Be aware of this trick of the mind. Spirituality is to be aware of “what is”. This very awareness brings transformation of present chaotic state of “what is”, to a perfect state of clarity here and now. Transformation happens in the “now”, in the present moment.

Transformation and understanding are not time bound.They are the result of awareness which is not time bound.

Psychological time is a movement of dead past projecting a future which is yet to be. This orientation bypasses the present moment.

The present moment is a living thing and is beyond the dimension of time. Time has only past tense and future tense and both are non-existential. The present moment is existential and so it is a living phenomena.

Transformation through understanding happens only in the present. Becoming is time bound and understanding never happens in becoming because becoming is a continuation of the past. Becoming is perpetuation of the past.

Only when there is ending of the past, there is a possibility of something new to happen. In the awareness of Self-inquiry we are dissociated from the past and there is the observation of “what is” without wearing the lenses of the past. In that process of awareness we are in direct contact with “what is’ without any attempt to translate “what is” according to the past and convert into the language of the past, the known.

The quality of watchfulness is central to spirituality. All other things done in the name of spirituality belong to a religious circus. There are always plenty of those.

~Dr.Raju.

Related Articles

• The Art Of Observation: By Dr. Raju
• Mind Is Time: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju

Consciousness reflects diamonds or pebbles equally. By its very nature it won’t choose that which is reflected.

Ego is the consummation of all past experiences. So if we observe through the observer there is the perpetuation of the past. Nothing new can be observed with such a type of observation.

Self-inquiry is not a process of “doing”.It is a process of conscious observation without the interference of the “doer”. In such a type of observation even “doer” is an object of observation.

When you are in a state of observation during the process of Self-inquiry, you are not in a state of thinking. Either there is thinking or there is pure observation and both of them do not happen simultaneously. If there is a thought “I am doing Self-inquiry”, then you are not in a state of Self-inquiry.

The pure act of observation in Self-inquiry cannot be reduced to a thought.

Here is an example to demonstrate this. When you see a bird on the wing, just be watchful and be in a state of wonder in seeing the beauty of it. Let that beauty and its dance in the wind penetrate you. But the moment the mind enters and says how beautiful is the bird, the “thought of beauty” becomes a barrier to perceive the beauty of the bird on the wing.

You are no longer seeing the bird on the wing, its suchness. You have gone into past memories of the bird and comparing them with the present. It is a mind game and it is a fall from pure observation into the domain of mind. Then your awareness become clouded by the smoke of the past and dust of the past started collecting on the mirror of consciousness which no longer reflects the beauty of the bird on the wing because you are not “here and now”.

Thats what happens whenever a thought arises in you, your consciousness is disturbed, starts wavering, waves start arising in you and you are not capable of reflecting the suchness of that which is.

In Self-inquiry we have to learn the new art of observing things and thoughts without judging,verbalizing, evaluating. The state of observation is more important than what is being observed.

Observation without any choice is total freedom. In pure observation we don’t wipe out the known, but we enter into a different dimension altogether from which the known, the past, the ego is observed. In this awareness memory acts without impediment, and efficiently.

If you persist and if you are patient enough and if you go on working at cleaning and polishing the inner, one day this implosive state of pure observation happens. Then you are born anew in the consciousness with eyes which are so clear and your mirror of consciousness reflects so deeply, so totally without distortion, the whole ego unfolds itself, flowers and withers in the passive state of observation.

When there is observation without the observer,you are simply a witness.Then you don’t think that ‘I am observing”, there is no “I”,there is no thinking, there is only observation because all thinking and the “I”,they have all become objects of your witnessing. But witnessing cannot be its own object and those who claim that they are aware of their awareness do not know anything about awareness.We can be awareness which is a state of unicity.

No mirror can reflect itself. Bhagawan Ramana says your eyes cannot see themselves.

Adi Sankara in Vivekachudamani pointed out that even those with Self knowledge must always be alert (Sada Apramada) because Maya may veil them at anytime again and if it happens their position is like a ball slipping from top of a hill and getting lost into a deep valley where it is impossible to trace it even.

So the quintessence of Self-inquiry lies in observing the “what is” without the observer and in that process “what is” is transformed.

