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What is mindfulness ~ Why it matters

December 26, 2011 by Julie Lusk

Let me share with you the best definition of mindfulness and its benefits that I’ve come across. Diane Poole-Heller shared it with us at the recent NICABM conference.

Mindfulness is the moment to moment awareness of present time, inner and outer experience, with a non-judgmental and non-evaluative stance.

Research has shown that a mindfulness practice helps develop all 9 functions of the Pre-Frontal Cortex.

ANS Regulation – Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Balance
Attuned Communication – felt sense of other’s experience
Regulation of emotions
Response flexibility
Empathy
Insight – self awareness
Fear extinction – GABA fibers to amygdala
Intuition – deep knowing
Morality.

Sinking into Sensation, a mindfulness meditation by Julie Lusk, us available on the Power of Presence CD.

Power of Presence CD

Gain the benefits of meditation with comfort and ease. You'll soon solve workplace stress and easily handle personal challenges and health issues. CLICK the blue title link above to find out more... Digital downloads are available.

Price: $16.95

Price: $9.99

Guided Mindfulness Meditations: Practicing Presence & Finding Peace Download

Ease into mindfulness with a clean, user-friendly, body-based, joyful approach. Gain calmer nerves, a brighter outlook, stronger memory, sharper focus, healthier body awareness & more balance. Get a long & short guided experience. Learn informal ways to be more mindful during the day. Available at Hay House https://www.hayhouse.com/guided-mindfulness-meditations-audio-download

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Yoga Nidra and Sleep

Who couldn’t use some extra shut-eye? Sleep is vital to our health and sleep experts tell us we need an average of eight hours at a shot. Even if there’s time for sleep, many of us have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep. Let’s take a look yoga nidra and sleep. Yoga nidra can help in replenishing ourselves, can be used as a natural sleep aid, and more.

Yoga nidra means “yogic sleep” and has many documented benefits for your body, mind, and spirit. It is when your bodymind is actually in deep sleep but with one big difference – you remain consciously aware. This is done by going through a series of techniques to systematically get physically, energetically, mentally, emotionally relaxed. In addition, yoga nidra sparks intuition, unconditional joy, and a timeless, spacious sense of being. Witness consciousness is experienced and even surpassed. Due to the fertile brainwave states experienced, it’s also entirely possible to make positive behavior and personality changes. See the yoga nidra FAQ on setting intentions and sankalpas here.

In fact, while not a substitute for actual sleep, one hour of yoga nidra practice is equivalent to four hours of sleep. This is due to the series of brain waves experienced along the way. (Saraswati 1998, Kumar 2008) With practice, you’ll eventually be able to enter the delta brainwave state but remain aware. It resembles what it feels like to be on the verge of being awake and asleep. The conscious experience of deep sleep is what makes it so restorative and unique.

Yoga nidra can also be practiced at bedtime as a sleep aid. Layer after layer of stress is cleared out so it doesn’t follow you to bed and disturb sleeping. Using yoga nidra techniques as a sleep aid should not be confused with the yoga nidra experience itself. Be careful or you will find it difficult to practice yoga nidra itself and will fall into deep sleep instead.

Yogic sleep is also a play on words of sorts. It refers to how most of us are walking around “asleep” and unaware of our True Self, the indestructible aspect in each of us that is already peaceful, joyful, wise, soulful, luminous, and loving. Whereas, the yogi is awake to one’s True Self no matter what the state of consciousness – waking, dreaming, deep sleep. Realizing this enables us to recognize the true nature of oneself and reality so we are not swayed by the changeability and unpredictability of thoughts, feelings, beliefs and such. Yoga nidra helps us experience and realize this.

In short, yoga nidra is super sleep!

How to Experience Yoga Nidra

Like all worthwhile things, regular practice yields the best results.

Listen to Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation | Audible – iTunes – Amazon
Read about it and get free audio downloads in Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief (New Harbinger, 2015).
Experience yoga nidra on video/audio.
Attend a virtual yoga nidra class held weekly on Zoom.
Take a yoga nidra teacher training course and earn a certificate.
Get a book or audio below.

Get Related article:

Sleep Solutions: Yoga-Style

Resources: Books, Recordings & More

Get yoga nidra downloads here.

Sleep Well | Yoga Nidra CD

Use deep relaxation, soothing flute music & ocean waves to go to sleep. "I slept like a log." Downloads available. By Julie Lusk, Yoga Nidra Meditations author.

Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation & Stress Relief - Print Book & Audio download

Yoga Nidra can stop tension in its tracks with a wonderfully, powerful & unique state of deep relaxation, mental clarity & insightful awareness. These practical, empowering relaxation exercises, meditations that soothe and visualizations that renew are based on classic yoga and backed by modern science. They’ll help you unwind, replenish, and feel refreshed with durable peace and unconditional joy. CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...

NEW! Yoga Nidra Meditations: 24 Scripts for True Relaxation

Experience peace and deeply restorative rest that heals your body, mind & spirit. Features 24 Yoga Nidra scripts written by author Julie Lusk and 12 of the world's master teachers. Enjoy 6 levels of relaxation for a joyful meditative experience. Learn to use yogic sleep to revitalize your inner reservoir of intuitive understanding and unconditional joy. Audiobook available. CLICK the blue title link above to find out more...

Yoga Nidra Essentials CD

Find your calm spot. Brighten your energy. Enjoy a more meaningful life. Experience 6 levels of relaxation. Reclaim optimal health for your body, mind & heart. Laura says "My focused mind easily. I was 100% worry-free. It's wonderful." By Julie Lusk, 6-time author. Digital downloads available.

