alignment to that peaceful moment targeted to reconcile body, mind, and spirit.

To take a look at their inner selves in order to identify the reason that took them ( in the first place) to that yoga class.

Then to allow themselves to set that thought as the aim that will keep them focused with commitment to keep their poise during challenging poses just at it should be in the midst of adversity through our lives.

In other terms to be able to fall and bounce without breaking.

To be resilient.

It is important always, always…

Quoting Wayne W. Dyer,

“When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.”

Also that with everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift.

Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose.

The most important here is to keep flexibility and humility in order to recognize that although we are not perfect, that is not a license to project any self’s frustration over others and become hurtful with others at work, out at the streets or with our loved ones.

How do you identify this while in a yoga class?

When arriving to your mat (carrying the burdens of a day), and we cannot allow ourselves to set that intention, because we are giving power to a monkey mind to take charge intercepting our productivity and growing process.

Not only that, getting ourselves into a balance posture and finding a drishti or gaze (while in yoga and life) becomes harder than getting into the pose itself.

These are the moments when the power of intention takes place with empowerment.

Also remember that passion is a feeling that tells you: this is the right thing to do. Nothing can stand in my way. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says. This feeling is so good that it cannot be ignored. I’m going to follow my bliss and act upon this glorious sensation of joy.

Last but not least;

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”

Namaste 🙏🏼

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; RYT-200 hrs; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; CAI; CAHP; CCR; CCHP; CACR; SGC; MRT.

Jesus Also Walked Through The Light Of Yoga…

He was there in the wilderness… and was within the wild beasts, comes to my mind when thinking about Master Jesus.

Actually, where lies the purpose or goal to the science of Yoga, which not only means union it promotes the quest for the true and highest self, hence the activation of the Christ consciousness within a heart cleaned from darkness and sheltered by light.

How do we still the phantom of our mind, from a turbulence of thoughts and a restlessness of our body that prevent from finding what we are, what we are here for?

Through the practice of yoga and meditation you will be able to answer the following questions?

Who I am?

Why am I here?

How do I realize the truth regards my Dharma or Life’s purpose?

To whom am I grateful to?

Meditation Benefits

Let us go back to Christmas Eve.

Are we truly honoring the arrival of the true inner divine light, within the chamber of our hearts?

The birth of the anointed, the Master of unconditional love and forgiveness.

The birth of eternal resilience.

RESILIENCY/ MANIFESTO

When we hear…

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God…”

Is not hard to experience a visualization of Jesus serving to humanity, sharing his light through his ministry’s teachings.

Who was Jesus?

One of the most influential human beings of all times?

The founder of Christianity?

A messiah or savior sent by God to redeem humanity of its sins?

What were His teachings?

Is our knowledge of Jesus limited to what is recorded in the Bible?

What has modern historical research to say about what Jesus did and taught?

Have there been other spiritual masters in India whose teachings are similar to those of Jesus?

If so, what light can they shed on the teachings of Jesus? and I personally think this would be an interesting part to analyze.

How To Find The True Kingdom…

With the discovery of many new source documents in the Sinai Desert and near the Dead Sea, and with the advent of modern methods of textual analysis by scholars who are independent of institutional bias, today most Biblical scholars will agree that the books of the Bible’s New Testament are written at several levels of authenticity:

• What were likely the actual words of Jesus, quoted in the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, but recorded several decades afterwards.


• What were likely interpolations – words attributed to Jesus by unknown sources.


• What was said about Jesus or about his teachings by others, for example, Paul in his “letters,” which make up most of the rest of the New Testament, and which served as the basis for early Church dogma.

Within Christianity and in the popular understanding of Jesus and his teaching, how much have these interpolations and early Church dogma distorted or obscured the actual words and teachings of Jesus?

What do the actual words of Jesus say about who Jesus was and what his teachings were?

What do the actual words of Jesus not say?

To resolve and clarify these questions are a prerequisite to making comparisons between the teachings of Jesus and the teachings of the Gnostics and other mystics, such as those of the Yoga Siddhas.

Previous attempts by some, including Swami Prabhavananda’s The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta, and Paramahansa Yogananda’s The Second Coming of Christ made comparisons with Christianity’s dogma reflected in the King James version of the Bible.

They did not consider the work of biblical historians who have suggested numerous inaccuracies in this English version of the Bible, in comparison with the original Greek.