DR.RAJU

Related Articles

• Ramana – Who Am I? Posted by Aparna Sharma
• Ramana: The Essential Teachings
• Mind Is Time: By Dr. Suryanarayana Raju
• Sage of Arunachala Sri Ramana Maharshi
• Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal

Discern at every step that I am whatever is beginningless, conscious, unborn, primal, resident in the Heart-cavity, unsullied, and transcending the world, whatever is pure, peerless, desireless, beyond sight or other perceptions or even mental apprehension.

Because we think we are in the body we also believe that we are born. However, we do not think of the body, of God, or of methods of realization in our deep slumber. Yet in our waking state we hold onto the body and think we are in it.

The Supreme Being is that from which the body is born, in which it lives, and into which it resolves. We, however, think that we reside within the body. Hence instruction is given. The instruction means: “look within.”

Consciousness is not born at any time; it remains eternal. But ego is born; so also the other thoughts. Associated with the absolute consciousness they shine forth, not otherwise.

Liberation is to know that you were not born. “Be still and know that I am God.”

Related Articles

• Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal
• You Are What You Eat
• Sage of Arunachala Sri Ramana Maharshi
• I am not this, I am not that; who am I? – Gururaj Ananda Yogi Satsang
• Sweet Lotus Feet by Alan Jacobs

The empty black hole.

The void you are so terrified to acknowledge.

What am I if not my life story?? My thoughts, dreams, hopes, fears, emotions- My dream weaves of myriad warps and wefts- the patterns, the symbols, the pretty golden moments bordering the reality, the enmeshing of lives- a pleasant dream woven like a wedding sari. But then You point towards the beginning and the end of the fabric… and the endless holes between each weave. The space on which plays the reality. The empty black hole that won’t be filled. It’s that hole that each of us carry within us. Perhaps a remnant of the moment we were severed from the ‘whole’ reality. I don’t care to define its origin but start from the premise that the void IS there. In each and every one of us. The empty black hole we carry within us.

Too long have I lived, never acknowledging its presence. Or at best, covering it with too many virtues. Or creating dream castles outside of it. A being in love with mist. In love with monsoon clouds. The dancing colors of dawn and dusk, playing rainbow dreams upon the clouds. Or the mystic beauty of winter mist- no past, no future, no fears no hopes, just a pause- a moment in mist.

But how long does monsoon stay?? How long does the mist linger?? Sometime, you have to acknowledge the sky. The sky- the vast, vast, vastest emptiness- so stark in front of you every day, and yet, so forgotten.

The same empty space inside of me.

I try to fill it up with dreams and stars and lovers and gods. And no matter how much I pray, my hymns and chants just echo and come back to me. And the emptiness forever remains.

The empty sky that won’t be filled.

I don’t say that it has forever been so. For when we were asleep, there arose beautiful loves in our life. A love that filled our every pore, and filled every empty crevice between those pores- a love that ‘full-filled’ our every cell. But all too soon it is taken away. INVARIABLY, WITHOUT AN EXCEPTION. I haven’t met one living who says he didn’t go through this play. A dream no matter, how sublime, invariably comes to an end. So what is it with the Divine?? Some kind of sadistic game he likes to play?? Or is there a purpose behind every calamity and every wish fulfilled??

The love arose to fill that space you hitherto would not acknowledge. And left too soon for you to confront that void you never cared to look in the face. They still won’t acknowledge- all your well wishers around you. They’ll still ask you to ‘get real’, ‘get going’- the custodians of sanity in the world.

But IF I need to know my reality, I’ll HAVE to give up to grace. (or to emptiness). Why are we so scared of the word ‘empty’?? Why relate it to something dark or sad?? Empty is just empty- Devoid of good or bad. Neither positive nor negative. Neither ‘dukkha’ nor ‘ananda’. Empty is just empty- the sky without a cloud. A wind without a name.

So what does the seeker do?? Confront the reality. Lean into the empty black hole… without any hope or desire for redemption. Without even the martyr’s halo. Just lean without cause, without any compulsion to do so. You may stay outside as long as you want.

(Outside too, exist some pretty magical worlds, I promise. All full of gods and goddesses and spirits and angels. You can attract what you want or attain what you desire. All this is there, and more. But that is STILL without. What about the space WITHIN???  The emptiness that won’t be denied.)