Julie Lusk, MEd, E-RYT 500, has over 35 years of expertise in stress relief, yoga, relaxation training, guided imagery, and meditation as an international author, recording artist, and workshop leader. Julie is the author of Yoga Nidra for Complete Relaxation and Stress Relief, Yoga Meditations, two volumes of 30 Scripts for Relaxation, Imagery and Inner Healing, and Desktop Yoga®. Her CDs include Wholesome Relaxation, Power of Presence, Blue Moon Rising, and many others. Learn more at WholesomeResources.com

How to do the Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation to Improve Memory

March 20, 2011 by Julie Lusk

Instructions on How to Do the Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation – Kirtan Kriya

Sit with a straight spine.
Mentally focus to the brow point.
Repeat Sa Ta Na Ma as follows with the finger movements pictured below
- 2 minutes — OUT LOUD
- 2 minutes — WHISPER audibly
- 4 minutes — SILENTLY. Keep the hands moving
- 2 minutes — WHISPER audibly
- 2 minutes — OUT LOUD
- Sit quietly and listen inside for a few minutes. Listen for the mantra internally and experience energy flowing in from the top of your head (crown chakra) and out through your brow (third eye chakra).
- Either go about your day or go to sleep if it’s bed time.
- Optional: 30 seconds: inhale deeply, raise the arms up in the air and vigorously shake the arms and fingers, involving the whole body and spine. Exhale. Repeat 1 or 2 more time if you desire. This important part of the meditation helps move and release energy in the body.

Notes:

Why are mantras done out loud, whispering and silently and how does it help? When a mantra is spoken out loud, it primarily benefits the physical body. When it’s whispered, it benefits our mental/emotional nature. Our spiritual nature benefits from silent repetition.

If you experience memories of the past or thoughts about the future coming up in your mind. Simply notice them and release them with the mantra. This helps cleanse the subconscious mind.

If emotions come up, you can also incorporate them in the chanting, i.e. if you feel frustration, then chant out the frustration. Whatever you experience is okay. Don’t try to avoid, resist or control your experiences. Just notice what is happening and go through it. This is all part of the process.

SA – touch the thumbs to the index finger

finger position ta — Ta – touch the thumbs to the middle finger

Na – touch the thumbs to the ring finger

finger position ma — Ma – touch the thumbs to the little fingers

Repeat the finger movements throughout the meditation.

More Resources…

Get an audio recording that will help you practice the Sa Ta Na Ma meditation with the correct timing.

Sa Ta Na Ma
Kirtan Kriya Meditation

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(MP3, AAC, M4A)

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Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation CD
Sa Ta Na Ma is a powerful mantra. Scientific studies show this 12-minute meditation increases memory, concentration, cognition, calmness & more. Repeating the mantra out loud, whispered & silently while doing simple finger movements (mudras) is done. A beautiful chorus of voices keep track of the time for you. A brief intro gets you off to a successful start. Digital downloads are available.
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Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation Research for Memory – Kirtan Kriya

March 20, 2011 by Julie Lusk

I just love synchronicity, don’t you? Right when I was looking for Sa Ta Na Ma meditation research – Kirtan Kriya – Amy Weintraub sent me a copy of her newsletter, LifeForce Yoga. My eyes popped out of my head with delight because she had compiled an excellent review of the literature on this meditation technique that improves memory. She generously said that I could share what’s below with you. I highly recommend Amy Weintraub’s website at LifeForce Yoga: Manage Your Mood. You will also benefit from and enjoy registering for her newsletter and going to her workshops.

Sa Ta Na Ma Meditation Research: Kirtan Kriya Effects Cognitive Function, Memory and Stress

In three separate studies published this year and in one that is on-going, Kirtan Kriya, as taught by the Kundalini master Yogi Bhajan, was shown to increase short term memory, cognitive function and to reduce stress. In separate studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and one continuing at the University of California (UCLA), researchers measured cerebral blood flow in the brain (rCBF) using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to determine which areas are more active and which are less during the practice. One study compared long-term meditators to non-meditators. Another study compared those practicing the meditation with those who listened to a Mozart violin concerto. A third study compared the more active meditation to a relaxation exercise.

Kirtan Kriya is a 12-minute active meditation that include mudra (hand gesture), mantra (out loud, whispered and repeated silently), and visual imagery,

In the on-going study at UCLA, those practicing 12-minutes of Kirtan Kriya meditation are being compared with those using a 25-minute relaxation tape. Preliminary results from the 39 caregivers who have already completed the study (23 practiced Kirtan Kriya, 16 listened to a relaxation audio tape) indicate:

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Yoga Moon Salute ~ Chandra Namaskar

August 30, 2013 by Julie Lusk

Here’s an amazing yoga posture sequence called the Salute to the Moon (Chandra Namaskar). Like the Sun Salute, it is a wonderful way to link poses and breathing together to enjoy better coordination, build endurance and create relaxed energy. In it, standing postures are done in a way that flows as naturally as the moon moves through its phases.

Julie’s moon salute sequence features the mountain pose, moon, star, forward bend, warrior options, and a standing spinal twist. It’s heavenly!

HANDOUT LINK: Yoga Moon Salute – Chandra Namaskar (pdf) shows photos for each posture with the proper breathing for the Salute to the Moon.

Here’s Sarah Brightman singing Figlio Perduto, the music we often play while practicing the Moon Salute.

Blue Moon Rising CD by Julie Lusk is on sale! It’s great music for listening to while doing yoga or relaxing.

Blue Moon Rising CD ~~ Native American Style Flute Music

Enjoy 16 tracks of beautiful Native American style flute music played by Julie Lusk accompanied by the relaxing sounds of Mother Nature as the backdrop. Digital downloads available.