They do not take into consideration the many findings that modern critical historical research has brought to light.

Yogananda interpreted who Jesus was, by distinguishing “Jesus” the person from “Christ” the state of “consciousness,” which he had attained.

Most of his interpretation was based upon statements allegedly made by Jesus, for example, the “I am” statements, in the Gospel of John, which most critical scholars now consider to be interpolations and words not spoken by Jesus.

This present work presents a comparison between the teachings of the Yoga Siddhas, with those of the teachings that are considered now to be the most authentic teachings of Jesus, based upon the results of modern, critical, historical research.

Others have attempted to compare what Jesus did with what other saints, prophets and sages have done.

Some have speculated that Jesus went to India or Tibet, where he was initiated into their sacred traditions.

Holger Kersten, for example, in his Jesus Lived in India, assembled many arguments, based upon very little evidence that Jesus not only went to India prior to his crucifixion, but returned there and died in Kashmir.

He concluded however, that we really do not know what Jesus did. But this as we will see, modern historical scholars have been able to form a broad consensus about what Jesus taught, but history provides little evidence of what Jesus actually did.

Nothing is recorded about the so called “missing years” of Jesus between the recorded incidents in the temple in Jerusalem, when, at the age of twelve, he spoke authoritatively to the scribes and Pharisees, and his appearance at the age of 30, when he begins his mission, by the Sea of Galilee.

Therefore, we must look elsewhere to understand the influences that transformed Jesus, the carpenter’s son from Nazareth, into the Messiah, or savior of the Jewish people, and the Christ, revered by millions ever since.

But there are other sources, which by comparison with what Jesus said and taught and how he lived, clearly indicate what those influences were.

Examples include the writings of the Gnostics, discovered at Nag Hammadi, in the Sinai, in 1945, the Jewish Essenes, discovered at Qumram in 1948 and thousands of ancient documents which trace the development of early Christianity, and which portray its competing divisions.

Several scholars have studied the Yoga Siddhas of India: Eliade, Briggs, Zvelebil, Ganapathy, White, Govindan, Feuerstein, in particular.

A critical edition of the most important work of the Tamil Yoga Siddhas, the Tirumandiram, by the Siddha Tirumular (written between the 2nd century B.C. and the fourth century C.E.) was produced by the Tamil scholar Suba Annamalai in 2000, from thirteen existing manuscripts.

A new English language translation and commentary of this critical edition of the Tirumandiram is currently being prepared by a team of scholars lead by Dr. T.N. Ganapathy.

Most recently, the research of the Yoga Siddha Research Centre in Chennai, India, lead by Dr. T.N. Ganapathy, has brought out a series of books providing, for the first time, translation and commentary of the Yoga Siddhas, or “perfected” yogis of South India, who were contemporaries of Jesus.

Their teachings and miraculous powers were remarkably similar to those of Jesus.

This makes possible an intriguing comparison between the teachings and miracles of Jesus and those of the Yoga Siddhas.

The writings of the South India Yoga Siddhas have been largely ignored until recently.

They were not well preserved by the orthodox institutions because of the Siddhas’ severe condemnation of the caste system, excessive emphasis on temple worship and scriptures, and the authority of the Brahmins, the priestly caste, which monopolized religious affairs in India.

The writings of the Siddhas were in the vernacular language of the people rather than Sanskrit.

Knowledge of Sanskrit was limited for the most part to the Brahmin caste, whose priests and scholars dominated the religious and educational systems.

The Siddhas condemned this monopoly of the Brahmins, and taught that the Lord could only be known by Jnana Yoga, wisdom born of self-knowledge, meditation and other spiritual practices, particularly through Kundalini Yoga.

Many in the orthodox caste, the Brahmins, reacted by burning the writings of the Siddhas and sought to prejudice popular opinion against the Siddhas by ridiculing them.

The writings of the Siddhas were written in what is referred to as a “twilight language,” which deliberately obscures its deeper meaning to all but Yoga initiates.

This great gap in scholarly understanding of the Siddhas writings, however, has recently begun to be filled by a series of books, produced by a team of leading scholars working for the Yoga Siddha Research Centre in Chennai, India. The Centre has collected, preserved, transcribed and begun to translate thousands of palm leaf manuscripts written by the Yoga Siddhas, which had been all but forgotten in several manuscript libraries of southern India.

