Glossary: Non-Violence or Ahimsa

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Non-Violence or Ahimsa:

 

 
Non-Violence or Ahimsa is the first of the five Yamas or principles of living in the world. The Yamas constitute the first of the eight rungs or limbs of Yoga as described by the sage Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. Non-Violence is practiced at three levels, that of actions, speech and thoughts. Non-Violence and love are two different things. It is not a practice whereby you are feeling the drive to harm others and you practice love to stop that. Rather, the first step is to focus on the cessation of the violence at the levels of actions, speech, and thoughts. Then, the natural love can come shining through. (Yoga Sutra 2.30, 2.35)
 


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About Yoga Nidra Meditation:

Yoga Nidra means "Yogic Sleep". It is a deep relaxation in which you leave the waking state, go past the dreaming state, and enter into the deep sleep state, while remaining fully awake and alert. This state of awareness is extremely beneficial, both for releasing stress, and for experiencing the joy of subtler spiritual explorations or experiences. The voice on this Yoga Nidra CD will systematically guide you to explore your physical body, then move through 61 specific points within the body, and then practice ascending breath awareness along the body and spine. Your attention will be brought to the space between the eyebrows, then to the throat, and finally to the heart center, where you will go deep into stillness and silence, beyond the activities of the mind.

Feedback about this Meditation CD:

FC: As an instructor of meditation, I found this practice profound in experience unlike any other. It not only relaxes and rests the body through deep sleep, it allows one to move beyond mental confines into a place of perfect peace and awareness of the vast and infinite of the unseen dimension. Words are inadequate to express the experience. I use Yoga Nidra for bodily rest as well as developing a deeper spiritual awareness. On a recent cross country (USA) drive of some 2,300 miles, I replaced normal sleeping with Yoga Nidra (deep sleep) and made the trip in 51 elapsed hours. For a deeper spiritual awareness, Yoga Nidra has brought me to the verge of sammadhi and the precipice of the vast unmanifest realm. It has also enhanced my normal meditative practice by moving me into the peaceful state more quickly and consistently. Yoga Nidra does not require adherence to any particular religion, therefore, it is applicaple to any spiritual aspirant who seeks a deeper relationship with the Divine Creative Intelligence.

RC: I have been using Yoga Nidra in my teaching work for years and find this CD to be a very useful addition, informationally and practically as far as the meditation included on the CD is concerned. Definitaly a good addtion to anyone's spiritrual practice.

AL: Every time I come home from work and feel stress, overwhelming with the everything, I just turned this CD on and started my meditation. It works well, relief the stress, become more focus and calm. It clears your mind so that you feel much better and fresh. It's a good way of relaxation.

BM: I have used it daily for the past month and love it. I like the fact that there is only a voice directing me through the meditation, it helps to focus. If I use it a night, I fall asleep immediately and sleep without interruption until morning (unless my cat wants to be let out early). Alternatively, I use it in the late afternoon to relax from the stress of the day, before beginning evening chores. I am a yoga practitioner and have also felt its benefits in my asana practice.

RF: I had only taken 2 yoga classes and listened to one other relaxation cd before buying this. I am not a friend of the author. I had jetlag from an 11 hour flight and couldn't relax to sleep. I gave my undevoted attention to this CD start to finish wearing noise reduction headphones. I did not fall asleep during the meditation like some reviewers. I DID completely relax, clear my mind of distraction, refresh my body, and experience a physical release of tension that let me fall into sleep 15 minutes later. NO LIE! Be a good listener with desire to learn and you will get something from this meditation.

KG: I just got this cd a few days ago. I've listened to it twice already. The second time I fell asleep before Bharati got through the breathing segment and woke myself up snoring. That tells me something. Swami Bharati doesn't try to seduce you with his voice. He simply guides you through the Yoga Nidra experience. I liked that part about it a lot.

AR: I highly recommend this cd! The voice is smooth, the volume doesn't suddenly get louder which is unlike many other meditation cds I have purchased in the past. Couples can do this one together. It's great!

AT: I am not even going to bother explaining the CD this is the best yoga nidra CD there is! the voice is the best and I feel like a million bucks when I get up from a session of this CD! I despise meditation but this is awesome. Lay down listen and relax and enjoy the nap it is like nothing exists but you. Complete still is what I can say about the experience.

MD: The most effective relaxing and rejuvenating recording I listened to so far. One can replace the sleep time with Yoga Nidra and feel even more restful after 45 minutes of Yoga Nidra. A tool of re-educating and getting rid of undesirable habits, the Intention in Yoga Nidra is what makes the method so effective. I recommend the CD to anybody who wants to make a difference in life.

ME: This CD is quiet and subtle. It leads the listener (meditator) into a deep restful meditative state. IMHO Music is not included because it would keep the mind of the meditator more active and distracted and thus not allow a state of deeper rest. After the guided meditation, there are quiet periods on the CD. These quiet periods allow the mind to go deeper into its own spacious, silent meditation. True meditation is profoundly personal and is done in the stillness of ones own mind and heart. This CD trusts your intuitive wisdom, to lead you into the depths of your own shining silence.

RP: This CD is a must for all searchers. It will certainly help to stabilize one's mind and will alter the way you experience your being. As this process unfolds it is necessary that you to continue the practice. Do not let a sense of well being lull you into any diversion. Continue the work for it is rewarding.

CR: Swami J's Yoga Nidra CD adds a wonderful dimension to our Yoga classes. It is flexible in format. For example, after asana and pranayama practice, selections from the CD precede meditation. On other days, the guided yoga nidra is practiced in lieu of meditation.

