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Yoga in Practice
Train Your Mind for Empowerment, Part
1
Paul Jerard
Recently, there have been some objections to using words
like empowerment, abundance, success, and achievement, within
Yoga writings. However, it would be much more difficult to
open the doors of my wellness center, in North Providence,
if I were homeless. Imagine the number of children, teens,
adults, and seniors, who could not reap the benefits of Yoga,
if every Yoga teacher took a vow of poverty.
The fifth Yama: Aparigraha (Non-gathering) is clear to Yoga
practitioners, but it would be difficult to contribute to
charities, research Yoga, write, teach under-privileged people,
or make a contribution to mankind, if you are starving in
the back alleys of New England, or anywhere else. If you have
nothing to give, you can give nothing; therefore, you must
acquire and give to others to help mankind.
You should not abandon the concept of empowerment to help
yourself, in order that you can help others - in turn. This
is not about hoarding material, but accumulating, and re-distributing,
to those in need. You only have a temporary hold on any material
wealth in this life, so why not help people, while you have
it? This is a principle of Karma Yoga: Union by selfless service.
Where do you start with training, or re-training, your mind
for empowerment and success? It is within the basic programming
of your mind that you must start. You must learn to "eat,
sleep, and drink" positive energy every day.
To eat correctly, a diet should, for the most part, consist
of sattvic foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
There is much more to this dieting aspect, but it is difficult
to find these foods at a fast food restaurant. However, it
is worth the effort to research the sattvic diet and make
small changes to your current eating habits.
When you sleep, try to get to bed earlier and be in your best
frame of mind. You can do this by meditating or by practicing
a stage-by-stage relaxation before bedtime. There are also
many good meditation, self-hypnosis, and relaxation CD's to
choose from. Sometimes, dreams can be negative; but with the
above-mentioned methods, you can change the programming of
your mind.
Drink plenty of pure water and gradually observe how your
behavior changes. Many people consume too much caffeine every
day. Can you imagine if a negative person walked up to you,
in a positive mood, and said, "I'm sorry, for what I said
before - I had one coffee too many, today?" This sounds like
a "lame excuse," but in reality, there are too many every
day conflicts due to caffeine. With these first three steps,
you will gradually train your mind for empowerment.
© Copyright 2006 - Paul Jerard /
Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga
teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence,
RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995.
He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black
Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently
inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches
Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors
in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running
a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may
be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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