Enhance your mental capabilities

Yes, it’s memory, wisdom and patience level that discriminates among dull, average and intelligent, may it be a boy, girl or grownups of either sex. The constant stress, tension and diversions besides imbalanced food habits and lack of proper exercise lead us to decay in brain cells, lack of concentration, loss of memory, IQ level, short temperedness and lack of patience. It may be surprising that improper exercise specially the robust exercises in gymnasium or wrestling ring paying more concentration to thighs, calves, chest, abdomen and arms cause inadequate blood supply to ignored skull. As a result such innocent guys generally remain dull at studies and decisions. Long back in 1976 I introduced Yoga as complementary to Bodybuilding and weight training as it is the only way to maintain balance between growing muscles and decaying mental powers. This combination was widely welcomed and blessed the sportsmen with encouraging results in personality development.

Fatigue, stress and tension are another reason for loss of mental powers. The simple and plain character of modern man has lost somewhere that used to bless him with a certain rhythm in life. He has started living in traffic congestion of irrelevant thoughts that lead him to loss of memory and scattered behaviour. Such congestion some time make him short tempered resulting into rage and anger that cause skin diseases and respiratory ailments also. A small set of these micro yogic exercises practiced with perfect devotion will improve the function of cerebrum, cerebellum and medulla. Even the pituitary and pineal glands are toned up to give us a hormonal balance for perfect health. Trataka and Meditation are other sources to bless us with better concentration, peace and mental balance.

Micro Exercise for Kapal (brain)

First Step with procedure

Stand straight on your asana with feet together. Keep your mouth closed, set your head comfortably loose & relaxed and bend your head back. Keep the eyes open to sky. Bring your awareness to Shikha kshetra (the middle portion of head where Pandits have their shikha or choti). Have deep pressure full inhalation till you feel the grip at shikha and the surrounding area. Exhale gently and repeat ten to 20 times. Relax your head with feet open wide.

Benefits

Removes clots from brain, improves mental control over all body parts and improves feeling of sensation. Pituitary and pineal glands are improved that results an all round healthy body. Even the mentally retarded people can gain normal mental function.

Second Step with procedure

Close your feet again and stand straight with relaxed neck. Look at a distance equal to your height from your toes. Hold this position and concentrate on the top tender part of your head known as Brahm randhra. Have deep pressure full inhalation to feel the Brahm randhra gripped through the pressure of your inhalation. Repeat 10 to 20 times and relax yourself with feet wide and head lose.

Benefits

It purifies the skull, improves memory, controls confusions, rage, anger and even short madness. It is wonderful for tonic to refresh the brain especially for those who depend on mental work such as students, teachers, administrative and police officers, doctors, advocates and journalists etc.

Third Step with procedure

Join your feet together and stand straight again with tense free back and shoulders. Set your neck perfectly lose and fix your chin at Kanth Kupeh just at the center of collarbone joint at the bottom of neck. Concentrate over the last end of skull at deep part over your neck behind. Have deep and forceful inhalation leading to maximum grip of control over the medulla. Exhale gently and repeat 10 to 20 times followed by perfect relaxation. Set your head relaxed and breathing in normal rhythm.

Benefits

It removes mental blockages caused by cough and Jalandhara Bandha in this kriya allows pranic flow to move in Sushumna Nadi and improves extraordinary wisdom in the yog sadhak. All the plexus are purified and nerves toned up with the regular practice of these micro exercises of kapal kshetra.

Shambhavi mudra

Sit in any meditative posture with spine straight but still relaxed preferably Padmasana or Siddhasana, with arms firmly placed on your knees in Gyan Mudra (making ring with the index finger and touching it at the root of thumb, rest three fingers to remain straight and relaxed ). Be with yourself with mental gazing on your personality with closed eyes. Relax your head, forehead, eyes, face and then the whole body. Keep the body perfectly still, gently open your eyes lift them upward and focus at eyebrow center but don’t move your head. Practice holding it for a few seconds to begin with and increase the holding time gradually. Inhale gently while raising the eyes and hold while retaining Shambhavi Mudra but exhale gently as your lower your looks. Close and relax your eyes to ensure that no strain remains at your eyes. Repeat again and increase gradually but avoid access practice in the beginning as eyes are very sensitive parts. Those who have gone eye surgery or who suffer from diabetes and glaucoma are advised to practice this mudra under expert guidance only. ”Gurupdisht Margaineh Yogmaiv Samabhyeseit”.

