A Chronicle of Enlightened Citizenship Movement in the State Bank of India
A micro portal for all human beings seeking authentic happiness, inner fulfillment and a meaningful life
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Do you
want the children of your school to be happy? Positive Education is an approach
to education that blends academic learning with character and well-being. Positive Education curriculum has
been implemented with good results in schools in Australia, USA, UK and
Germany. Be the first one to start this initiative at your school in India!
In this video, a variation of ushtrasana is depicted – how to get into the posture and stay there. Practising the asana regularly will relieve stiffness in the back, shoulders and ankles.
Weekends are for rest and recuperation. Even during sleep, relaxation is elusive. The asanas (postures) in this video give the body the rest it so badly needs. Learn to manage your stress in a yogic way!
BREATHING WITH THE BODY
This is the fourth video in a series of videos - a step-by-step tutorial - to learn and practice meditation by yourself by listening to and following the instructions given in the video.
In this session, we are re-visiting and deepening what we have learned in the three earlier videos.
Instructions:
Please sit down - legs folded crosswise, back straight and eyes closed.
Focus your attention on the nostrils as you breathe in and as you breathe out.
In this session, we will re-visit and deepen what we have learned earlier.
Begin by simply bringing attention to the breathing.
Always mindful of your breath, breathe in; mindful, breathe out.
If you breathe in long, know: I am breathing in long. If you breathe out long, know: I breathe out long.
If you breathe in short, know: I am breathing in short. If you breathe out short, know: I breathe out short.
Don’t worry if your mind wanders away, bring it back gently. Observe your breath.
As the breathing becomes deeper, focus on the body.
Keeping a watch on your breath in the background, look inwards to the major parts of your body: head, shoulders, hands, palms, chest, stomach, upper back, lower back, legs and the feet.
Sensitive to the whole body, breathe in. Sensitive to the whole body, breathe out.
As you familiarize with your body, while keeping a watch on your breathing, relax your limbs one-by-one: forehead, eyes, cheeks, neck, shoulders, heart, stomach, upper back, lower back, thighs, calf muscles, ankles, and soles of your feet.
Calming the whole body, breathe in. Calming the whole body breathe out.
May all beings be happy, be peaceful, be liberated!
Open your eyes gently and come out of meditation.
Continue your practice of meditation. When you feel, you have mastered this segment, you may proceed to the next video. Remember, meditation is a lifetime’s work.
We will be happy to have your feedback and would answer any questions that you may have. Questions may be sent to us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
This is the second video in a series of videos to
learn and practice meditation by yourself by listening to and following the
video.
It gives simple and straight instructions to meditate
in pure form. Just follow the instructions and meditate.
You may start your journey of meditation from here
but we would advise you to begin with the first video of the series on this
channel and then come here after some days of practice.
Practice meditation on a daily basis listening to the
video. When you feel confident that you are comfortable and ready, you may go
to the next video in the series.
We will be happy to have your feedback and would
answer any questions that you may have. Questions may be sent to us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
Instructions:
Please sit down for meditation: legs folded
crosswise, back straight and eyes closed.
Always be mindful of your breath as you breathe in
and as you breathe out. Focus your attention on the nostrils as you breathe in
and as you breathe out.
If you breathe in long, know: I am breathing in long.
If you breathe out long, know: I breathe out long.
If you breathe in short, know: I am breathing in
short. If you breathe out short, know: I breathe out short.
Keeping a watch on your breath in the background,
look inwards to the major parts of your body: head, shoulders, hands, palms,
chest, stomach, upper back, lower back, legs and the feet.
Sensitive to the whole body, breathe in. Sensitive to
the whole body, breathe out.
This is the first video in a series of videos to
learn and practice meditation by yourself by listening to and following the
video.
It gives simple and straight instructions to meditate
in pure form. Just follow the instructions and meditate.
Practice meditation on a daily basis listening to the
video. When you feel confident that you are comfortable and ready, you may go
to the next video in the series.
We will be happy to have your feedback and would
answer any questions that you may have. Questions may be sent to us at lifeskills.happiness@gmail.com.
MEDITATION:
Meditation
is a practice that makes it possible to cultivate and develop certain basic
positive human qualities in the same way as other forms of training make it
possible to play a musical instrument or acquire any other skill.
The
object of meditation is the mind. For the moment, it is simultaneously
confused, agitated, rebellious and subject to innumerable conditioned and
automatic patterns. The goal of meditation is not to shut down the mind or
anaesthetise it, but rather to make it free, lucid and balanced.
Experienced
meditators have demonstrated qualities of focused attention that are not found
among beginners. For example, they are able to maintain more or less perfect
concentration on a particular task for forty-five minutes, whereas most people
cannot go beyond five or ten minutes before they begin making an increasing
number of mistakes.
The primary
goal of meditation is to transform our experience of the world but it has also
been shown that meditation has beneficial effects on our health. Scientific
experiments have shown that twenty minutes of daily practice of meditation can
contribute significantly to the reduction of stress, whose harmful effects on
health are well established.
