Pronounced AH-sah-nahs. Yoga postures. The most famous pose is the lotus position.
There are thousands of other poses, each designed to strengthen and stretch the body,
which removes toxins and restores balance.
ATTACHMENT
An illusion that is reinforced by society, perhaps from an early age.
A common misconception is that a person or thing can be an attachment.
But a person is not an attachment any more than a trailer hitch is a car.
At some times it may be convenient to pull another car a short distance, but
usually it is better for each car to be driven separately, even
if both are going in the same direction.
BRAIN
An organ used for thinking. Not to be confused with mind.
The brain should be rested frequently, not necessarily by sleeping. The brain should
be rested while you are awake. Try to stop thinking right now if you like. If you are
not able to turn off your brain for a few minutes then you are not in control of your
brain. The engine must not control the car... the person that holds the key to the
car is the one that truly controls it.
BUDDHA
Every human being is a buddha, but most do not recognize this fact.
A realized buddha is one who is totally purified from all defilements and who clearly understands
the way the universe works through a clear understanding of him or herself.
CHAKRA
The nine chakras are energy centers that each one of us has. Through them,
we absorb energy from the environment, and we interchange energy amongst ourselves.
The seven major chakras are lined up in the spinal column, and each one has its
specific function for your body, mind and spirit.
The most famous chakra is the fourth chakra, known as the heart chakra.
A common portrayal of Jesus has his heart in the center of his chest, as
opposed to the actual location of the heart (organ), to the left.
As well, this portrayal shows that light (love) from the heart (chakra)
goes in every direction, because Jesus' love was for all, not a selected few.
The depiction of thorns around his heart shows that pain and fear are
experienced here, in the heart chakra.
The Chinese word for life force energy. Can also be spelled "qi". The
hindu word, Prana, refers to the very same energy. We can learn to
cultivate or grow this energy within ourselves such that we increase
our strength, our enjoyment, our peace and our influence.
COMPERSION
The opposite of jealousy. One takes joy in the joy of others.
DNA - DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID
While it is commonly believed that DNA was discovered in the 1960's using a miscroscope,
in fact ancient cultures knew about and recorded information on genes thousands of years ago,
without the assistance of microscopes.
Shamans and ancient medicine men used natural
'hallucinogens' such as tabacco and ayahuasca to reveal the reality of life that is
normally hidden: that all humans, animals, plants and even seemingly inanimate objects
were 'alive' and constantly changing and similarly built.
Back then, the common building blocks were depicted as divine snakes or vines in twisted pairs,
which bear stunning resemblance to the double-helix used in modern DNA textbooks.
Amazingly, the ancient shamans and current molecular biologists have come to the same
conclusion using different methods.
DOGMA
A belief based on religious persuasion and not scientific fact.
It should be noted that many or most religious teachings do coincide
with scientific fact.
EGO
The only thing that does't exist. Everything else is real.
Believing in the ego is what limits us. Jesus was able to walk on water because he had no ego.
Other enlightened beings are capable of the same feat.
EPIGENETICS
FASTING
The oldest and most effective method of cleansing the body. It is explained in the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, the Buddhist sutras, and was practiced by nearly all the ancient masters. In modern times, the idea of fasting has been changed dramatically.
A true fast requires absence of food intake for many days. Simply reducing food intake may be considered a diet but not a fast. It is necessary for the fasting period to last more than one day for the body to recognize the absence of food. The stomach empties completely, therefore the false feeling of hunger (which comes from acid in the stomach) disappears. The body devotes all the energy normally used for digestion for cellular cleansing. Toxins are expunged from cells all over the body, and sent to the intestines. After several days of fasting if one eats a banana, it will come out black a few minutes later.
GURU
An enlightened teacher. The syllable gu means darkness. The syllable ru means light. The Guru is expected to remove darkness and bring enlightenement to his disciples.
Today this term is overused. Real gurus are hard to find, and students are too eager to declare that their teacher is a guru.
