Kundalini is the divine shakti, or feminine energy of Shiva and is usually lying dormant at the base of the spine. As this energy rises, it pierces the energy centers along the spinal column and ultimately unites with Shiva, who resides in the crown center located at the top of the head. The union of Shakti and Shiva is the highest experience, where the consciousness is awakened and the realization of the true Self occurs.

It is important to note that this whole phenomenon is occurring in the subtle physical body, not the gross physical body. Therefore as Gurumaa says, if you cut open the spine during post-mortem analyses you will not be able to see any of these energy centers.

Kundalini Yoga is the yoga of prana, or the life-sustaining force of all living beings. The human body consists of approximately 72,000 nadis (channels), and the three principal nadis which this energy flows through are known as the ida, pingala and sushumna.

These nadis are located in the subtle physical body. The nadi that carries this life-energy on the left side of the body is known as the ida nadi, while the right side is regulated by the pingala nadi. The sushumna nadi is the most important of these three and is the central channel. It is connected to the spinal column and governs all the essential life activities.

The ida, pingala and sushumna nadis all meet at the energy centers known as chakras. These chakras are also called lotuses, and each center has a color, a specific amount of petals, and a mantra associated with them. These seven chakras each have an relationship with a emotional and psychological function within the body and are respectively known as the muladhara, svadhisthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha , ajna and sahasrara chakras.

Kundalini yoga is a journey into our inner world, which is totally different from the outer world. The ultimate goal of this practice is to become one with the supreme consciousness, and realize our true nature. As we go deeper into this inner world, we begin to have joyful and magical experiences, and realize the hidden powers that are within us.

Sometimes aspirants become so engrossed by these powers, they lose focus of what the path is really for and can end up destroying themselves. Therefore the safest way to practice Kundalini Yoga is under the guidance of a self-realized spiritual master. The master has attained this illuminated state and become one with the shakti, and can transmit this energy into someone through a process known as shaktipat. The master constantly guides the seeker toward the right path, and turns this journey into a wonderful experience.

If you are trying to become free from this sort of drug addiction the Gurumaa Ashram (situated in Gannaur, India) is a good place to start. In this video Anandmurti Gurumaa invites anyone who is suffering from such an addiction to come to the ashram and participate in their regularly organized health camps.

During this time you would learn how to detoxify your body by practicing certain yogic cleansing/breathing techniques, and also be introduced to a variety of yogic asanas. All these techniques not only cleanse the body, but also help in calming the mind. These ancient yogic techniques help your body and mind, which is important since drugs affect both the physical and psychological aspects of your body.

Gurumaa says that accepting the dilemmas of your life and facing them directly is the path of wisdom. Drugs are just a temporary means of escaping the realities of life. So, Instead of depending on drugs for solutions, be wise and do not depend on such substances. At the end of the day drugs are not removing or alleviating your troubles.

One can reach to the pinnacle in everything one do just by knowing and practicing the Swar yoga. Swar yoga deals greatly with the knowledge of breathing from a particular nostril while performing a specific work.

For instance while performing all motor activities viz. eating, running, dancing etc., breathing from right nostril (Surya swar) should be active. On the other hand, breathing from left nostril (Chandra swar) accelerates our cognitive abilities and creativity. So while painting, composing literature or music, meditating etc. one should ensure that his Chandra swar is active.

So, one should handle these precious breaths with dexterity and great skill. When there is parity between the breathing from both nostrils, it is called Sam swar or Shoonya swar. It is the stage when both Surya swar and Chandra swar become equally active and bring stillness to the mind. This acts as a crucial stage for touching heights in spirituality. Shoonya swar is the apt time for meditation.

This knowledge of maneuvering the breaths enhances the level of one’s consciousness and awareness. Continuous adherence to Swar Yoga brings astonishing results and gives the ability to receive higher intuitive knowledge. All the queries of mind vanish, when one delves deep inside and become watchful and wakeful of mind.