The task is then; to stare into that nothingness- to accept its reality over every other so called reality. The task is then, to give in. Stripped of any term that defined me. To know the void- I have to become the void. Strip yourself of every cause and condition and hope and dream. Take off that halo of virtue; discard the mantle of good causes. And walk on… lean into the black hole, till you fall into it- and let the emptiness absorb you….. to the point that ‘you’ remain no more… till ‘I’ remains no more.

Beyond this, I don’t say from experience, for I have only heard- In the midst of this Void, as if emerging from it, the world once again bursts in with a new face. As though each time you have to lose everything in order to find everything again one step higher.

The same reality, but purged, sanctified, evolved. The void begins to fill. There emerges out of it, or fills into it all the manifold Truths, known or unknown realities, all that is ever real, never was lost. They say the void fills up. Or in fact, reveals itself as already full. The gap between me and Thee, is itself the bridge connecting us.

(All this I say from what I’ve heard) But the task for now is clear. Lean into the well of emptiness….. give up my names of myself, and let His word remain.

Related Articles

• Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal
• The Journey of the Soul – III
• I am not this, I am not that; who am I? – Gururaj Ananda Yogi Satsang
• Njanappaana by Poonthanam Nambudiri-6
• The Journey of the Soul – II

In many Eastern traditions it is believed that once a person is fully Self-Realized or Enlightened, he or she attains complete perfection and becomes omniscient and all knowing about three periods of time (past, present, and the future) anywhere in the entire universe. What would be Sri Ramana Maharshi’s view on this? Was Sri Ramana really all knowing and perfect in every way?

____________________________________

Dear Friend:

To such a question, Sri Ramana would say that first you become Self-Realized and then you can see for yourself what that state of fullness of Self is. Like Buddha in the old days,  Bhagavan Ramana was generally silent in face of such questions and did not encourage them.

In the way that he acted, spoke, and lived, Bhagavan Ramana did not give any impression of being all knowing or made such claims for himself. Even when devotees attributed miracles to Bhagavan, he was indifferent. Once Bhagavan did say that the “Self is the infinite eye.” But he was always very keen to point out that Self-Realization is not knowing anything special, but simply being your Self.

You rightly point out that that in many Eastern and yogic spiritual traditions, a fully Self-Realized person is thought to be perfect and “all knowing”. However, Advaita philosophy views such issues to be moot in relationship to Self-Realization.

In Advaita, a Jnani (Self-Realized person) does not acquire any external knowledge or expertise in quantum mechanics, physics, other sciences, art, literature, or anything like that. To have knowledge of something, we must presume an object of knowledge that is separate from the Self. However, in Advaita, Self is One without a second. Therefore, knowing something other than Self does not make any sense.

Great Yogis can know anything through concentration, meditation, and Samadhi. This is the process of samayama explained in the ancient Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. However, when the mind of a Yogi is bent on Self-Realization alone, and turns inward to its source, the mind along with its powers is resolved in that source, which is the Heart. That is Brahman.

The great Advaitic Mahavakya, “Aham Brahmasmi” means, “I Myself Am Brahman”, One without a second. Therefore, the question of “knowing” something truly becomes moot in Advaita.

The scriptures say, “Know That by which all else is known”. There is very deep meaning in that. We know the entire reality of perceptions only through our own consciousness. We could travel trillions of light years to other galaxies and universes, but the fundamental issue of perception and how we “know” the “other” would still remain.

I have tried to explain the difference between the Science of Self-Realization and the other physical sciences in the following article.

http://luthar.com/self-inquiry-the-science-of-self-realization

Also, I have attempted to explain the difference between meditation and Self-inquiry as taught by Bhagavan Ramana in the following article

http://luthar.com/meditation-self-inquiry-and-self-realization

Possibly, you will find these articles to be useful.

Namaste

Harsh K. Luthar

Related Articles

• Detachment in Yoga and Advaita: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
• Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal
• The Gospel of Jesus Decoded: Christ and Kundalini, Part 1 by Michael Bowes
• The Journey of the Soul – II
• Belly Breathing

We are like lutes once held by God.
Being away from his warm body
Fully explains
This constant yearning.

So what is it in human spirit that makes it reject even its own heart’s desire in face of union with God??

Just what is it that makes us give all our labor to attain that one precious thing, and just when one is at the edge of his soul, just about to tip over, – at that moment- to give up the very desire in favor of one glance of Truth? How come, the rock, on the brink of rolling over the cliff, suddenly finds wings??

