Our children have been born in an age where everything is fast and in order to keep up with times they need to keep up their health. This age of technology (computers, television and competitive sports) causes tense exhausted bodies and stressed minds. In this challenging scenario, Yoga may be just what they need for greater health, energy and enlightenment.

Yoga is the right kind of exercise for children as it is gentle, non-competitive and works not only the entire body but also the mind and spirit. Children of all ages and physical abilities can participate.

BENEFITS OF YOGA

(1). It is absolutely safe for your child.

(2). It teaches children about their body in a fun manner. Yoga songs and aasans (stretching exercises) are approachable and fun for kids.

(3). It helps negate the effects of the competitive life (and it’s negative long-term effects) the child is forced to live.

(4). It helps children to relax, concentrate and focus.

(5). It builds stamina, stability and balance.

(6). It helps improve digestion, elimination of toxins and circulation.

(7). It strengthens the musculature of the body, elongates the spine and promotes good posture.

(8). Children who practice yoga have a good posture.

(9). Specific postures help relieve gas and constipation.

(10). It improves breathing habits through pranayam.

(11). It develops speech skills through the use of singing and chanting.

(12). It improves sleeping patterns.

(13). It improves memory and develops effective concentration skills.

Yoga means connecting to God. A child’s mind is pure and body flexible. They’ll absorb everything that is given to them. The earlier your child begins the better he will feel. Let yoga be his guide into the world of good and harmonious living. Give him this gift to keep him healthy and happy - more positive, self confident and sensitively independent. But make sure you look out for a qualified teacher first. A teacher who has the ability to teach the children according to their attention span and abilities and who can teach in a creative, playful manner to help them develop all their potentialities.

Jyoti means light and goodness. This is very influential meditation techniques which need a white candle. The idea is to bring listening warily attentiveness to the chakra energy centers - where they become impartial. By practicing this meditation you will experience very serene and peaceful. You may also improve or construct supernatural vision and possibly see auras.

Necessary Things: white candle (lit), Quiet sitting area, Meditation music

(1). SET UP. Place the candle at a height that is equal to eye level. Place your chair or cushion 3-4 feet away from the candle. Use music without words if you so desire - but it’s not required.

(2). BREATHE. Take 5 deep breaths through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Do this slowly and with your eyes open or closed - whichever you prefer.

(3). BEGIN THE JYOTI MEDITATION AT THE CROWN CENTER Look at and focus on the candle’s flame. Close your eyes. Visualize the flame at your Crown Center 6 inches above your head. Do 5 deep breaths like before - and each time see the candle in your mind’s eye getting brighter and brighter.

(4). MOVE TO THE THIRD EYE AJA BROW CENTER Repeat the sequence in step 3 - take 5 breaths and visualize the flame getting brighter in the brow center each time.

(5). MOVE TO THE THROAT CENTER Repeat the sequence in step 3 - take 5 breaths and visualize the flame getting brighter in the throat center each time.

(6). MOVE TO THE HEART CENTER Repeat the sequence in step 3 - take 5 breaths and visualize the flame getting brighter in the Heart center each time.

(7). MOVE TO THE SOLAR PLEXUS CENTER Repeat the sequence in step 3 - take 5 breaths and visualize the flame getting brighter in the Solar plexus center each time.

(8). MOVE TO THE PELVIS NAVAL CENTER Repeat the sequence in step 3 - take 5 breaths and visualize the flame getting brighter in the Pelvis Naval center each time.

(9). MOVE TO THE BASE ROOT CENTER Repeat the sequence in step 3 - take 5 breaths and visualize the flame getting brighter in the Root or Base center each time.

(10). MOVE BACK TO THE CROWN CENTER Repeat the sequence in step 3 - take 5 breaths and visualize the flame getting brighter in the Crown center each time. This completes the energy circuit.

(11). Chant OM 12 times. Smile and give thanks to yourself for taking time to be centered and balanced.

Stress is nowadays, the single most significant reason for medical problems that we face. In a study done on 46,000 people over six years, it has been exposed that 75% to 90% of all visits to the doctor are stress linked. Most of these problems can be done away with if proper emotional and mental guidance is a part of the lifestyle routines. People do appreciate the value of physical workouts but few realize the consequence of a healthy mind and positive emotions. We are not just what we look like or feel actually, our health is also about what we believe or do not think, or feel.

When we face emotional stress, adrenalin pours into our blood stream and our muscles get tense, sensing the need for a fast response. For short terms this can cause fatigue and exhaustion, but over long periods, this could be the cause for unceasing ailments.

This link between physical well being and emotional health was thoroughly studied by ancient Indian wise men, who were the fathers of Yogic, Yogic philosophy and even Ayurveda. The idea has reached the western cultures only recently, but Yoga has always been a proponent of healthy mind- healthy body. This be the reason why in Hindu lifestyle, meditation and `Dhyana’ in many forms, is an important part of everybody’s routine, love is one such form. Sitting at a clean place, with one’s thoughts focused lying on a hymn or just an representation of one’s trust…even a blank wall, does a great deal to get one closer to calm for the mind…and what else is the accomplishment of happiness in human life?