Lord Buddha never answered to any seeker’s question straight away. He suggested them to stay with him for at least one year. In the company with such a great master, disciples used to learn the lessons of humbleness, tolerance and perform every task with great awareness. Lord Buddha, at his death bed, gave a golden rule- “App Deepo Bhav”, which means, “Be a light unto yourself”. He said that a master can guide you at every step but you have to go within yourself to ablaze your ignorance.

A similar question was put up to Anandmurti Gurumaa regarding whether the duration of our life is fixed by God or can it be elongated through the practice of yoga, pranayam and good diet.

Gurumaa says that as such lifespan is not fixed by God, but is determined by our actions and lifestyle. It can definitely be elongated through the regular practice of yoga, pranayam, good diet and following the rules of good health.

Besides that, she focuses on the point that happiness is within us, but a majority of us are not aware of its presence. So, we hanker here and there in life in the pursuit of happiness; we run after desires, lust and passion and take such actions that are detrimental to our health and inner bliss. This shortens our life span.

On the other hand, a person who is centered in his inner being finds the ocean of bliss and happiness within. He enjoys the best of health and is not affected by the ill-effects of any astrological phenomenon.

So, although death is certain to come one day, our life span can definitely be elongated through right living.

The function of our mind is to keep on babbling. This continuous cacophony of thoughts in mind disrupts the growth of intuition. The more placid the left and right hemispheres of our brain are, the chances of our mind to act as a recipient of this intuitive knowledge also increase. So it is very essential to bring the equipoise in mind.

For this it is essential to regulate the body systems first. To tame the mind it is indispensable to balance the body energies. Here comes the importance of ‘breathing techniques’, which includes:

- Breathing from which nostril should be active while indulging in a particular activity?
- What is the correct way of breathing?

This knowledge lays down the foundation for enhancing the intuitive abilities. Left nostril breathing affects parasympathetic systems, while our right nostril breathing affects sympathetic systems.

Even medical science corroborates this theory that when left nostril breathing is prominent, our brain’s right hemisphere gets activated which enhances our creativity and cognitive abilities and improves our decision making power. On the other hand, when our right nostril breathing is prominent, it contributes to the effective functioning of the body mechanisms like digestion, circulatory etc. and boosts our energy, fills our body with great zest which further helps in performing various motor activities with perfection.

Thus while eating right nostril breathing should take place to prevent flatulence, dyspepsia or any other related digestive problem. While contemplation, left nostril breathing should be active to achieve higher levels of spirituality. To conclude, this basic knowledge of breath gives you an insight of intuitive knowledge.

While meditating, a seeker encounters some strange things that bewilder his mind. Such experiences could be vibration in hands, feeling warmth in the body, a feeling of pulsating wheel in the palms and so on. In this video, a young seeker has come up with the same kind of query which is being answered meticulously by Anandmurti Gurumaa.

Every human being possesses a ‘Bioplasmic body’ which wraps our physical body from outside and also resides within. Bioplasmic body is not visible with the naked eye, but still one cannot deny its existence. Today medical science has also given its consent to this entity.

Reiki, Stone therapy, Acupressure, Acupuncture- all these therapies are based on healing one’s bioplasmic body via physical body. In Acupressure, manual pressure is applied to the body at specific points while in Acupuncture fine needles are inserted in the skin at specific points along supposed lines of energy. These specific points are spread in the whole body, in feet, in hands and precisely in the upper portion of thumb.

Before any ailment reaches the physical body, it comes in our Bioplasmic body. Whenever there is any obstruction in flow of energy, the aforementioned therapies are used on physical body to reach Bioplasmic body. This is also termed as ‘Energy Healing’ or ‘Pranic Healing’.

In Yogic terminology, the flow channels in Bioplasmic body are called as Naadi. Naadi does not imply nerves but the “flow of energy”. In ancient Hindu scriptures, 3.5 lakh naadi have been acknowledged and out of these 3 are the most prominent.