An ardent desire of Hafiz’ that led him on and on, on the 40 nights’ vigil, … where did that go when at last he faced the angel to have his prayers answered??

At 31, Hafez kept a long and lonely nightly vigil to attain his ardent desire-  Shakh-e-Nabat. But when the Angel of God appeared to him at last, just before the rock tipped over, the desire lost its sheen.

And Hafiz declared, “I want God.”

Thus the Angel directed Hafiz to a the Perfect Master- Mahmud Attar. “Attar” meaning ‘the seller of perfumes’ .The condition was, to serve the master faithfully and patiently.

Now Hafiz did know ‘patience’. And for the next forty years he served his Master, waiting for the promised Musk- God realization. And so the vigil went on, a soul awaiting its dawn… for forty long years.

Though the wind of discord

shake the two worlds,

mine eyes are fixed upon the road

from whence cometh my Friend.

All this while, his life must have seemed to have been split in two. On one hand the inner flame that knows no waiting- the thirst for Union with God. On the other, the earthly life that hitherto has spared no one. He had his master to obey, and responsibilities to fulfill towards his wife and child and the people of Shiraz.

Four decades is a long time. He longed to give up everything and join the creed of ‘Kalandars’ he had seen on the dusty roads and outskirts of Shiraz. Kalandars were the god-intoxicated dervishes for whom no law of society ever applied. Dressed in rags, indifferent to the world, singing the praises of God and living on the few scraps of food that may be thrown their way, the Kalandars were the Path of Love- willing to give up everything in total submission to the Beloved

So I run to the edge of existence
And join my soul in love.

I lift my heart to God
And grace is poured.

The lesson was slow and painful, that while the being becomes mad for God inside, on the outside one need show no pain or sign at all. But then his patience came to an end

In 1381, when he was 60, Hafiz finally wept in front of his Master and in desperation, cried: ‘What have I gained by being your obedient disciple for forty years?’

“Be patient and one day you will know.” replied the Master

“I knew I would get that answer from you.” Hafiz cried and left the room.

It was exactly forty days before the end of their decade’s long relationship.

Hafiz again, entered a self-imposed ‘Chehel-e-Nashmi,’ sitting within a circle he drew on the ground for forty days. Another test of patience and of endurance. Hāfez hints at this episode in one of his verses where he advises the reader to attain “clarity of wine” by letting it “sit for 40 days”.

(For

God
To make love,
For the divine alchemy to work,
The Pitcher needs a still cup…)

Finally on the last night, Angel Gabriel appeared as he had done forty years earlier, and asked Hafiz his heart’s desire. And again, just when the desire was to be fulfilled

Hafiz replied: “My only desire is to wait on the pleasure of my Master’s wish.”

Before dawn appeared on the eastern sky, he was back at his Master’s door. A Perfect Master who could give him the perfect wine

Only a Perfect One

Who is always
Laughing at the word
TWO

Can make you know
Of

Love.

Attar gave him a cup of wine, and it was here where Hafiz is said to have attained “Cosmic Consciousness” – the Oneness with the Perfect One.

Don´t tell me, dear ones,

That what Hafiz says is not true,

For when the heart tastes its glorious destiny

And you awake to our constant need

for your love

God´s lute will beg

For your hands.

And the rock had tipped over!!

More interesting articles

• Surrender and Salvation: By Voruganti Krishnayya
• Bliss yoga: By Christine Wushke
• Comment on a verse in Ashtavakra Gita: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
• Light From Eternal Lamps: By Swami Sadasivananda
• No-mind and the cinema screen analogy. By Mourad Rashad

Bhagavan Ramana

Sri Ramana used to say that there are so many scriptures, it is hard to read them all.  Bhagavan’s view was that once an aspirant understands the essence of the pure teaching of self-inquiry, practice becomes the most critical factor on the path.

I should add that the commentaries on the scriptures are endless as well!

Those who are bent on Self-Realization, grasp the teaching and, after that, remain in the awareness of their self-nature without distraction.

The essential teaching is contained in the great Vedic Mahavakya, “Aham Brahmasmi!” or “I Am Brahman!”

It means that “I Myself Am The Infinite!” One gains conviction in this when heard from the Guru who says, “Thou Art That”.

