This is an intruduction of an easy method to fall asleep in case of insomnia or to wake up fully when the body is still asleep and the alarm clock is ringing mad. I found it out experimentally, but apparently the method is known since ages in India as Pranayama exercise.

How did this idea came up? Usually after a meditation, when my body (physical and subtle) get balanced, I can feel that my nose becomes very clear, even if it was not blocked at all. This is a very pleasant feeling, as if I would get the second breath. This happens automatically without me doing any special yogic exercise for it. As far as I can explain it, the Kundalini does it while rising. Actually this is also a good check up for a quality mediation : )

How is it related to the title of the post? In fact, I use this knowledge of the “pure nose” for regulating my body activity! – and I am sure everyone, either a yoga practitioner or not, can use it same way.

Let me tell you why and how. Basically we have our left side and right side (please read the detailed explanation here and here). If we are active (mentally or physically) our right side is at work. You can notice that at that state your right nostril is more clear. If you feel moody or weak, most probably your right nostril is blocked. Same for the morning wake up.

What can we learn from it? In the night, if you are still active but need to sleep, block your right nostril (may be by slightly pressing a finger toward the nostril) and lay down quietly. If you can not breath (which is most probable, as the left nostril mostly blocked at this state), then breath with the mouth for some time, after some minutes your left nostril will free itself and accordingly you will fall asleep without noticing it… The opposite works for the morning wake up. Here you have to block the left nostril in order to “switch on” the right one, and thus activate yourself.

I am using this small tricks sometimes and they work incredibly good. If you like to try it out, happy to hear your reports

LOVE, axinia (image by me)

Our life is full of unpredictable happenings and people who make impact on it. There are certain decisions which we can take on our own, then there are family/friends/colleagues who daily influence our life.  Then there are ecological, economical and political factors…

I am curious what you think about the percentage of that impact on your own life – how much is it?90, 70, 50 oder may be only 5%? To put it in other words: is the influence of diverse outside factors bigger than the one of your own being (attitude, philosophy, habits, etc.)?

Let me see what many of you, my dearest readers will choose and then… let me quote someone I respect a lot with a very interesting note on this topic!

Here is my poll (the first one since I blog!):

Thanks for voting

LOVE, axinia

—————

P.S: after two days 30 people voted and I think that is a good number to show the results.

We can see that the clear majority of the people voted ( 48%) believe their life to depend on the outside factors up to 50%.

Both 70 and 90 percent voters have scored 12%, 30% voters  – 20% and 5% voters scored 8% (which is not surprising .

And now, my contirubution:

I was inspired to this idea reading my favourite Sufi Saint Hazrat Inayat Khan, saying that whatever we may think, it is actually only 5% of life factors that do not depend on us. The rest 95% of life is what our inner being makes of it. I agree withit completely as my own life proves that my outer happiness (success in job, great family and friends, money life, etc.) are merely the result of my happy and harmonious inner being. Bad things seem to avoid me And even in the today’s worldwide crisis my life situation improves miraculously (for instance just yesterday I was offered a CEO position without even dreaming of it!)… I am convinced that the outside factors do depend on us to the greater extend, not otherwise.. Let me quote another great personally here:

“In the case of homo sapiens, our being imbibes the outside world through constant sensations, impulses, impressions and conditionings. The outside world is the water, the inside world is the sponge. With homo spiiritualis, however the inner world and its energy, crystallized by the rising sap the Kundalini, is much more powerful. It is emitted from the personality of a realized person on the surrounding world and it subtly, yet effectively, influences the outside. The inner world is the water, the outside world the sponge.”Grégoire de Kalbermatten,

And that works for me.

LOVE; axinia

Kabir, the great poet of India says, ‘Life is a field and you are born to cultivate it. And if you know how to cultivate this field you can produce anything you like. All the need of your life can I be produced in this field. All that your soul yearns after and all you need is to be got from the field, if you know how to cultivate it and how to reap the fruit.’

But if this opportunity is only studied in order to make the best of life by taking all that one can take and by being more comfortable, that is not satisfying.

We must enrich ourselves with thought, with that happiness which is spiritual happiness, with that peace which belongs to our soul, with that liberty, that freedom, for which our soul longs; and attain to that higher knowledge which breaks all the fetters of life and raises our consciousness to look at life from a different point of view.

Once a person has realized this opportunity he has fulfilled the purpose of Life.

Hazrat Inayath Khan (1882-1927), a Sufi Saint

(image by me)

I wonder if this feeling is familiar to everyone who have been lucky to experience love (to one person or to many people at once)? - in love it feels like…it is impossible to express this vast feeling!

Whatever one may do (expressing tenderness, giving presents, saying words of love, wiring and singing songs etc.), it is only a tiny little amount of what one really feels…

Sometimes, when love overwhelms the heart and grows till the sky, it melts with the surroundings and becomes ONE with the Whole. And one feels like crying because this bliss of true love wants to be expressed  in a magnificent, all-transforming way… And yet it can never be fully expressed…Why?