 

Remarkable Similarities

Even a cursory comparison of the teachings of Jesus and those of the Siddhas by anyone familiar with the two reveals remarkable similarities:

• Jesus taught in parables, metaphor, paradox, and parody, conveying profound teachings in a way that illiterate listeners could easily understand and remember.

He was an iconoclast, who sought to move His listeners to realize the spirit, not merely the letter of the Jewish law and worship practices.

The Yoga Siddhas taught in the form of poems, in the vernacular language of the illiterate people, in a way that they could easily understand, memorize and recall.

Several layers of meaning could be attributed to both the teachings of Jesus and the Siddhas.

The deepest layers could be understood only by the initiate, who had been taught by a spiritual master how to access the inner reality through such practices as meditation and silence.

• Jesus severely condemned the Pharisees and the merchants in the temple, physically assaulting their shops.

When challenged by the Pharisees on what authority did he speak, he replied: “I shall destroy this temple, and within three days, raise it up!” His resurrection from the cross proved His point, that the real temple is within oneself.

The Yoga Siddhas also condemned emphasis on temple worship and idol worship.

Nowhere in any of their writings do they sing in praise of any of the popular Hindu deities or images of God.

They taught that the human body is the true temple of God and it is only through a process of inner purification that one can come to know the Lord.

• Neither Jesus nor the Siddhas intended to create a new religion.

They taught that God is present in the world. They taught how to realize God through self discipline and self awareness, and through our connection to others.

• Jesus taught forgiveness of sins or transgressions. One of his most important parables, that of the prodigal son, exemplifies this.


The Siddhas taught how to “detach” from the influence of samskaras (subconscious tendencies), which collectively are referred to as karma (the consequences of actions, words and thoughts).

FORGIVENESSES and dispassion are synonymous at a deep level of understanding, and central to both the teachings of Jesus and such Siddhas as Patanjali.

• Jesus repeatedly referred to himself modestly as the “son of man,” but later, the writers of the Gospels, as well as Paul referred to him as “son of God.”

The Siddhas distinguished, the “lower self,” the body-mind-personality, held together by egoism (asmita), from the higher self, pure consciousness, incarnated as an individual soul, but bound by many imperfections.

• In what scholars consider to be the most authentic parts of the New Testament, the three synoptic Gospels, Mark, Matthew and Luke, Jesus says little about himself and when He does, it is always modestly.

The Siddhas also have little to say about themselves in their writings.

They spoke of freeing themselves from ignorance, egoism and delusion.

Consequently, they enjoyed an expanded consciousness and became instruments of the Divine, working “miracles.”

• Jesus taught that the Lord, whom he referred to as the Father, not only existed, but that He loves you.

He also taught that to know Him, one must overcome egoism and attachment to the things of this world.


The Siddhas also taught that by a progressive process of self study, discipline and purification, one can realize the Lord.

They did not fear the Lord. They loved Him.

To them, God was Love and Love was God.

Surrender to the Lord was the means of their progressive transformation. They realized the Lord as Absolute Being, Consciousness and Bliss within themselves.

• Jesus repeatedly emphasized that “the Kingdom of Heaven is within you.”

The theme of Jesus’ teachings in the synoptic gospels as well as the Gospel of St Thomas is “the Kingdom of Heaven.”

But in the Epistles of Paul, as well as the Gospel of John, which are considered by the vast majority of reputable scholars to contain only interpolations (statements put into the mouth of Jesus by unknown sources) the theme is Jesus himself, his mission and his person.

The Siddhas repeatedly taught that the Lord was to be found within oneself, as Absolute Being, Consciousness and Bliss, and that this state could only be realized through the cultivation of samadhi (God consciousness).

This is not a creation of the mind.

It is the realization of the Divine Witness within, and the cultivation of a divine life, from the perspective of this God consciousness.

They taught that the Lord is, unlike our soul, unaffected by desires and karma.

Being one with everything, the Siddhas retained no more inclination to be of special personage.

The Siddhas rarely spoke of their person, and they never encouraged the worship of their person, but rather of that omnipresent Reality within them.

• Jesus used the metaphor of Light to represent consciousness of his true identity; “when thine eye is single, thy whole body shall be full of light.” (Luke 11.34).

The Siddhas referred to the Supreme Being as all pervasive light or as the supreme grace light.