After attaining mastery on this process for at least hundred days a Sadhak may decide to go into deeper practice of this mudra which is more effective. Now you may practice it with closed eyes but you need to do it with more alertness ensuring that under closed eyelashes eyes remain still and upward & inner gazing continues with perfect awareness.

Benefits

Tiredness and continuous tension in the eyes due to over work and mental stress is released and eye muscles get new strength with the regular practice of Shambhavi Mudra. It works remarkably for growing children and adolescents for balanced emotional development, concentration and stability as regular practice of Shambhavi Mudra also checks degeneration of pineal gland. Devoted practice of Shambhavi Mudra may even induce higher consciousness in the Sadhak.

Guru pranam asana

Observe Vajrasana with folded knees, toes on one another, heels comfortably wide. Rest your hips on heels without straining your ankles. Sit with back & head straight, palms resting on thighs and eyes closed. Be physically relaxed, mentally cool and calm. Fold your palms in front of your chest like flame of lamp to attain prayer pose. Lift the folded hands high above your head and exhale all your vices while bending forward from the hips, keeping the arms and head in straight line. Bend at lower back first then middle back and upper back. Finally extend the arms on floor to rest the forehead on ground closer to your knees. Hold the back curved like crescent moon, perfectly stretched but still relaxed under the toes of guru. Stomach will remain pressed against highs have a continuous breathing of goodness and godliness leaving all vices aside and accepting all whatever is noble. Raise yourself high while inhaling fresh blissful breath from the lotus feet of guru lifting your arms above your head. First lift the arms, head, upper back and finally the lower back. Join the prayer pose again in front of your chest. You may have three rounds of Guru Pranam Asana and slowly increase the length of time in final position.

Precautions

Not to be practiced by those who suffer from very high blood pressure, slipped disc or sufferers of vertigo.

Benefits

It strengthens the Swadhishthan charka and Manipur charka, eliminates anger and is very cooling for the brain. It removes various forms of back ache, makes it flexible and regulates the functioning of adrenal glands. Besides toning up the pelvic muscles it cures disorders of reproductive organs in men and women alike.

Meditation

By awakening the yogic chakras in human body anyone can turn to be an intellectual. Even the first and most popular meditative posture Padmasana is explained to give us such benefit, if practiced regularly:

Edam padmasanam proktam sarv vyadhi vinashnam,
Durlabham yen kenapi dheemta labhyate bhuvi.

It is something very special that turned illiterate Kabir, Raidas and many other fakirs into enlightened saints. Through meditation process one can invoke divine powers from within. This first and simplest form of Ajapa Dhyanam (Meditation) practiced regularly with sattvic and restricted food can bring you marvelous result. Never meditate after meals. Here I am sharing the first and the simplest step of Ajapa dhyanam.

Procedure

Select any of the meditative posture preferably Padmasana or Siddhasana and practice sitting in it every day. Begin with 10 minutes and increase time gradually every day till you attain perfection in at least one hour painless, comfortable and undisturbed sitting. Sit comfortably closing your eyes gently. Do nothing; simply watch your breath with inner self, incoming as well as outgoing. After five minutes practice join any shortest possible Mantra of your choice with flow of breath. It may best be holy “OM”. Feel the breath is going in the form of “OM” and it is going out also in the form of “OM”. Complete length of breath must be covered with flow of “OM”. Begin mental chanting of “OM” like this: “O…..” as you start inhaling and conclude inhaling with “M…..” Even while exhaling begins with same “O…..” and concludes with same “M……..” See that there is no discontinuation in breath or in chanting of holy mantra “OM”. Practice it for 15 minutes. You may come out of meditation with vocal chanting of same mantra three times.

This psycho physiological process, a special combination of physical and mental activities will decorate you with peace, harmony, memory and wisdom with no doubt.