LOVE, axinia

(image by me)

This book is familiar to many Western seekers of Truth, for it is a bestseller of spiritual literature. I first read it with 20, just in the middle of my spiritual seeking and was stunned by its power and deepness. I could identify myself with the main character to 1000%, by now it is the most accurate description of my life journey… Recently I came across the film based on this book and was stunned again – after the long spiritual way over these years I could find myself in the main character even more intensely…

I am sure most of my readers not only know the book/film but also can identify themselves with it as much as I do. For the book is truly a brilliant of spiritual literature: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach. It is a fable in novella form about a seagull learning about life and flight, and a homily about self-perfection. First published in 1970 it soon became a bestseller.

The idea is not new, it exemplifies the four commonalities of a stoic and/or ascetic spiritual path- the themes repeat and are in sequence: The outcast-the journey- the mentor-and the return to teach others:

The book tells the story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a seagull who is bored with the daily squabbles over food. Seized by a passion for flight, he pushes himself, learning everything he can about flying, until finally his unwillingness to conform results in his expulsion from his flock. An outcast, he continues to learn, becoming increasingly pleased with his abilities as he leads an idyllic life.

One day, Jonathan is met by two gulls who take him to a “higher plane of existence” (reminiscent of the beliefs of Chinese, in that there is no heaven but a better world found through perfection of knowledge), where he meets other gulls who love to fly. He discovers that his sheer tenacity and desire to learn make him “pretty well a one-in-a-million bird.” Jonathan befriends the wisest gull in this new place, named Chiang, who takes him beyond his previous learning, teaching him how to move instantaneously to anywhere else in the Universe. The secret, Chiang says, is to “begin by knowing that you have already arrived…”

Not satisfied with his new life, Jonathan returns to Earth to find others like him, to bring them his learning and to spread his love for flight. His mission is successful, gathering around him others who have been outlawed for not conforming. Ultimately, the very first of his students, Fletcher Lynd Seagull, becomes a teacher in his own right and Jonathan leaves to continue his learning.

For those who have only read the book, I recommend to watch the film – it is not only breathtakingly beautiful but also very meditative. A short note: the novella inspired the production of a motion picture of the same title, with a soundtrack by Neil Diamond. The film was made by Hall Bartlett many years before computer-generated effects were available. In order to make seagulls act on cue and perform aerobatics, Mark Smith of Escondido, California built radio-controlled gliders that looked remarkably like real seagulls from a few feet away – awesome!

LOVE, axinia

(image by me)

In everyday life it is most necessary to have control over speech and action, for one may automatically give way to a word, prompted by an inner impulse; afterwards one finds that one should not have said it, or perhaps one should have said it differently. It is the same with action. One feels, ‘I should not have done so’, after having done something; or one thinks, ‘I should have done differently’; but once it is done it is too late to do it otherwise. In human nature there is an inner urge to express oneself; and that urge pushes a word out of one, so to speak, before one has really thought of it; and all this shows lack of control over oneself.

It is also a sign of nervousness. Very often a person tries to answer somebody who has not yet finished speaking; before a sentence is completed the answer is given. Such an answer given to an incomplete idea is often wrong. What generally happens in such cases is that one takes all that comes from outside in life too much to heart, and allows these outer things and influences to penetrate one more deeply than they should. In this way one becomes sensitive, and out of this arises nervousness.

In order to practice self-control in all one does in everyday life, the best thing is to develop in one’s nature a certain amount of indifference. Every word that is said to one need not be taken to be so important that it upsets one’s whole being, disturbs one’s balance, and robs one of one’s will-power. There are things that matter; but there are many things in one’s everyday life which do not matter much, and one is often apt to put undue stress upon them.

Hazrat Inayath Khan (1882-1927), Sufi Saint

(image by me)

What is a wonder? Normally we call a “wonder” something unexpected, pleasant and “supernatural” in a way. I don’t know about everyone but I think small wonders happen daily to many people, but they not always notice them. Or may be they just do not happen that often to everyone?

Anyway I can only speak about myself: I enjoy experiencing small wonders on a daily basis.

Yesterday I had such lovely example of it! Let me share it with you.

I had to arrange for the transport of some lamps from our old office. Surprisingly the carrier company sent a woman (very though one but still a woman!) – I was a bit confused and said there was something heavy to carry to the car. She said “never mind, that is my job – I have a special trolley for that”. Fine, but the lamps had to be nicely packed and they were heavy to move. I realized it would be a hard task for the two of us… I just though “OMG, I badly need some male help, but where to take it from?”  – this seemed to be totally unreal, as there is normally nobody around at this place. In 3 min. a male head peeped in the door which we kept open and asks: “Any help needed?” . To say I was stunned is to say nothing… The situation looked totally impossible and unreal. But we have got a perfect helper who by an incredible coincidence found to our place, although his intention was a different one. And then the fact that he has offered his help - great and still unusual. Apart from that normally in Austria people never peep into the opened doors!

Life is indeed beautiful, especially when we are able to see and value this beauty daily.

