Using Music to Control Thoughts – Effect of Music on Meditation
They paused to digest the hidden meaning behind the saint’s answer and asked: “Swami, who will protect us from this cold and tamasic ignorance?”
Swami asked “Existence. Are you feeling cold now?” They realized that they were not feeling any physical cold. Swami continued: “Who is protecting you from cold now? The same existence will protect you from tamas and ignorance too. You are definitely not the doer.”
They contemplated on those words for a while and still feeling terribly insecure about future,said “Swami, We feel afraid to shed anything at all.”
Swami laughed aloud and said; “If you are afraid, go home. You are just infants. You need protection. Spirituality is not your cup of tea. You need more maturity to earn spirituality. Fear has no meaning here. Fear cannot exist here.” Swami paused for a while and continued “You are hiding your fears within your clothing. Escapism is the opposite of spirituality. The two cannot co exist.”
Swami looked at one of the two, straight into his eyes, and said: “Family is becoming thinner and thinner. No offsprings. Conducted many poojas and rituals to earn a child. Everything in vain. “Kaala Sarpa Dosha” (severe curse of snake gods)!!! (Traditionally, brahmins have worshiped snake gods along with many other deities. Almost every family used to have a temple for snakes in their yard. With the formation of nuclear families, as people became “irreligious”, or grossly ignorant of reasons behind the patterns of worship, worships abruptly stopped. The negative effects of this lack of connectivity started appearing in families in the form of unnatural deaths, lack of children, lack of marriage and many relationship issues. Family deities were part of every family at one time. They were invoked and installed by ancestors of that family, to protect them, their families, property and riches, with the promise that they would be honored and respected by them and their family members atall times. These deities were handed down through generations. For understanding’s sake, they can be compared to invited guests. They did not appear by themselves, they were brought by the ancestors for protection and grace. When the further generations stopped honoring them and taking care of them, it was like dishonoring your invited guests and even insulting them, by removing their bed and space. This is still affecting many families.)
He asked: “But Swami, what is the reason for “sarpa dosha” or the curse of the snakes?”
Swami said: “Ingratitude, my son. Snakes on earth are of two types. Earthly snakes which are gross and predominantly tamasic, and divine entities in the form of snakes, which they took for agility and isolation’s sake. You will never mess with a snake, right?. That is why they chose that form. Well, mankind has been closely associated with the higher entities, who exist in the form of snakes. We have co existed with them for a long time. We used to respect them and worship them. They have their own realm, sphere of existence or loka. They have come here out of compassion for us, the ignorant ones. They contributed a lot of understanding and awareness to the mankind.They brought us to higher awareness and showed us the dimensions of the supreme father in three aspects, such as “Srishti” or creation, “Stithi” or preservation and “Samhara” or dissolution. They introduced us to the power and force behind these three aspects of our existence. They introduced us to the trinity. They showedus the path of higher spirituality. They also protected us, as they protect and support the Lords that they introduced to us. We gave them a special place in our garden, close to the nature which they always loved, with the promise that we will not disturb their peace and they will bless us with a good life. Later, our next generations went back on our promises and destroyed the noble snakes and their abodes. We cheated them and killed them. We destroyed their abodes and built our houses on them.We started to suffer their pain and agony in our lives, in our families. The golden rule that whenever we hurt someone through thoughts, words or action, in fact we are hurting ourselves. We do get hurt more with the violence that we did unleash for that, deeply within our consciousness and life. This is called “sarpa dosha”. We have systematically abused and destroyed all beings who showed us the true path and quite sadly, have consistently glorified those who are just glitter to our eyes!!!.Higher Snakes represent the protection and presence of divinity on earth. Lord Vishnu rests on Anantha the serpent. Shiva has snakes as his garland. When the ocean of milk was churned for “amruth”, the celestial nectar, Vasuki, the snake was used instead of a rope. No celestial rope could have equaled Vasuki’s strength!. Snake represents both the kundalini shakti that lies dormant in every human as three and a half coils, as well as the movement of the sun and moon nadis up towards the crown chakra. They represent flexibility and ascension. Snakes have an important role in our spirituality. They brought us the highest wisdom and performed the duty of protectors. The usual signs of sarpa dosha are childlessness or lesser children, divorce of no marriage and problems in marital relationship.We need to respect them. Continued ingratitude will pull us down further.”
One of the brahmins asked “Swamiji, you belong to the same place that we have come from. Do you have any relatives there?
Swami thought for a while and said “No relatives. But, I used to have some friends. Perhaps you know them.” Swami narrated the names of a few people and their family names. Their families were known to the visitors. When they scratched their heads to decide who the people whom swami mentioned were, they realized that these people have left their bodies a few centuries ago and their fourth or fifth generation were currently alive in the families that Swamiji had mentioned. They were shocked to realize that Swami is at least 400 years old!
They told the saint “Swamiji, these people who were your friends are no more now. Their fourth or fifth generation is our contemporary”. Swami thought for a while and said “Well, I am an old man. Sometime, I forget the speed with which time moves. I am glad their families still exist”. He mentioned it so casually, as if his longevity is no big deal at all!!.The visitors could not believe all this and continued to stare at the swami while mixed emotions swayed their mind.
Swami asked “You are brahmins, isn’t it time for your “Sandhya Vandan?” (Evening Worship that Brahmins perform)
They looked at each other. They have not been following the brahminic rituals sincerely. They were sure that the swami was referring to their insincerity in adherence to the dharma of their inheritance. Swami said “Being born in a brahmin family is equal to marrying dharma by choice, beyond one’
The Prostate Gland is present only in men. It is one of the organs in the urinary and reproductive system of the body. It is a male sex gland made up of a cluster of smaller glands which surround the urethra and a portion of the bladder.
