How To Make A Decision!
ana april


Dear Yoga Friends,

Decisions, decisions. One decision can alter the course of our lives!  Is it any wonder that many people get frozen in place, unable to decide on this or that? So many choices. So much clamoring for our attention. Too many  cooks  flinging their disparate two cents and dark powders into the clear broth of our lives. Influences include the all pervasive media, well meaning friends and family, and dualistic aspects of our own minds. What's a person to do? Here are some basic guidelines which will never let you down:

"Choices are the hinges of destiny." ~Pythagoras

"Decisions are easy when we know our own values." ~Dan Gilbert

1. Our minds are dual. For every, "No," an automatic, "Yes," tries to assert itself and vice versa. The only way to find some inner certainty is to develop a meditative mind. A committed Kundalini Yoga & Meditation practice gives us the clarity and consciousness to decide well.

2. As a general rule when making decisions, let your basic self-interest be the recipient of 30% of your consideration and your Higher Self 70%. The great question of our age is to be or not to be. In this economic downturn, two types of businesses are actually growing: yoga/wellnes and liquor stores/casinos! We hope that you will decide to be: healthy and happy!

3. Consider the question from the vantage of your negative mind (possible pitfalls), positive mind (potential pluses), and neutral mind (subjectively weighing both sides). The neutral mind is your meditative mind and is not a given. Again, it has to be developed through daily meditation practice. It's your most powerful decision making tool.

4. All things being equal don't stress. Have the confidence that whatever you decide, will be the right choice, and even if you encounter unexpected obstacles, trust that you have the power to turn lemons into lemonade. This is a function of Navel Power, which means that you have developed a strong Manipura Chakra.

5.  Patience pays. Sometimes when things seem murky it's means that time/space haven't caught up with our intention or higher desires. Life is a balancing act between the pull of the past and forward momentum. Delayed gratification is the mark of a mature being. Save energy, hone your awareness and when the time is right make your move!

6. When you need to make a decision try this: Have your hands cupped in front of your sternum. Focus at the Third Eye (discernment). Chant in a monotone: Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo, Guru Dev Namo Guru Dev-a, 3 x per breath. Do this for 11 min. Then meditate and let the answers come. This meditation is for personal guidance. If you don't have 11 min. and need to decide on the spot, say Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo to yourself and pay attention to what is revealed to you.

7. Try doing Frog Pose, followed by Camel Pose and Sat Kriya. This sequence is on our Journey Through the Chakras DVD (as well as on The Delete Depression segment on Yoga Quick Fixes). After doing Sat Kriya: (or you can do the following by itself):

Lower your forehead to the floor with your arms extended along the floor palms together, fingers straight, knees apart. This is called gur pranam. It means  obeisance to the guru. Guru means Wisdom and it is your own Higher Self. You are offering up your ego (limiting concepts) to serve your Destiny. Meditate in this pose with no thoughts until an answer comes, or the decision becomes obvious.

8. You may feel pressure from all sides, but focus on outcomes. What do you really want the end result to be? Which course of action will most directly assist in the realization of that outcome? Anything else is magical thinking. Happiness is a decision you make beforehand.

9.  We are social animals. Who we choose to surround ourselves with is huge. If you are trying to quit drinking, don't hang out in bars! It always helps to associate with people of Higher Consciousness and people who have been successful in what you want to accomplish. This is called the Company of the Holy (or accomplished ones!)

10. Our souls want us to be in situations for which we are tested and grow! Taking the path of least resistance is not always the high road and, remember, even if something is being offered freely, nothing is for free. Every gift entails a responsibility. Some- times in rising to the responsibility we grow. Sometimes we need to grow more first. Let your consciousness be the touchstone (that meditative mind thing again!).

11.  The Universe thrives on change. Liberate yourself from bondage to the ordinary. Delve more deeply into things. The event horizon is the demarcation between certainty and uncertainty, order and chaos, predictability and unpredictability. If we let what's over the horizon act on us, it's called fate. If we honor what's over the horizon (the Unseen) by invoking the extraordinary in the context of the day to day, fate is vanquished and Destiny is brought into play and we are no longer subject to the onslaught of time, space and circumstance.