They referred to the Supreme Being as Shiva Shakti (Conscious Energy), and taught that it could be realized within oneself as the sublime, divine kundalini light energy within the subtle body.

• Jesus was reported to have ascended bodily into heaven 40 days after he rose from the dead. During these 40 days he appeared to his disciples. Doubting Thomas verified his corporeal nature by touching his hands.

The body of Jesus was not buried.

The Siddhas sing repeatedly of their total surrender to the Lord, a surrender, which includes the very cells of their physical body, which creates a transformation begetting immortality.

• Jesus was reportedly opposed and crucified by those who ruled the temple founded by David in Jerusalem – the priests and Pharisees.

They saw him as a threat to their privileged position.

Jesus sought to liberate the Jews not from the Romans, but from their spiritual ignorance, fear, and domination by the priests.

He taught them through his parables, and initiated chosen disciples into how to know God by turning within, in esoteric practices.

The Siddhas have been opposed to this day by the vested interests of Hinduism, the Brahmins, who control the temples and serve as intermediaries between the common person and the “gods” of the Hindu pantheon.

The Siddhas are condemned and ridiculed as “miracle workers,” fakirs and worse, by the Brahmins, who fear their popular appeal among the masses.

The Siddhas and other yogic adepts initiate the most qualified students into the esoteric practices of Kundalini Yoga and meditation.

• Jesus emphasized love and the inner experience or communion with God, rather than the law of the Old Testament.


The Siddhas rejected the Vedic scripture’s emphasis on external fire sacrifice and ritual; they emphasized the inner path to the Lord through love and Yoga.

• Jesus performed many miracles as a result of his powers, or siddhis and this is the main reason of this writing.

Jesus was a Yogi!

So did the Siddhas.

The ordinary person dissipates their energy through the senses, attracted by desires.

When one realizes the Presence of the Lord within, one gains access to unlimited power and consciousness.

Unmanifest and potential, it is known as kundalini.

When it is awakened, one becomes an instrument of the Divine, hence the Ceista

• Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness in meditation and prayer, and as a result acquired great powers.


The Siddhas performed similar tapas (penance) with resulting siddhis (powers).

Even the number 40 is of particular significance with regard to a period of practice of penance in the yogic tradition.

• Both the Siddhas and Jesus exhibited great social concern.

Jesus left John the Baptist, and returned to the urban areas and consorted with tax collectors and other disreputable types.

Are you like the Fisherman?

He encouraged counter-cultural movements against established tradition.

The Siddhas sought to show the path to the Lord to everyone, by teaching what one must do, especially through Yoga and hygienic living standards and medicine, and also what one must avoid.

• Jesus accepted Mary Magdalene as a disciple when he allowed her to wash and to anoint his feet with spikenard oil.

He initiated his most worthy disciples, like Thomas, into esoteric teachings, which enabled them to realize the Supreme Being, beyond the creator God.

The Siddhas showed their surrender to their Gurus by washing, anointing or touching their feet.

They initiated their disciples into advanced techniques of Yoga to expand their consciousness and bring about Self realization.

• Jesus was not merely a teacher or rabbi to his disciples, but a God-man, who remained an enigma to all of his direct disciples.

They struggled to comprehend his teachings, his parables, and referred to him variously as a prophet or the Messiah, the anointed one who would deliver them from the yoke of Roman tyranny.

Their confusion lead to the formation of a multiplicity of sects in early Christianity, until the fourth century C.E., when the Church, in alliance with the Roman emperor, seeking to unify Christianity and the Roman Empire, defined Christian dogma and creeds, and declared as heretics those who did not adhere to its dogma.

The Siddhas were Gurus (dispellers of darkness) who showed the path to the Lord, and were also revered as ones who embodied divinity.

They extolled the authority of one’s own inner spiritual experience, rather than the authority of the Vedas (scriptures).

For this reason, the orthodox condemned them.

The Siddhas continue to be an enigma for most Hindus.

In this work we will explore and compare these and other areas, which will shed great light on the questions:

“Who was Jesus?”

“How can I best understand His teachings?”

 

Why Should Christians Study Yoga?

1. The short answer is that the study and practice of Yoga will make a Christian a better Christian.

2. Also, because it will provide valuable spiritual experience, mental peace, energy and good health, all essential in realizing the goals of both persons of faith and rationalists.