Whenever a person feels vibration or warmth in body organs, or sometimes an electric flow could also be felt, these are the consequences of rising up of an untamed energy. So it is very essential to purify the body first through Yogasana & Pranayama.

Before the disintegration of Russia, a research was being carried there to heal the bioplasmic body, but was discontinued. But it is believed that in some part of the world the research has been started again and if it would materialize, it would be a big landmark.

Firstly, lets look at what Yoga Nidra is? Yoga Nidra is an amazing ancient tantra meditation technique to enhance our awareness, achieve stress relief, deep relaxation and be free of all types of mental and emotional conditionings. It is a guided meditation practice where we lie down and listen to the instructions given by the Yoga Nidra Instructor and enter deep states of heightened consciousness and relaxation.

Now, different people experience different kinds of things during yoga nidra depending on their inner subconscious mind conditionings. Here is a video where one of the meditators experienced kumbhak during the practice of yoga nidra and put up this question to Gurumaa.

So, what is “Kumbhak” ? It is a term from the science and discipline of Yoga and Pranayama. Basically, when the breath is expired, it is “Rechaka”, the first kind of Pranayama. When the breath is drawn in, it is the second, termed “Puraka”. When it is suspended, it is the third kind, called “Kumbhaka”. In other words, Kumbhaka is retention of breath.

Besides that, Gurumaa also advices on how should we approach the stage of “Sankalpa” during the practice of Yoga Nidra to achieve the maximum benefits of the meditation.

Gurumaa elucidates an ancient yogic breathing technique that helps not only to overcome the desires of lust, but also help in our spiritual evolution through the awakening of the chakras that are lying dormant within us.

True mastery over the self can be achieved only if we are able to use sex as a tool and are a master of the desires, feelings and emotions arising within us. And not the other way round – that we can carried over and are overpowered by the desires and feelings of greed, lust, anger, etc that arise in us.

Gurumaa gives us the master-key on how we can achieve this freedom from such urges. It’s amazing to see how yogic breathing technique is so effective in mind control, anger management and stress relief too!

On being asked by a young seeker in a youth meditation workshop regarding “Nirvikalpata”, Gurumaa explains what exactly is the state of “Nirvakalpata” – a mind that is in a state of total thoughtlessness.

How can one achieve such a state of “No Mind”? Gurumaa says that this ultimate state can be achieved by maturing our concentration and awareness. She talks of techniques such as Tratak, Dharana and others that can be practiced to sharpen this awareness and advance into “Nirvikalpata”.

Last but not the least, we require a good deal of patience, perseverance and disciplined practice to achieve pure blissfulness of “Nirvakalpata”!

The practice of Tratak helps to activate your pineal gland, which is also known as the “third eye” in ancient yogic and tantra scriptures. This helps immensely in our spiritual evolution and growth.

Benefits of Practicing Tratak

Studies show that the regular practice of Tratak has proved beneficial in many ways. Some of them are -

1) It provides a significant boost to our ability to concentrate, memorize and understand. It clarifies our mind and improves our perception abilities. This makes it very useful for students who are studying, as well as elderly people who suffer from memory loss.

2) Tratak helps to build up your confidence levels. It makes us more patient and calm. These are vital qualities that are needed to achieve success in any field of life.

3) As we can focus better on the work at hand, we are able to improve our work efficiency and achieve better productivity in all activities we undertake.

4) Tratak helps in strengthening our will power and motivation levels. It improves our decision making ability.

5) The practice of Tratak helps in overcoming various types of mental, emotional and psychological ailments.

6) It helps to calm the mind and provides quick relief from tension, stress and anxiety.

7) It aids us to lead our life in a more balanced and graceful manner.

Tratak can also be successfully practiced through following easy steps and instructions given in a guided Tratak meditation mp3. It makes the whole practice of Tratak much more enjoyable and helps to calm the mind very quickly.

In this video, Gurumaa shares her deep insights on the right way of practicing Tratak. She explains what Tratak is, and what it is not.