It also
reduces anxiety, the tendency towards anger and the risk of relapse for people
who have previously undergone depression. Eight weeks of meditation for thirty
minutes a day significantly strengthens the immune system, reinforces positive
emotions, and reduces arterial pressure in those suffering from high blood
pressure.
If we consider that the possible benefit of meditation is to
have a new experience of the world each moment in our lives, then it doesn’t
seem excessive to spend at least twenty minutes a day getting to know our mind
better and training it towards this kind of purpose.
The fruition of meditation could be described as an optimal
way of being, or again, as genuine happiness. This true and lasting happiness
is a profound sense of having realized to the utmost the potential we have
within us for wisdom and accomplishment. Working towards this kind of
fulfilment is an adventure worth embarking upon.
Laughter is the best medicine. To get all the health benefits of laughter, you need to laugh deep and continuously for 10-20 minutes. How to do that every day when you are all alone? This video is a tutorial for that.
Laughter Yoga is usually done in groups. People find it difficult to practise it on a daily basis by themselves.
Laughter Yoga is a unique concept where anyone can laugh for no reason without relying on humour, jokes or comedy. The concept is based on a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between real and fake laughter if done with willingness. One gets the same physiological and psychological benefits.
Dr Madan Kataria, a medical doctor, founded the first Laughter Club with just five members in Mumbai in the year 1995. Today there are thousands of laughter clubs all over the world where laughter is initiated as an exercise in a group but with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter.
It is called Laughter Yoga because it combines laughter exercises with yoga breathing. This brings more oxygen to the body and the brain which makes one feel more energetic and healthy.
When we laugh, our body generates feel good hormones called endorphins which improve our mood and general outlook. During laughter exercises, all the stale air inside the lungs is expelled and our system gets more oxygen which enhances the immune system. In the long run, the inner spirit of laughter helps you build more caring and sharing social relationships, and laugh even when the going in not good.
In this video, veteran Bollywood actor, Anupam Kher, teaches you how to breathe in and laugh. It’s lucid, technically sound and beautifully demonstrated.
The benefits of laughter have been known for ages but have been scientifically proven only recently. Here are some amazing benefits of laughter endorsed by the scientists.
Surya namaskara is a well-known and vital technique within the yogic repertoire. It is a practice which has been handed down from the sages of vedic times. Surya means ‘sun’ and namaskara means ‘salutation’.
It is a technique of solar vitalization, a series of exercises which recharge us like a battery, enabling us to live more fully and joyfully with dynamism and skill in action.
Surya namaskara is a series of twelve physical postures. These alternate backward and forward bending asanas flex and stretch the spinal column and limbs through their maximum range. The series gives such a profound stretch to the whole body that few other forms of exercise can be compared with it.
It is almost a complete sadhana in itself, containing asana, pranayama and meditational techniques within the main structure of the practice. It also has the depth and completeness of a spiritual practice.
Surya namaskara can be easily integrated into our daily lives as it requires only five to fifteen minutes’ practice daily to obtain beneficial results remarkably quickly.
SURYA NAMASKARA – A TECHNIQUE OF SOLAR VITALIZATION BY SWAMI SATYANANDA SARASWATI
(This is only a demonstration to facilitate practice of the asanas. It must be supplemented by a thorough study of each of the asanas. Careful attention must be paid to the contra indications in respect of each one of the asanas. It is advisable to practice under the guidance of a yoga teacher.)
Positive education is a whole-school approach to student and staff well-being: it brings together the science of positive psychology with best-practice teaching, encouraging and supporting individuals and communities to flourish.
In this video, we have demonstrated yoga asanas in the standing posture including Tadasana, Tiryak Tadasana, Trikonasana, Virbhadrasana, Parsakonasana, Padottanasana, Utkatasana, Parshvotannasana, Padangushtasana, Padahastasana, Uttanasana, Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, Mukta Hastasana, Vrikshasana and Natrajasana.
ADDING VALUE TO LAUGHTER YOGA SESSION
'Follow the Leader' is an exercise that can be added to a session of Laughter Yoga to make it more interesting and encourage participation.
One by one, the participants come forward and become leaders for a short while. They enact an exercise which the others follow. No verbal instructions are given. You just have to follow the leader.
It should be emphasized that simple gestures and movements are to be initiated, followed by laughter and no brisk or difficult moves introduced so that all have fun.
As we celebrate 1000 subscribers and over a hundred videos on our YouTube Channel, we are delighted
to share with you glimpses from the first Laughter Yoga Festival organized by Dr Madan Kataria, Founder of Laughter Yoga, at the School of Ancient Wisdom on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Our YouTube channel is a channel for educational and how-to videos on health, happiness, well-being,
peace, harmony, yoga, meditation, laughter yoga, spirituality, positive psychology and the way of the Buddha.
‘LifeSkills’ is a Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to
lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
Our areas of focus are:
Positive Psychology, Yoga, Meditation, Laughter Yoga & Spirituality;
including Yoga Nidra, Surya Namaskara, the Five Tibetans, Sufi Meditation.
It has been said in the Dhammapada, “Abstain from all
unwholesome deeds, perform wholesome ones, purify your mind - this is the
teaching of enlightened persons.”
What are unwholesome deeds and what are the wholesome
ones?