Once the firm conviction is there, then one should meditate on the nature of the “I-Awareness” until the inner eye within the “I” reveals itself as pure consciousness which is the core of existence being Existence itself.

That is all there is to it. The rest is all entertainment!

Related Articles

• Ramana: The Essential Teachings
• Papaji (H.W.L. Poonja): by Lisa Carneal
• Sri Ramana Maharshi: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
• Comment on a verse in Ashtavakra Gita: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
• The Empty Black Hole: By Aparna Sharma

I came to the conviction that the highest human attainment was the state of Jivanmukti (full enlightenment whilst still in the body). I was then at Tiruchengode (1921-1925) studying in college. When I was 18 years old, I fervently prayed that I should meet a Jivanmukta and receive his blessings.

My prayers were soon answered! My father, a police officer, was transferred to Tiruvannamalai. I came to know of Bhagavan Ramana living there. I gave up my studies and rushed to Arunachala. At Katpadi, while traveling in the train towards Tiruvannamalai, I had a remarkable vision of Bhagavan. Thus my Sadguru came to me and absorbed me even before l could have His physical darshan!

When I arrived at the Ashrama, Bhagavan gave me a warm welcome with a benign smile. As He was seeing me for the first time, His two spontaneous utterances surprised me. Like an affectionate mother, He asked me, “When did you come?” and “How is your right hand?”

My right hand was badly fractured when I was 14-years-old and though it healed up the hand remained bent and short. I used to cover it up with full sleeves and even my friends did not know of this serious deformity. How did Bhagavan know about it? And what affectionate concern He showed! After Bhagavan inquired about it, my sense of inferiority because of the defect totally disappeared. More than all this, He asked me to be seated in front of Him.

Gazing at Him I sat down and I do not know what happened to me then. When I got up two hours had elapsed. This was an experience I had never had before and I have always cherished it as the first and foremost prasad and blessing received from my Sadguru. That day I understood the purport of the statement, “The Sadguru ever gives unasked!” That moment I knew I had been accepted into His Fold. This strong bond He allowed me to enjoy until His Mahasamadhi, and even after.

Daily I would go to Bhagavan by two in the afternoon and return home only at 8 p.m. My father, who was a staunch devotee, was instrumental in constructing, in a remarkably short time, the Old Hall where Bhagavan was to stay for more than twenty years. Bhagavan would quote from Ribhu Gita, Kaivalya Navaneetam, Jnana Vasishta and other Advaitic texts and explain to me their greatness. All the while I was aware I was in the blissful presence of a Brahmajnani, so highly extolled in all our scriptures.

He was a sarvajna (all-knower). I got many proofs of it, though I never demanded them. Daily pocket-money of three annas was given to me by my father. I bought for that amount sambrani (incense) which was burnt in the presence of Bhagavan. One day I did not get the three annas, so I could not buy the sambrani. I, therefore, refrained from going to Bhagavan that day. The next day when I went, Bhagavan graciously remarked: “Yesterday you did not come because you could not get sambrani. Veneration in the heart is enough.”

My father was suddenly transferred to Vellore. None of us, particularly myself, wanted to leave Tiruvannamalai since darshan of Bhagavan would then be denied. We ventilated our grievance to Bhagavan. He gave me a benign smile. A few days after, strangely, the transfer order was canceled!

Related Articles

• The Art Of Observation: By Dr. Raju
• Ramana: The Essential Teachings
• Ramana – Who Am I? Posted by Aparna Sharma
• Sweet Lotus Feet by Alan Jacobs
• Marital Garland Of Letters: By Ramana Maharshi

• Assuming one’s responsibility
• Accepting the state of affairs of our life as it stands today
• this brings us to a general sense of devotion to our lives
• which in turn brings about the surrender required to experience Unity Consciousness

Acceptance is one of the key qualities that we need to implement in our lives. Understanding that our particular form of life is the result of an evolutionary process brings us into terms with life, as it is experienced by our own particular individual mind. Karma is a very much misunderstood concept.

A fictional conversation between chela and Guru by Raman Leonato based on the teachings of Gururaj Ananda Yogi

The Lover: You have said that we carry the memory of millions of years of experience in our subconscious mind and that these impressions are the basis of our karma.  From a practical point of view, how many of these experiences can we free ourselves of in one life?