Any stories from my readers? Thank you!

LOVE, axinia

 (image by me)

 The capital of Czech Republic, Prague is said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Some say it can even bet Vienna and after visiting it for the first time I can admit – Prague is awesome!

It used to be an important political and cultural center in Europe and sill it is not boasting its importance like some other beautiful cities do… Prague, like the Czech people themselves, remains a humble and yet magnificent charm, a balanced combination of the Slavic and German characters.

I would call Prague “the city of round corners” – see for yourself why:

LOVE, axinia

Recently many of my friends and acquaintances all of a sudden got a genuine interest in practicing Sahaja yoga meditation- apparently because they have been watching me since years and came to a conclusion it must be a good thing because it makes me so happy and my life so easy. Generally there seems to be a growing interest in Sahaja yoga meditation practice worldwide and I believe it is important to make the interested population aware of some dangers in connection with it.

Danger Nr.1

After some time of Sahaja yoga mediation practice you will find out that communication with many people will become difficult as you will not be able to keep up the favourite topic of all conversations – the moaning. That can become a real problem if you are not a skillful conversation leader - why should you keep up a totally boring and useless conversation at the time when you know what to do about the problems (interestingly some people seem not to be interested in solutions but only in moaning).

Danger Nr.2

After some time of Sahaja yoga meditation practice you will find out that your life will change and all the happenings, people and nature around will start bubbling with colours. The number of happy coincidences and amount of luck will grow. At the same time something else can start growing – namely the jealousy of people. Some people may start having serious difficulties with you becoming “too positive”.

Danger Nr 3

After some time of Sahaja yoga meditation practice you will find out that the true value of all things is the vibrational one.You will start enjoying only things that have been created with love, attention, with the quality of heart and soul. Immediately you will know which object, music, or information is valuable for you and will do you good – literary in seconds you will be able to percept and revise huge bites of information with the right solution and answer for every situation (compared to this the famous sixth sense wearable device is peanuts)

Danger Nr.4

After some time of Sahaja yoga meditation practice you will notice that more and more people feel attracted to you – some can mistake it for the physical attraction but the true reason for that is your increasing freshness and loveliness. Regular sahaja meditation has some interesting impact on a meditator as: glowing eyes, softer skin and beaming face. All that will be consciously or unconsciously recognised by the people you meet. The possible danger for you here: will you be able to deal with your increasing popularity?

Danger Nr. 5

After some time of Sahaja yoga meditation practice you will notice that not only the attention to your lovely personality increases but also the demanding nature of it – more and more people will want your council, your company, your support. After some time, when you realize that you are your own master, people will automatically see a master in you. They will be naturally seeking your help and guidance. The question is whether you want to be that or not?

All these are serious dangers as they may not only lead to a total transformation of your personality but also of your surroundings. You have to ask yourself before starting with sahaja mediation – do your really want all this happen to you? If you are desperate or curious enough – try it out. BUT BEWARE!

LOVE, axinia (image by me)

“I should have everything that is good, genuine and beautiful!”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Those who are familiar with Mozart life story and character will immediately recognize him in these words. He was not only a genius but something much more… The vibrations of his death place are tremendous like of a swaymbhu… Very special! Apparently they say that his horoscope at the death point was even more impressive than of the birthday. That may mean that he could not only fulfill his life mission but had given us something much more…the eternal character of the music.

I would claim that of all western classical composers Mozart is the only one whose music does not awaken emotions and does not make one think (normally the Western classical music is conceptual, full of thoughts and emotions).

I believe his music has almost the same impact as the classical Indian music - it awakens the happy spirit, washes thoughts away and makes one feel light and joyful.

But that is not all! You must have heard of “Mozart effect” :

The concept of the “Mozart effect” was described by French researcher, Dr. Alfred A. Tomatis in his 1991 book Pourquoi Mozart?. He used the music of Mozart in his efforts to “retrain” the ear, and believed that listening to the music presented at differing frequencies helped the ear, and promoted healing and the development of the brain.

Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky (1993) investigated the effect of listening to music by Mozart on spatial reasoning, and the results were published in Nature. They gave research participants one of three standard tests of abstract spatial reasoning after they had experienced each of three listening conditions: a sonata by Mozart, repetitive relaxation music, and silence. The authors found that the mean standard age scores converted into IQ scores were 8 to 9 points higher after the participants had listened to the music than after either of the other two conditions.

A study of rats indicated a tangible demonstration of musical enjoyment versus a physical response to the Mozart Sonata. A number of rats were exposed in utero plus 60 days post-partum to one of the following: complex music (Mozart Piano Sonata in D major (K.448)), minimalist music (a Philip Glass composition), white noise or silence, and were then tested for five days, three trials per day, in a multiple T-maze. By Day 3, the rats exposed to the Mozart music completed the maze more rapidly and with fewer errors than the rats in the other groups. The difference increased in magnitude through Day 5. This suggests that repeated exposure to complex music induces improved spatial-temporal learning in rats..

Interesting, isn’t it?

I love Mozart!

axinia