Just as the Buddha was not a Buddhist, Jesus was not a Christian.

The Buddha was certainly a yogi, who undertook to find the cause of human suffering, and the remedy for it, through philosophical enquiry.

Who am I?

Where have I come from and where am I going?

Why is there evil?

What is there after this life?

In that way Yoga can be considered to be the practical side of all religions.

It contains no dogma, no limiting beliefs.

It is not a religion.

It may be considered to be an “open philosophy” for it accepts various approaches to Truth.

It is widely recognized to be one of the six main systems of philosophy in India.

As such it fits perfectly into Pope John Paul II’s recommendation that Christians study philosophy, including the Eastern philosophies, in order to become better Christians.

His Papal Encyclical “On the Relationship between Faith and Reason” (Fides Et Ratio) provides the long answer to the above question.

In it Pope John Paul II argues that:

“In both East and West, we may trace a journey which has led humanity down the centuries to meet and engage truth more and more deeply.

It is a journey which has unfolded—as it must—within the horizon of personal self-consciousness:

“the more human beings know reality and the world, the more they know themselves in their uniqueness, with the question of the meaning of things and of their very existence becoming ever more pressing.”

This is why all that is the object of our knowledge becomes a part of our life.

The admonition “Know yourself” was carved on the temple portal at Delphi, as testimony to a basic truth to be adopted as a minimal norm by those who seek to set themselves apart from the rest of creation as “human beings,” that is, as those who “know themselves.””

Yoga is a means to “know thyself.

“From the grossest to the most subtle levels, Yoga gives us the means to reach the highest and most ethereal subtleties of material substance.

Yoga can take us beyond the grasp of our senses, the thoughts of our mind, and even beyond our most subtle consciousness to the Force-Love beyond it.

Yoga examines the fundamental principles and laws of the cosmos, their purpose and their demand on divine evolution.

It examines how the principle of grace works in life through the physical instrument, through the mind, the physical nervous system and vital organs.

Yoga can teach us how to embrace the suffering of our life and to overcome it.

In other words through Yoga we embrace the activation of resilience’s skills.

When there is resilience, relapsing into darkness and emotional pain becomes history, because we learn to let go without attachment, forgiveness becomes easier and our soul embraces healing.

The Siddhas were neither pessimistic nor illusionist.

They saw the world as a mixture of division, darkness, limitation, desire, struggle, pain and splendor, beauty and truth.

They recognized the mind as an instrument of the soul imprisoned in it.

The view “I am” is a force of creative power possessed by the soul to lift it from this prison.

The profound realization of “I am” is a powerful means to knowing ourselves truly as children of God.

According to the Siddhas, we share consciousness with God. But rare is the person who understands and imbibes this Truth.

God is behind all that exists as the Eternal Witness. But that Supreme Consciousness can perfectly express itself in this manifest world only in one who has integrally harmonized Truth within itself.

What or who is a Siddha?

A Siddha is one who has done so, drawing body and soul into a new identification with absolute perfection.

This occurs only after having discarded all identification with the mind’s imperfect state of physical manifestation and consciousness.

A Siddha has surrendered to the Supreme Consciousness at all levels, from the spiritual to the physical. Jesus could be identified as one such a being.

He stepped out of the imperfect human form to enter a new Consciousness and Being.

Yoga teaches that the imperfect reality of human existence is seen only by the mind, the limited mind of desire, division, darkness, struggle, and pain.

And to overcome it, the mind itself must reach a psychic aspiration towards perfection lying beyond itself.

The mind of a man must seek union with an Ideal of perfection and harmonize itself totally with it.

This process requires complete surrender to the Supreme Being, Consciousness and Bliss.

 

Faith and Reason by Ronald H. Nash is a book that also addresses:

1. Christians who are interested in comparing Eastern spiritual teachings with those of Christianity.

2. Students of spiritual Yoga, otherwise known as Classical Yoga and Tantra, as well students and practitioners of meditation and other spiritual disciplines.

3. Serious Biblical students, including those interested in the question

“What did Jesus really teach, before the formation of Christian dogma?”

The objectives of this book are to:

1. Demonstrate that what Jesus taught, for example through his parables and sayings, was amazingly similar to what the Yoga masters, the Siddhas, taught.

2. To explore the implications of these parallel teachings for those seeking to apply them in their own life, not so much to know about God, as to how to know God through higher states of consciousness.

