Meditation For An Open Heart

As taught by Yogi Bhajan

Every challenge we face offers us the opportunity to express our best self. Sometimes reactive emotions and habitual patterns get in our way. Cultivating evenness of mind and an open heart allows us to respond to any challenge in a way that expresses our highest virtues.

The following meditation helps establish an internal state of equipose by quieting the mind and opening the heart. To practice, all you need is a few minutes and a quiet place to sit.

Sit in an easy pose with an elongated spine.

Lightly tuck your chin in to open the energetic channels that flow up your back over your head.

Touch the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth to connect the channels that flow up your back and down the front of your torso.

Either close your eyes or look straight ahead with your eyes just barely open.

Place your left hand on the center of your chest at the heart center. Press your palm flat against your chest, and make your fingers parallel to the ground pointing to the right.

Touch the tip of your right index finger with the tip of your right thumb to form gyan mudra. Raise your right hand up to your right side as if giving a pledge, but let your elbow relax in close to your side body. Your palm should face forward and your middle, ring and pinky fingers should point up toward the sky.

Concentrate on the natural flow of your breath. Regulate each bit of the breath consciously.

Inhale slowly and deeply through both nostrils.

Let your chest rise as you inhale.

Maintain that lift, and retain the breath for as long as it is comfortable.

Then, exhale smoothly, softly and completely. When the breath is totally out, suspend the breath out for as long as it is comfortable.

If you feel any agitation or irritability, you are pushing beyond your natural limitations. Take a short break, breathing normally, and return to the practice once it passes staying mindful of your natural capacity, perhaps taking in a smaller breath or reducing your time in retention or suspension.

Continue this pattern of long, deep breathing for 3-31 minutes.

First, try it for three minutes. If you have more time, try it for three periods of three minutes each with one minute rest between them.

For a more advanced practice of concentration and rejuvenation, build up to 31 minutes.

A Beginner's Guide to Taking a Yoga Class

Recently, I started taking salsa classes. Before my first class, I had no idea what to expect. I didn't know what to bring or even what kind of shoes to wear. It reminded me of what it might be like to go to your first yoga class.

You already have everything you need to practice yoga, but there are some things you can do to make every class you attend enjoyable and appropriate for your needs. This list will help you get started.

Preparing for your first class:

1. Find the right class: You should begin with a little research. There are many styles of yoga, and it is important to choose the style that best fits your needs. Any style can be adapted for beginners - so, look for a class with basic, beginner or level 1 in its name or call ahead to be sure that a particular class is appropriate for a beginner.

2. What to bring: You don't need much. Most studios have mats, blankets, blocks and straps, but if yoga is going to be a regular part of your life, go ahead and invest in your own mat - it embodies your commitment to your practice. You may also want to bring your own towel or yoga blanket.

3. What to wear: Wear comfortable clothes that you can move around in but that are fitted enough so that they don't bunch up or reveal anything if you end up in an inverted position. Yoga is practiced barefoot - so , you don't need socks or shoes!

Staying Safe:

1. Talk to the teacher before class. Let the teacher know that you are new and mention any injuries, medical conditions or concerns you might have about class.

2. Take care of yourself during class. Take care of yourself by staying mindful of how your body feels. Discomfort may be a part of the process of transforming your body, but sharp shooting pains warn of injury. It's ok to take a break, observe instead of doing, or ask for a way to modify a pose to make it more comfortable. You can always rest in child's pose and rejoin the class when your ready.

3. Use your breath as a guide. Strain and over effort of any kind make the breath shallow, forced or ragged. Stretching safely makes it easy to breath deeply. If you can not breathe smoothly and deeply, you're probably working too hard, and you may be risking injury.

Before Class:

1. Come to class with an empty stomach. A light snack is appropriate up to thirty minutes before class, but allow two hours to digest a heavy meal before practice.

2. Arrive a few minutes early. Allow time to sign in, meet your teacher and set up your mat.

3. Drink water before and after class but not during. Water cools the inner heat that helps makes the body flexible.

During Class:

1. Leave competitiveness, judgment and self-abuse behind. Yoga is a practice that will keep you challenged for a lifetime. There's no need to achieve everything the first day or year. There are no prizes given for getting into a pose faster or deeper than your neighbor. If you choose to be competitive on the mat, with yourself or with others, it's easy to overextend yourself and cause an injury.

2. One of the philosophical tenants of classical yoga is non-violence. This includes the practice of not harming yourself! Don't push beyond your capacity in any given class. Your capacity is ever changing - what you do today may be different than what you are capable of tomorrow. Stay in tune with yourself and you won't go wrong.

3. Listen to the teacher's feedback. Feed back is one of the most valuable benefits of attending class. We are so accustomed to holding our bodies in a certain way that it often takes an observer to point out how we can be more optimally aligned. You'll gain a lot by staying open and receptive.

Yoga Classroom Etiquette:

1. Speak quietly in the practice studio.

2. Turn off your cell phone.

3. Refrain from wearing perfumes or fragrances as some people are sensitive to strong odors.

Most importantly, have fun!!! Don't be shy, ask questions and enjoy being a beginner. Cultivating a beginner's mind is a great way to drop your armor and open your heart to experience the bliss of being!