Meditation for Stress Relief by world renowned masters Swami Mukundananda and Dr. Bhante Saranapala, Healthy diet for Immunity by renowned nutritionist Ms. Ishi Khosla.
This body is ultimately an instrument to achieve union with God or Yog - that is the goal of life according to the Patanjali Yog Sutras. Our health and wellness depends on how we take care of our physical body through proper diet and exercise as well as how we manage our stress.
Day 3 Highlights:
One of the biggest advantages of the Festival of Yoga has been the exposure to different forms of meditation as taught by internationally renowned masters. These rare unprecedented opportunities are crucial to purify the mind through the practice of meditation as well as bathe in the divine vibrations of the holy masters themselves. Both Swami Mukundananda and Reverend Dr, Bhante Saranapala echoed the benefits of meditation to free the mind of stress, anxiety, tension and depression, purify, uplift and focus it. At the end of the day, gems of wisdom shared in the Patanjali Yog Sutra and the Bhagavad Gita sessions brought the focus back on the need for us to recognize where true happiness lies in relation to our soul nature and practice Yog - through adopting a proper diet, lifestyle and spiritual practices.
Roopdhyan Meditation with Swami Mukundananda - Pilgrimage Within Yourself
Swami Mukundananda explained that just as we have conscious senses, with which we experience the world around us, we also have subtle senses - this is in fact the reason we see dreams. With the conscious gross senses, we continuously gratify material desires to no end - sadly they ultimately do not provide the peace and happiness we all seek. On the other hand when we inundate the subtle senses in the divine bliss of God by focusing on Him in the mind through Roopdhyan meditation - visualization of the forms and pastimes of God - we connect with the all pure and this washes away the impurities of envy, greed, desire etc.
Roopdhyan meditation is recommended by the Vedic scriptures to elevate the mind in sublime loving thoughts of devotion to God. When we develop love for the highest, our lower nature naturally falls away. Swami Mukundananda, guided attendees through a deeply blissful and relaxing meditation.
SSMK Meditation to Defeat Stressful Thoughts with Reverend Dr. Bhante Saranapala
Award winning spiritual leader from Canada, Urban Buddhist Monk, Dr. Bhante Saranapala delivered a beautiful talk sharing his lifelong interest in meditation, how it helps in controlling the mind and in making us peaceful. He mentioned that in order to progress in meditation we must first desire to do it! That desire is expressed as follows: we must prevent negative thoughts, eliminate negative emotions that have already popped up in the mind i.e be mindful of our thoughts and continue to generate positive thoughts or maintain a positive frame of mind. He mentioned a special technique of SSMK meditation to create more positive thoughts and cultivate optimism and joy from within.
SSMK is a breathing based meditation - Slow, Silent, Mindful and Kindful breathing. We must slow down and learn to be still in the present moment. We must also learn to be kind to ourselves, observing each moment without judging it. This helps us stay in the present and by removing focus on the hurts of the past or anxieties of the future, our mind becomes peaceful and joyful in the present. He then proceeded to guide attendees through a 10 min SSMK meditation.
Ms. Ishi Khosla - BLESS your Gut with Proper Diet for Health and Immunity
Renowned nutritionist Ishi Khosla, shared the BLESS formula for eating right to improve health and immunity - Eat Better, Eat Less, Eat Early, Eat Slow, Eat Selectively. The microbes in our intestines or gut flora as they are called, play the most important role in fighting off disease - our immune system lies in our gut and we need to build immunity by nourishing the gut with the right foods, balance of nutrients and most importantly a stress free life. Gut health can determine a person's susceptibility to falling sick as well as the time taken to recover.
Dr. Khosla recommended three P’s - planning our diet, eating the right proteins (plant proteins) and eating protective foods - a rainbow diet rich in nutrients and antioxidants instead of processed foods for a strong immune system.
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