For instance, the ordinary thing would be to sleep until 8 a.m.. The extraordinary thing would be to get up early and meditate. The ordinary thing would be to base your decisions on pure self-interest. The extraordinary thing would be to do something completely selfless, such as volunteer work. The ordinary things would be to pre-judge everyone around you. The extraordinary thing would be to see the soul in everyone and react to rude or unkind behavior with love. Surprise yourself daily. To insure that the Universe doesn't throw you a curve (that horizon metaphor again), throw yourself one!

Honoring Your Soul

See if you can discern any patterns in the way you've made decisions in the past. Are you happy with the way things usually turn out or is there some hidden agenda which continually asserts itself to your detriment? Often this hidden agenda is the antithesis of honoring our souls. Here's a quick reference to discern what to avoid when making decisions. If you honor your soul when making  a decision you can never go wrong.

There is a simple calculation in the system called Tantric Numerology, which is part of the teachings of Kundalini Yoga. Your Soul Number is calculated using the number of the day you were born. If you were born on the 3rd of the month then your Soul Number is 3, on the 14th, your Soul Number is 5 (4 +1), on the 29th, your Soul Number is 11 (2 + 9). Please note that 11 stays 11, and 10 stays 10. Otherwise, distill each number down to 1 digit.

ana aprilIf your Soul Number is a:

1, don't be afraid to innovate and be one of a kind. You don't have to conform to inform! Let God work through you in creative ways. Kundalini Yoga for Beginners & Beyond

2, you are probably the inveterate student or silent partner. Enough already. Time to step up, graduate, and be the Big Cheese! Yoga Bliss Hips

3, be light and bright, be social, uplfit. Also, don't cut corners. Reign in your rascality. Navel Power

4, you may often deconstruct everything until there's nothing left. Don't judge people love them. Deconstruct your own mind until you find your soul. Be non-reactive. Kundalini Meditation for Beginners & Beyond

5, find balance in all things. Don't be a fanatic. Move your body to get clear.Kundalini Yoga Cardio Stretch & Strengthen

6, focus. Don't go flying off on tangents. Tell the Universe exactly what you want.  Kundalini Yoga Transformer Workout

7, don't be a mad scientist sequestered in your dark lab. Get out there and be bright, beautiful, and fabulous. Uplift everyone with your radiance.  Kundalini Yoga for Energy & Super Radiance

8, know that fear is a function of fate. Be fearless. Energy and resources are there for you. If you master your pranic body, you master all that you are.  Solar Power Workout

9, complete one project before starting another. Tune into to the subtle flow of information available to you. You have the soul of an artist.  Dance the Chakras Yoga Workout

10, fight for what's right despite the odds. Be noble. Warrior Workout

11, don't flit around. Stand for what you stand under. Study the lives of the Saints. Walk, talk, and live, like a Master.  Kundalini Yoga Meditation

Meditation to Consciously Decide

midjune1Part 1 Sit with a straight spine. Eyes open. Have your hands in front of your face. Your little fingers are slightly separated from the other fingers. Have your little fingers bisecting your gaze. Let the tips of the little fingers create a double image. Try to have the double image of the tips of the littler fingers overlap so that a tiny red heart is formed. Focus on this heart. Don't think or blink. Stay steady. 3 - 11 min.

Part 2 Now lower your hands, close your eyes, and chant in a clipped monotone, with a slight pause between each word: Gobinday, Mukunday, Udaray, Aparay, Hariang, Kariang, Nearnomay, Akamay. Do this for the length of time you did part

                                           Commentary

Part 1: The little finger represents mercury, communication. We are going beyond our minds and thoughts and communicating with our souls. Heart and soul are synonymous terms. In order to take in new information we have to be able to let the incessant chatter of our previous selves subside and let ourselves be taken by the Heart Current Unto Infinity. By bifurcating our gaze, we are interceding on the dualistic nature of our own minds. The future, our Destiny, is a pure tone, a carrier wave. The Heart is a Universal symbol for the Love which is beyond the mind.

Part 2: This mantra means: Sustainer, Liberator, Enlightener, Infinite, Destroyer, Creator, Nameless, Desireless. These are all terms which describe God (or the Universe). It's called the Guru Gaitri Mantra and cuts through negativity and blocks in our Path. It neutralizes dark forces from within and without. Yogi Bhajan called it a "fate killer." Do this with conscious reverence.
We wish you an exhilarating, fun, and joyful rest of June!

beginersAll Best, Ana Brett & Ravi Singh
www.raviana.com / ravianayoga@aol.com

Disclaimer: The advice we give is in no way intended as a substitute for medical counseling. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise program or nutritional protocol