Ancient yogis unspoken that every human looks for but one thing in life ….happiness. Each person has a different way of achieving or even understanding it. They understood human psyche enough to know that this mission for happiness is brought on by an experience of pain, or dissatisfaction with the present state of affairs. In most cases, turning away from reality and escaping into a make-believe world of physical pleasure make available temporary relief, and people usually settle for that – a mere shadow of the happiness they came to look for. Yoga shows us the path for a permanent sense of happiness. It is basically teaches that a healthy being is a musically integrated unit of healthy mind, body and spirit. Good health on the whole requires simple food, usual nutrition, exercise, fresh air and a mind at calm with itself and the world. Some like to take it a step further by linking peace to being one with God…but still on a human level, serenity is enough.

Thousands of years ago, Yogis in ancient India knew that nature’s laws are so made that every being should evolve, not only physically, but also emotionally. As we follow this path that nature intended us to take, we make ourselves competent of breaking away from the trap that we make for ourselves – that of pain, then more desires, followed by still more pain. This can be done by largely controlling the mind. Antics similar to hypnotism are really only showmanship for this mind-control…nothing comes even close to the control of the human mind if fully utilized. All that a person needs to do is to be able to separate chaff from the real grain, the dust from the gold in our journey of experiences, and embrace the valuable emotions, while discarding the superfluous ones. We need power of concentration to achieve this, and this power can be had from control over one’s breathing, focusing and not allowing the mind to stray. Human mind has the tendency to dwell on unimportant issues, leaving the important things by the wayside. By controlling our breathing and thus our focusing power, we can control our thoughts, focusing on positive ones and discarding superfluous traps for our emotions. This ensures a much smoother flow of positivity in our system. Coupled with physical exercises, these emotional activities make sure great peace and physical physical condition as well. In Yoga the reward for control over one’s mind and body is greater happiness, a sense of purpose and well being – everybody’s ultimate goal.

But biologically speaking, how does this happen? To understand the mechanics of Yogic control and well being, we require knowing that there are two nervous systems in the body, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. The first is the nervous impulses that tense our body, readying it for a fight. These raise our blood weight, quicken our breathing, put stress on our heart and make us sweat. This is the nostalgia of our cave dwelling days, when one had to fight or flee for survival, but today our body reacts like this with a looming deadline, a traffic jam or a high powered interview. A prolonged exposure to this side of our nervous system is sure to give us cardiovascular disease, hypertension, ulcers and migraines in the long run.

The parasympathetic nervous system is the cooling down mechanism. It slows down gulp of air rate and directs more blood away from our muscles to our vital organs that give us the superiority of life – stomach, gall bladder, reproductive and resistant systems. When our breathing is regulated, slow and steady, the parasympathetic nervous system takes over, allowing the body the vital blood flow, necessary to help our body heal from the battle scars of daily living.

Stable, regulated breathing, an action when we are aware of, leads us to stay linked and focused on the there moment, not worrying about the past or fretting about the future, but in quiet with today. In the attitude of Yoga, today is of prime significance, everything else is only stressful and living in the moment eases all kinds of stress.

In its eight fold path, Yoga ensures a supple spinal chord and properly functioning endocrine gland. Regular yoga helps to keep the blood free of toxins, the secretions of hormones to be balanced, so that the mind and body are balanced too. Exercise positions, or Asanas stress on deep breathing techniques that unwind the movements and help improve attentiveness of cerebral energy.

People of many faiths all over the world make use of beads while praying or meditating. Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims all have used beads as a form of prayer and meditation for centuries. But the most well-known use of prayer beads is most likely the Christian Catholic rosary. Catholic tradition claims that the rosary was revealed to St. Dominic during a vision in the 13th century.

The rosary is a specific number of beads strung together, often with a crucifix attached. The beads can be made of wood, berries, or metal. Most rosaries have been blessed with holy water and prayers. Practitioners begin with making the sign of the cross while touching the crucifix, then recite a series of “Hail Mary” prayers, divided by the ‘Our Father” prayer, while meditating on important events in the lives of Jesus and Mary, called “the mysteries.” A typical full rosary includes five decades.

There are four types of mysteries: the joyful mysteries, the sorrowful mysteries, the glorious mysteries, and the glowing mysteries. Each mystery has a particular day of the week during which one can focus on them. The joyful mysteries focus on events such as the angel of the Lord visiting Mary to tell her she would bear a son, or the birth of Jesus. The sorrowful mysteries consist of events like Jesus’ pleading with God to be spared, and his death on the cross. The glorious mysteries include Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension to Heaven. The luminous mysteries consist of events such as Jesus’ baptism, and his converting water into wine at the wedding in Cana.

A person praying the rosary touches or holds one bead while reciting one prayer, then moves on the next drop with the next prayer, to keep track of the order without being too distracted. Ideally, the meditations on the mysteries provide a deeply contemplative experience, and a way in which to become closer to God.

Catholic children learn the rosary prayers early on, and memorize them easily. The hope is that the repetitious nature of the “Hail Mary” prayer will occupy one’s conscious mind, allowing the spiritual soul to focus on the mystery stories and the connection to God. Some find it relaxing and reassuring when they mechanically keep in mind the words of the prayers, even years later, and can slip back into a meditative state. The rosary can also function as a familiar touchstone when its physical presence reminds one of a safe time: childhood and home, or a neighborhood church.

People who have grown up in the Catholic Church but later felt disconnected from God say that a return to the rosary meditation can offer them the solace of a meeting of sorts with God, combined with an adult’s about to happen of the power of meditation to calm one’s soul, regardless of how that meditation is carry out.