A close relationship with others, such as with a best friend, a lover
or a family member. Nearly all experts agree that intimacy is central to
our existence, and that it promotes physical and psychological well-being.
Dr. Howard C. Cutler writes in The Art of Happiness:
"The romantic notion of that "One Special Person" with whom we have a passionate intimate relationship
is a product of our time and culture. But this model of intimacy is not universally accepted among all
cultures. For instance, the Japanese seem to rely more on friendships to gain intimacy, whereas
Americans seek it more romantic relationships with a boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse. In noting this...
Asians... appear to be less vulnerable to the kind of disillusionment that leads to the crumbling of
relationships."
KARMA
Action. The law of action and reaction.
KUNDALINI
The life force energy in the body that is often compared to a snake lying coiled at the base of the spine, waiting to be awakened.
LOVE
1. verb: the act of being unselfish and loyal; compassion; the benevolent concern for the good of others.
2. noun: a warm or tender feeling that one gets from the act of loving.
LOVING KINDNESS
The way to achieve inner and outer peace and to make happiness grow in your heart and in the world.
Lovingkindness was the path of our great leaders including Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi and Mother Theresa.
MIND
Sensation, consciousness. Not to be confused with brain.
POLYAMORY
Polyamory means "many loves". This term may be used to describe anyone
that loves two parents, two children, two siblings, two best friends or two
lovers.
Clearly, each person is capable of sustaining multiple meaningful relationships
simultaneously.
Polyamory accepts more than one simultaneous loving (not necessarily sexual), lasting, intimate relationship
with the full knowledge and consent of all those involved. Lying and cheating go against love,
and therefore cannot be part of polyamory.
All humans seek intimacy, or closeness with other
humans. Nearly everyone agrees that intimacy promotes health. Our greatest
teachers of all time (Jesus, Buda, King Solomon,
Osho and others) showed us to love everyone.
Modern society normally allows us to love two family members or two friends,
but there is great difficulty when attempting to include members of the opposite
gender. But discrimination does not fit within the definition of love. In this sense
it seems that society's understanding of love has become corrupted.
Love always encompasses respect, freedom
of choice, trust, unselfishness and compersion, the opposite of jealousy.
There should be no need to "dump" one friend or lover to satisfy the next.
Dumping is not held within the definition of love. If you feel it necessary
to dump your former lover or friend to know me, then won't you one day dump me too?
PRANA
Same as Chi, above. Prana is the sanskrit word for the exact same concept. The Japanese call it Ki.
PRANAYAMA
Method of controlling prana or life force through the regulation of breathing.
Yama means observation or control, so one observes and controls one's breath to obtain certain desired effects over one's prana, or energy.
TANTRA
Tantra means "written" and "to weave". Tantra weaves our inner energy with our outer,
everyday lives. The universe is a fabric and we weave ourselves into it.
Tantra Yoga is a sacred form of yoga. Its teachings are more than
two thousand years old, and were passed down by generations of monks
and yogis.
Most of the information that is available online about tantric practices is false.
It may lead to sexual pleasure but not to enlightenment. Serious seekers must look within themselved and preferably seek the help of an enlightened guru.
The exercises in tantra are designed to connect our yin and yang energy inside.
Male seekers must use specific techniques to find their yin energy.
Female seekers must use completely different (yet to be discovered) techniques to find
their yang energy.
TOXIN
Toxic substances intoxify you; they make your body toxic; they make you acidic, they burn you, they make
you sick, they give you stress, and that stress creates more chemicals which perpetuates the cycle. Each
toxin can corrupt many cells that it encounters anywhere in the body's sophisticated organ system. It can
corrupt nerve and brain cells affecting your mood and your thoughts. It can corrupt your heart cells, lung
cells, and other vital organs. It can irritate and blemish skin. It causes so much harm and it demands
more of itself because it abides the universal law of attraction. Complete removal is therefore necessary
for addiction recovery.
YOGA
Union. With daily practice of yoga, the body and mind and soul are purified,
such that one may be joined on all three levels, and your being joins seemlessly
with nature, and with other beings.