3. To show how the discoveries of ancient manuscripts, and their analysis by independent critical scholars using scientific methods, provide much insight into the original teachings of Jesus.

4. To demonstrate why the “sayings” of Jesus, circulated orally during the first decades following his crucifixion before being recorded, are probably the most authentic source of his teachings that we have available today.

These are limited to a few dozen parables, aphorisms and sharp retorts, which were repeated in the oral tradition for two or three decades before they were eventually recorded by the anonymous writers of the Gospels.

5. To show how the original teachings of Jesus, as recorded in his “sayings” and parables, became obscured once Christianity was defined in terms of dogmas and creeds.

6. To explore the question “Who was Jesus?” based upon those statements that many modern critical scholars have concluded are the most authentic.

7. To explore the questions “Where is the Kingdom of God?” and “How may I reach it?” based upon those statements that many modern critical scholars have concluded are the most authentic.

8. To explore the question “Why are the teachings of Jesus so contrary to ordinary human nature?”

Last but not least;

“Seek for your inner light and you shall find it…Behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Namaste 🙏🏻

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; RYT-200 hrs; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; CAI; CCR; CACR; SGC.

References;

The Holy Bible ( New and Old Testaments).

The Second Coming of Christ.

The Resurrection of the Christ Within You; Paramahansa Yogananda; (Self Realization Fellowship, 2004).

The Yoga Of Jesus; Understanding the Hidden Teachings of the Gospels;(Self Realization Fellowship, 2007).

http://www.jesusandyoga.net

Faith and Reason; Searching for a Rational Faith; Ronal H. Nash (Harper Collins, 1994).

How to Stimulate Your Christmas CHI

Where there is Love, there is Life…

Where there is Chi, there is Prana…

Chi is the energy flow through which our brain communicates with a skeleton of 206 bones and more than 600 muscles, as such to stimulate a human being’s performance.

Without this anatomy’s scenario there would not be the outcome of positive or negative charges of electricity that had been produced across our membranes when atoms switch charges.

In other words energy is our main Life Force.

Yoga allows this wonderful manifestation of energy through our body, furthermore when is a great resource to promote conscious breathing by different pranayama’s exercises encouraged through different yoga’s sequences.

The soft bone marrow inside many of our bones is where most of the blood cells flowing through our bodies are made.

The bone marrow contains stem cells, which produce the body’s red blood cells and platelets, and some types of white blood cells.

Red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s tissues, and platelets help with blood clotting when there is a cut or wound.

White blood cells help the body to fight infection.

Now let’s review our Life Force (Prana);

 As mentioned above, if we think about the sheltering role that our tissues provide to our bones, in addition that inside our bones there is growing and regeneration of the soft bone marrow, (which function is to produce our red and some white blood cells), imagine what would happen if our red blood cells wouldn’t be able to carry the best quality of OXYGEN to our tissues and platelets. 

Our inmune system (by default), would directly suffer collateral damage.

Indeed, we would become vulnerable to the development of physical injuries and even mental disorders.

Mental disorders have been associated to spiritual (not religious) blockages and as such may end up manifesting through physical injuries.

At present Psychiatric resident students are required to take spiritual education for that reason.

There is a type of spiritual power you can co-create which benefits and protects you while mutually empowering others to take their journey and experience Divine success.

The spiritual power which is no other fact than “Good Will” is generated by how you feel inside influenced by the attitude you cultivate towards others. When you know you have value (and this is important) is it easy to recognize the value in another.

When your fuel is encouraged by the Universe it is easy to encourage others. As you put out support, encouragement and good will for the success of all beings, this energy is amplified and returned to you.

I encourage you to love yourself a little more and consider to your new 2019 “Bucket List” embracing a first yoga class.

You will never regret and forget that experience.

True love is not found, it is built just like the best version of ourselves…

Last but not least;

“May all hearts be uplifted by the generous grace of Good Will. May Divine success inclusive of all living beings, unfold through this intervention power up joy of unconditional love…

love wins, love will always win through Divine Love and our own free will.”

with love and always from the light.

Author:

Glenda Lee Santos; Humble Military and Yoga Warrior; RYT-200 hrs; Criminal Justice, BA; Holistic Practitioner with Foundation in Yoga and Ayurveda; CAI; CAHP; CCR; CCHP; CACR; SGC; MRT.