Any action that harms others, that disturbs their
peace and harmony is a sinful action, an unwholesome action. Any action that
helps others, that contributes to their peace and harmony, is a pious action, a
wholesome action.
There are three types of Wrong Conduct a human being
is capable of - Wrong Conduct with Words, Wrong Conduct with Body and Wrong
Conduct with Mind.
WRONG CONDUCT WITH WORDS
There are four sub divisions of Wrong Conduct with
Words – false speech, slanderous speech, harsh speech and idle chatter.
Abstaining from false speech:
Herein someone avoids false speech and abstains from it. One speaks the truth,
is devoted to truth, reliable, worthy of confidence, not a deceiver of people.
Abstaining from slanderous speech:
One avoids slanderous speech and abstains from it. What one has heard here one
does not repeat there, so as to cause dissension there; and what one has heard
there one does not repeat here, so as to cause dissension here.
Abstaining from harsh speech:
One avoids harsh language and abstains from it. One speaks such words as are
gentle, loving, soothing to the ear; such words as go to the heart, and are
courteous, friendly, and agreeable to many.
Abstaining from idle chatter:
One avoids idle chatter and abstains from it. One speaks at the right time, in
accordance with facts, speaks what is useful, one’s speech is like a treasure,
uttered at the right moment, accompanied by reason, moderate and full of sense.
WRONG CONDUCT WITH BODY
There are three sub divisions of Wrong Conduct with
Body – taking life, taking what is not given and sexual misconduct.
Abstaining from the taking of life:
Herein someone avoids the taking of life and abstains from it. Without stick or
sword, conscientious, full of sympathy, one is desirous of the welfare of all
sentient beings.
Abstaining from taking what is not given:
One avoids taking what is not given and abstains from it; what another person
possesses of goods and property, that he does not take away with thievish
intent.
Abstaining from sexual misconduct:
One avoids sexual misconduct and abstains from it.
WRONG CONDUCT WITH MIND
There are three sub divisions of Wrong Conduct with
Mind – covetousness, ill will and wrong view.
Abstaining from covetousness:
Here someone avoids being covetous: one is not a coveter of another's goods and
property.
Abstaining from ill-will towards others:
One avoids a mind of ill-will and hatred towards other beings.
Abstaining from wrong view:
One avoids wrong view, distorted vision.
WHOLESOME ACTIONS
There are three types of Right Conduct a human being
is capable of - Right Conduct with Words, Right Conduct with Body and Right
Conduct with Mind.
How can one “perform wholesome” deeds? One can
perform wholesome deeds by practising right speech, right action, and right
conduct with mind.
Right speech means speaking in ways that are
trustworthy, harmonious, comforting, and worth taking to heart. When you make a
practice of these positive forms of right speech, your words become a gift to others.
Right action is behaving peacefully and staying in
harmony with fellow human beings.
Right mental conduct is having goodwill for others
and cultivating the right view.
To “purify your mind”, you have to cultivate
wholesome states and abandon unwholesome states by seeking wisdom and
practising meditation.
This is the essence of the teaching of enlightened
persons.
One day
the Buddha came to Rahula, pointed to a bowl with a little bit of water in it,
and asked: “Rahula, do you see this bit of water left in the bowl?”
Rahula
answered: “Yes, sir.”
“So
little, Rahula, is the spiritual achievement of one who is not afraid to speak
a deliberate lie.”
[2]
Then the
Buddha threw the water away, put the bowl down, and said: “Do you see, Rahula,
how that water has been discarded?
“In the
same way, one who tells a deliberate lie, discards whatever spiritual achievement
he has made.”
[3]
Again, he
asked: “Do you see how this bowl is now empty?
“In the
same way, one who has no shame in speaking lies is empty of spiritual achievement.”
[4]
Then the
Buddha turned the bowl upside down and said: “Do you see, Rahula, how this bowl
has been turned upside down?
“In the
same way, one who tells a deliberate lie turns his spiritual achievement upside
down and becomes incapable of progress.”
[5]
Therefore,
the Buddha concluded, one should not speak a deliberate lie even in jest.
The residents of Suniket Apartments decided to laugh together for health. happiness and peace; and declare freedom from pain, suffering and misery while celebrating Independence Day 2018 in Indore, India.
A brief session of Laughter Yoga was conducted by Radhika Bisht, Founder: LifeSkills which was well appreciated by all.
Gross National Happiness, or GNH, is a holistic and sustainable approach to development, which balances material and non-material values with the conviction that humans want to search for happiness. The objective of #GNH is to achieve a balanced development in all the facets of life that are essential; for our #happiness.
A cute LAUGHTER YOGA video with school children in the outskirts of Indore, India on the opening day of their new academic year.
Radhika Bisht and Jagat Singh Bisht, Founders: LifeSkills, conducted Laughter Yoga on the opening day of new academic session at the Lioness Vidya Mandir, Palda, Indore, India.
Silent Laughter is a powerful cardio-vascular exercise that relieves stress instantly, boosts immune system and produces feel good hormones known as endorphins. It is cathartic, massages internal organs and induces deep breathing from the diaphragm.
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