The Beloved: Karma works hand in hand with Grace.  If you have millions of years worth of karma stored up within you, which are the impressions that make up your ego self, it does not mean that you have to live millions and millions of lifetimes to get rid of them all.  They can be got rid of in one lifetime.  Man has the ability in him to reach enlightenment in one lifetime. Not by getting rid of the karmas, but by shedding them.
Now, how does one shed karma?  The seeds are there, and the normal expression used by Sanskritists is this, that you burn the seeds so that they could not germinate.  Now, how does one burn the seeds?  Spiritual practices play a great part.  The proper mode of life, of living and thinking, plays a great part.  But the greater part is played by action and by non-stagnation.
I usually say that if you have killed ten people it is not necessary to be killed ten times.  You might be faced today by a fire in the school nearby, save eleven lives of the children inside, risking yours each of the times you get into the fire, and you end up with one in the credit balance. So, the impressions and the karma formed by ten killings is automatically removed because it works on the balance sheet principle, and is forever balancing itself.  How much karma you have left on the debit or the credit side is what you are today, and the circumstances you are in are those in which you resolve yourself.

The Lover: So I should then not worry at all about my past deeds, even if I have been doing bad things?

The Beloved: If you have done bad things that does not effect your spiritual self at all.
Your spiritual self cannot be touched by good nor bad. It is above it all.  The spiritual life we talk of is above good and bad.  But, if some things you have done are contrary to the laws of nature, then you have to pay for that.  That is what we call the concept of hell, where you are tortured for it and you pay for it.  Yet those very heavens and hells are here and now today and can all be rewarded, or paid for, or repented upon, here now.  So the entirety of millions of years of buildup can be done away with here in this lifetime.
According to karmic law, time is not the factor.  We measure time only in the relative expression of the here and now, but in the entire scheme of things there is no such thing as time.  In ordinary existence, on the relative or the grosser relative, a million years might have passed, but all of that can be wiped away in a few moments.  The time it takes in preparing the candle and the match is far, far longer than just striking the match and creating light, and that is illumination.  Then the darkness of all those samskaras  – disappear.  A darkness might exist in an old ancient English castle for a few hundreds of years, and yet you walk in there with a lighted lamp and the darkness of hundreds of years in this unoccupied castle vanishes immediately. It vanishes because you are there with this light.  And this light is lit by meditation and spiritual practices.

The Lover: Should I then think that my circumstances today are there for me to pay back my karmas?

The Beloved: You’ve gone through so many lifetimes and so many experiences and you are paying for it today.  It is good to think that way.  That gives you a sense of acceptance that – “I must accept my lot wherever I am placed”.  That is why Christianity says we are born in sin. There is great truth in that. We have brought with us all those samskaras which form our tendencies in life. Essentially the human being is divine; but he does come with this burden.

The Lover: So I accept that. My circumstances today are those in which the karma, the burden I carry is resolved. How do I resolve it?

The Beloved: With this acceptance you must perform action, for acceptance alone will not help you, and it cannot be cowardly acceptance – because you are a coward and you are not prepared to fight; you just accept.
If a person is stronger than you, a big bully and you don’t fight him and you say, “Oh, well, I am a stronger man because I’m not going to be violent.”  Sounds beautiful from the outside, but really speaking, you are afraid.  You are accepting defeat there now, not because you are stronger but because you are weak.  Because you fear.  The proper kind of acceptance would mean that you are accepting the challenge by action.

Related Articles

• The Subject Tonight is Love: By Aparna Sharma
• Religion Divides, Love Unites: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
• Unutterable Is My Name: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar
• God Looks After You Unasked! Said Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi
• Sri Ramana’s Understanding of Human Weakness

This sequence of poses is great for when you feel sluggish, run down, heavy, or are just needing some over all healing for the abdominal organs. If you have a serious medical condition, these poses may not be for you, when in doubt check with your doctor.

Reclining Bound Angle Pose

Lie on two or three staggered blankets, checking that your body is totally comfortable. Support your head with a blanket, and support your thighs with blocks or pillows. Breathe evenly and relax into the pose. Enjoy for 3 or more minutes, and then roll to your right side.

Find more in depth instructions for Reclining Bound Angle Pose here. 