This mysterious gland is small, doughnut shaped and situated at the base of the bladder. It causes more grief for men than just about any other part of their bodies. Although approximately 50% of Australian men may experience some type of prostate problem at some stage of their lives, until it plays up, men rarely give their prostate a second thought. It’s main function is during the sexual act – when ejaculation occurs, it secrets an alkaline fluid that forms part of the semen. This fluid nourishes the semen and provides volume to the semen, along with other seminal fluids.
Walnut sized in young men, enlargement of the prostate is common 50 years and over – approximately four in ten men over the age of 60 have it. Enlargement occurs when the glands and connective tissues surrounding the urethra thicken and block urine flow.
CAUSES
1. Aging. As the body ages, harmless nodules develop in the tissues of the prostate, which accumulate and gradually enlarge the gland. Eventually the gland becomes large enough to “press” or “strangle” the urethra and obstruct urination.
2. Low levels of zinc. The tissues of prostate gland normally have high levels of zinc. Zinc levels gradually decrease as you grow older.
3. Over 50 testosterone levels start decreasing. This causes an increase in the quantity of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which over produces prostate cells.
4. Postural faults and obesity could also affect prostate health. A heavy body and prolonged periods of sitting put more pressure on the pelvic region and perineum, resulting in congestion in and around the prostate.
5. Constipation could also be a cause. Hardened faeces and an overloaded rectum cause excessive pressure on the prostate gland.
SYMPTOMS
1. The first obvious one is difficulty in passing urine. This is due to compression of the urethra by the prostate blocking the flow. You may strain or have to wait a while before being able to go.
2. A weak flow of urine starts, then stops. The stream is narrower and less powerful.
3. Involuntary leakage – there may be a tendency to dribble urine, much like incontinence.
4. One may find it difficult to stop urination once it is started.
5. You visit the bathroom more often. There may be a frequent need or urge to urinate nightly two or three times as well as during the day.
6. Even after passing urine, you are still left with the feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder.
7. Due to prolonged obstruction, the small veins in the bladder and urethra stretch. When you strain to urinate, the veins may burst, causing blood to enter the urine. Painful urination, called Dysuria, may occur.
8. There could be a mild pain in the lower back, hips and legs and occasional impotency.
Basically, symptoms are very similar to those experienced by women who have weak pelvic floor muscles. Both reflect a weakness in the muscles around the genitals, bladder and reproductive organs as well as a weakness around the perineum or Root Chakra/Mulabhanda.
DIET & VITAMIN SUPPORT
The importance of the trace mineral zinc in maintaining prostate health is paramount. Zinc is essential for prostate gland and male hormone function. It is known as the “Male mineral” and is required to produce sperm and seminal fluid. A deficiency may cause impotency and infertility. It has now been well established that there is a link between prostate health and the zinc content in the prostate tissues.
DIET GUIDE
• Maintain a low-fat diet and watch your cholesterol levels.
• Include Omega-6 and Omega-3’s that help regulate nervous system function.
• Bake, steam, stir-fry or make salads instead of deep-frying.
• Choose low fat over full cream milk and make it organic.
• Avoid fat-filled salad dressings and rich sauces that agitate the liver and heart.
• Drink eight glasses of water daily – Green Tea is also beneficial for the prostate.
• Increase your daily intake of fibrous foods, fresh vegetables and fruits, particularly red and red-orange ones, and increase your Vitamin C, A, B6, E, cod liver oil and flaxseed oils.
• Check whether your intake of Vitamin D is adequate – this includes down-time to rest in the sun and allow your mind to unravel with meditation, music or power naps to help reduce your stress levels. Stress is a major contributor to imbalances on all levels of being (body, mind, emotional and spiritual).
• Avoid spicy (in Yogic Ayurvedic terms, “rajasic”) foods that can increase body heat, digestive fire and agitate the emotions.
• Watermelon seeds have natural diuretic properties which help prevent excess build-up of urine;
• Avoid or minimize alcohol intake. Try not drinking for a few days and then re-introduce it – after just a day you should notice whether it makes the urine symptoms better or worse. This is because alcohol constricts the bladder neck, causes dehydration and hampers the flow of urination that can lead to a restless mind and body.
• Avoid decongestants and antihistamines that alter the body’s natural elimination processes.
• Avoid smoking and smoky environments: there is some evidence that (as well as everything else we know it causes!), cigarette smoking indirectly affects the size of the enlarging prostate. This could be because constricted blood vessels throughout the body affect how much oxygen and nutrient rich blood flows to the organs and extremities.
• Avoid coffee, tea, caffeinated soft drinks and chocolate. Some men find that their prostate problems are made worse with caffeine because the neck of the bladder is constricted by increased caffeine levels. Again, try the elimination approach.
* Consume more soy-based foods: soy products are recommended for preventing prostate enlargement.
• Include zinc in your diet: zinc has been shown to improve urinary symptoms and reduce the size of the prostate, and can therefore be effective in preventing and reversing prostate enlargement. Vegetables high in zinc include dried beans, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, lentils, peas, beets, cabbage and whole grains. Additionally, pumpkin seeds, oats, whole wheat and rye.
* Add Selenium, Evening Primrose Oil and the amino acids daily – glutamine, alanine and lysine in particular – to maintain healthy cardiovascular and nervous system function.
HOW CAN YOGA HELP??
Yoga connects all systems and energies throughout the body and enhances blood quality, respiratory function, regulates hormone production and flow, digestion and elimination as well as helping to balance and calm the mind and emotions. Yoga can strengthen, release and balance simultaneously and can give men the mental challenges they need depending on the sequences and stamina, agility and focus needed. Poor circulation can exacerbate prostate problems. Regular yoga practice can increase blood flow, deepen the breath and release neuro-muscular knots to tone and nourish all
Having very little yet having everything leads to true generosity
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