RS: I have been meditating daily for over 5 years, and find that Swami Jnaneshvara's guided 1 hour session will take me to a much deeper place than I am able to get to by myself. In a gradual, comfortable progression, the mind becomes increasingly quiet. One immediate benefit is deep relaxation and reduction of the stress caused by incessant thinking. A more profound benefit is the experience of being truly present and the logging of some time on the path to lasting inner peace.

SS: Swami Jnaneshvara's "Yoga Nidra Meditation CD" serves as a virtual trekking guide to a most sublime vista within. It would be difficult to find more lucid instruction in this powerful technique, particularly in a recorded form. This CD has really changed the way I experience at sleep.

CR: Yoga Nidra CD is an excellent aid to relax and go into deep meditation. You rest while fully conscious. The ancient yoga techniques are brought into modern usage by Swami J. In today's stress-filled life, this CD is a great tool to achieve peace and rest.

DI: Swami Jnaneshvara gives straightforward, step-by-step guidance in the ancient yogic preparatory exercises for Yoga Nidra, "yogic sleep." Used effectively for thousands of years, these practices quickly lead to deep states or relaxation, and eventually to greater refinement and sensitivity of the nervous system. Swami Jnanesvara's delivery is accessible and non-didactic; you will soon look forward to doing the practice under the guidance of this compassionate teacher.

FB: Not only does this Yoga Nidra practice give one an opportunity to relax, and settle deeply in the body each time it is done, but it has amazing effects over time. This guided Yoga Nidra practice has helped to reduce sleeping needs while keeping me rooted in my body throughout the day. It has helped to reduce attachments and build healthier relationships with people and the objects of the world. As an Occupational and Massage Therapist, I recommend this CD to many of the patients I work with who are recovering from strokes and cancer. Patients are finding that it lowers their blood pressure, reduces pain and helps them cope with their recovery process. I am fortunate in that this teacher is in my vicinity and have had the pleasure of first hand teachings in this practice. This Yoga Nidra CD and practice comes highly recommended as well as the personal trainings by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati.

ME: Having used Swami J's Yoga Nidra CD regularily for almost a year now, I find it very rewarding. Physically I feel more rested and energized. Mentally I feel more alert and focused. The advantages of practicing Savasana (total relaxation) are enhanced with its use. Practicing Yoga Nidra with the help of Swami J's CD has definitely added a new dimension to my overall Yoga practices and made them much more beneficial.

RF: This CD produces an amazing experience of the deeper levels of consciousness with no effort on the part of the listener. Although I was listening to the simplest instructions, "put your attention of the elbow," "put your attention on the wrist," I found myself melting through the fabric of the bedspread and reaching very subtle levels of awareness. This CD has none of the dry explanations of other yoga CDs; after a brief explanation of the contents of the CD, Swami J's pleasant voice leads the listener through the yoga nidra experience. Yoga Nidra means yogic sleep so this isn't exactly meditation, but it gives the listener an experience of the subtler levels of awareness that are reached in meditation.

JS: Great piece of work and an excellent tool for those wanting to find ways to go deep within and find that place of inner peace and relaxation.

LE: One of the challenges to meditation has always been the quieting of the mind...but really one can have deep meditation by keeping the mind "occupied". Yoga Nidra accomplishes this with the 61 point body meditation. Totally awesome for complete relaxation. Only one catch...one must take the time to participate. Enjoy!

MT: This CD leads one far beyond a simple relaxation exercise. My experience, while using the CD, of being Consciousness Itself with no reference to the mind has helped me to realize that the mind is just another object that appears in Consciousness. Thoughts, even old repetitive ones, are becoming less troublesome. Deepening awareness is the natural consequence of reaching the state of Yoga Nidra.
Highly recommended!

MS: I have used this CD many times to help me relax, relieve stress and get in tune again with myself, my inner most self. Recently, it has been a tremendous help with preparing for the delivery of my baby.

NS: Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati has provided an excellent aid for relaxation with this Yoga Nidra CD. For a practice whose effects take many months to observe, Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati takes the listener through it in one hour. As a Yoga teacher, Savasana was recommended by myself as one of the most important practices of Yoga because of its therapeutic and deep relaxation benefits, not to mention its spiritual effects. Tracks 2 through 5 of this CD take the listener through a very comprehensive 61-point body survey which makes the listener aware of each and every part of his body. At certain points, I must confess that I could even feel the tingling in my extremities and emanation of body heat, which can be observed whenever deep conscious relaxation occurs. I would recommend this CD as a must-have relaxation tool for every student of Yoga.

 

 

 

 

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This site is devoted to presenting the ancient Self-Realization path of the Tradition of the Himalayan masters in simple, understandable and beneficial ways, while not compromising quality or depth. The goal of our sadhana or practices is the highest Joy that comes from the Realization in direct experience of the center of consciousness, the Self, the Atman or Purusha, which is one and the same with the Absolute Reality. This Self-Realization comes through Yoga meditation of the Yoga Sutras, the contemplative insight of Advaita Vedanta, and the intense devotion of Samaya Sri Vidya Tantra, the three of which complement one another like fingers on a hand. We employ the classical approaches of Raja, Jnana, Karma, and Bhakti Yoga, as well as Hatha, Kriya, Kundalini, Laya, Mantra, Nada, Siddha, and Tantra Yoga. Meditation, contemplation, mantra and prayer finally converge into a unified force directed towards the final stage, piercing the pearl of wisdom called bindu, leading to the Absolute.