Double Leg Reclining Twist Pose

Lie on your back with some blankets and blocks near by. Hug your knees into your chest, let your back muscles relax, and then then roll to your right side. Shift the upper back to the floor, and rest your left arm on the floor or a blanket. For a more relaxing stretch, place a block or two in between your knees. Rest here for 2 or 3 minutes, or until you feel finished with the stretch, and then switch sides. Notice your breathing, and feel the nourishment in your breath massaging your abdominal organs.

Find more in depth instructions for Double Leg Reclining Twist Pose here.

 Reclining Twist Pose 

Lie on your back with some blankets and blocks near by. Roll to your right side, with your left knee bent, and your right leg straight. Rest your Left knee on a block or two, (or more as needed) so that the pose is now adjusted to the comfort level of your body. Shift the upper back to the floor, (or as close to the floor as you can) staying in your own comfort range. Rest your left arm on the floor, or a pile of blankets. Stay here for as long as you are comfortable, and then switch sides.

Find more in depth instructions for Reclining Twist Pose here.

 Inverted Lake Pose

Bring one or two folded blankets to the wall as shown in picture. Sit on the edge of the blankets with one hip touching the wall, and then swivel around until your sit bones are touching with wall (or as close as you can get ) and then carefully lie down. Place your legs against the wall so they are resting. Make sure your shoulder blades are flat on the floor, so there is no strain on your neck. Stay here for 3 or more minutes, as long as you are comfortable. Notice the deep relaxation that happens naturally with restorative yoga poses, enjoy that deep rest, and nourishment.

For more in depth instructions for Inverted Lake Pose click here.

 Supported Bridge Pose

 Stack 2 or 3 folded blankets and place them a few feet away from a pile of blocks. Sit on the blankets, and lie down on your back so that your lower back is on the blankets, and your head neck and shoulders are resting on the floor. Place your heels on the blocks. For a more restful version of the pose, you can also set yourself up to have the soles of your feet resting into a wall. Stay here for 3 or more minutes, or as long as you are comfortable.

For more in depth instruction for Supported Bridge Pose, click here.

 Forward Hero Pose

Stack 3 or more folded blankets and place them in front of you. Sit on your heels, and place your knees about shoulder width apart. Bring the blankets close to your body, in between your thighs. Keeping your sit bones down on your heels, (or close to the heels) bend forward from the waist, and bring your abdomen and chest onto the pile of blankets. Stay here for 3 or more minutes, enjoying the deep peace, rest and contentment. Let your body sink deeply into the pose, especially on your exhalations.

For more in depth instructions, as well as a few helpful modifications for Forward Hero Pose, click here.

Benefits of the Healing Poses for the Abdominal Organs Sequence: Each of these poses has one of three effects to healing and increased function of the abdominal organs. Twisting will squeeze, tone, and detoxify the organs. Gentle back bending will stretch and lengthen the organs, increasing blood flow to the organs of the abdomen. Supported forward bending will massage and nourish the abdominal muscles and organs. Restorative yoga poses are also very relaxing and often induce the well known ‘relaxation response’. This allows the body to rest more deeply and may speed healing and improve overall organ function. Restorative yoga poses are also deeply meditative, encouraging clarity of mind, inner peace, acceptance and a feeling of overall well being.

For a more in depth guide to Yoga, and how it can be integrated into your lifestyle, check out the yoga E-Books here.

Christine Wushke is a certified yoga and meditation teacher with over 15 years of experience. Her aim is to create a sacred space for students to effortlessly find the presence of stillness and an inner silence. Christine’s mission is to raise consciousness on the planet by empowering people to realize their own Divinity and to uncover a deep peace within. Christine is committed to assisting you in your journey, and helping you to realize directly for yourself the truth of what you are, and the stillness of truth within. In addition to her yoga and meditation training, Christine is also a registered massage therapist. In the past two years she has studied extensively in the spiritual tradition of Advaita Vedanta. Her teaching style is largely influenced by Iyengar yoga, and the nondual tradition of Advaita.

www.journeytolight.net
www.innerlightyoga.blogspot.com

written and modeled by Christine Wushke, Photo’s by Dianne Wushke.

Related Articles

• Heart Opening Pose: By Christine Wushke
• Cat and Cow Pose: By Christine Wushke
• Cross Leg Twisting Pose: By Christine Wushke
• Gentle Side Bending Pose: By Christine Wushke
• Brain Nourishing Pose: By Christine Wushke