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Friday, February 7, 2014

Super Brain Yoga


Thoppu Karanam or Super Brain Yoga

Super Brain Yoga Procedure:
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Step 1 In the morning, stand facing the sun, with your feet pointing straight ahead and spread about shoulder width. Keep the tongue pressed firmly into the roof of the mouth

Step 2 Place your left hand on your right ear lobe, thumb on the front of the lobe with fingernail facing outward and second finger behind the ear lobe. The right ear lobe represents the left brain. When you hold the right ear lobe this way, you energize and activate the left brain and pituitary gland.

Step 3 Now, place your right hand on your left ear lobe, so that your thumb is on the front of the lobe facing outward. The left ear lobe represents the right brain. Holding the left ear lobe this way energizes and activates the right brain and the pineal gland.

Step 4 Press both earlobes simultaneously, making sure your left arm is inside your right.

Step 5 As you press on the earlobes, squat down as fully as you can, keeping your back straight.

Do 10 to 12 rounds, inhaling through the nose on the way down and exhaling through the mouth coming up.

Please be SURE that your right hand is on top. NOT the left. If the left is on top, then all energy will flow downward to the muladhara (root chakra) and not to the Sahasrara (crown chakra). THIS is very important! Thanks :)!

You may not notice a change immediately, but after a few weeks of regular practice, you should notice that your concentration has improved.

21 reps?, Perform this movement with a 555 tempo. 5 seconds down-hold for 5 -5 seconds up.
Benefits of Super Brain Yoga

It is simple and easy to do and can be practiced easily at home.
It helps in the smooth functioning of the brain
Enhances thinking capacity of the brain.
It revitalizes the brain.
It helps in releasing tension and calms the brain.
It acts as a stress buster.
It relieves mild depression and anxiety.
It helps in fuelling and sustaining a healthy brain.
Improves your concentration levels.
Enhances your balancing skills.
It works wonders for children with disabilities like autism, dyslexia, etc.
It can even help you get rid of aggressive behavior.
Improves overall health of the individual.


Super brain yoga proves the statement – A healthy brain is the key to a healthy life! Do practice this unique type of yoga at home and see the wonderful change it leaves behind on your body. Don’t forget to leave us a comment too!

Thoppu-karanam or Super Brain Yoga

Origins:
"Thoppu Karanam" - is a Tamil (a South Indian Language) word, which means to hold the ears. From ancient times this practice has been evident in the Indian Culture, where people practice this in front of the image of the Lord Ganapathy (Ganesha, Ganesa or Ganesh, a symbolic representation of supreme energy in the form of an elephant which actually signifies wisdom. Thus also connected with the brain. "Ga"  representing Intelligence, "Na" representing Wisdom and "Pathy" representing - Master, so ideally meaning the Master of Wisdom and Intelligence). It is said that this practice is a request to stimulate the wisdom and intelligence. It is also said that the practice has been evident in the ancient Gurukula Systems, where the seers asked their pupils to practice this technique in order to stimulate and energize the brain and its functions. The practice of ear piercing too has its real reasons being the stimulation of the pituitary and pineal glands, due to the effect of the pressure in the ear lobes.

When you look at a picture of Lord Ghanapathy  what do you see? You may see a charming, slightly comical elephant-headed God that you have been told to pray to first, before you start anything new. You may know that he is the remover of obstacles, and you may even know many of the puranic stories associated with him. But look closer and you will find a deeper meaning behind the symbols that are in front of you.

The rat, his vahana or vehicle, represents the lowest form of animal; His elephant-head represents the highest form of animal; having also the body of a man shows that he is Ganesha, the Lord of all beings. His large ears and head indicate that he has gained wisdom through listening and reflecting on the eternal truths of the vedas. His head and trunk are curved into the shape of the Om, our most sacred of symbols, representing the primeval sound of creation and our most powerful mantra in prayer and meditation. The importance of the elephant is also that it is a herbivore, eating Sathwic food – a calm and gentle animal that also has immense strength, which it uses only when needed.

The elephant’s trunk is one of the few instruments in nature that can perform both gross and subtle actions – it can uproot a huge tree as well as pick up the tiniest of needles. It signifies the need for us to be able to develop our intellect, our powers of discrimination, in both the gross or material world and also in the subtle or spiritual world.

In His right hand he holds a hook or Ankusa and in His left hand he holds a noose or Paasa. These tools are used back home by elephant-trainers to tame wild elephants. Symbolically, the mind is like a wild elephant, running from here to there, in chaos. So we must use the ankusa to tame and control our mind and then use the noose to tie it down and keep it close to us– only then can we concentrate, contemplate and meditate.

In another hand He holds a dish of Mothakham. This sweet with it’s hard outer shell signifies the reward of the sweetness of knowledge that will give the spiritual seeker joy, satisfaction and contentment as he travels along the path of enlightenment. It also indicates the importance of eating the correct Sathwic food in order to progress spiritually.

Lord Ganesha’s large belly is said to contain the whole universe – and is symbolic of the way we should live our lives. We must be able to accept and digest whatever experiences we go through – be they good or bad. Throughout our trials and tribulations we must be equal-minded and realize that all experiences are learning experiences and will bring us closer to God.

Lord Ganesha sits with one leg folded up and the other leg resting on the ground. The leg on the ground tells us that we can live in the world like anyone else. But the leg pointing upwards tells us that our concentration and meditation should be ever focussed on the godhead within. Rather like the lotus that He holds in his hand, which grows in stagnant water, but raises it’s flowers above the water line so that their purity will not be blemished by the polluted waters underneath, we can live in this world but remain unpolluted by the materialism and negative qualities of our surroundings.

At the feet of our Lord is often spread a huge array of different kinds of food. The food represents material wealth, power and prosperity and indicates that if you do live a life of high ideals & principals, these material benefits will always be available for you, although you will not be attached to them and they will therefore not hinder your spiritual progress.

The little rat, or mooshikham, represents desire. Rats, by nature, are very greedy creatures who will run here and there nibbling and hoarding far more than they need. If a man has desires, he can waste his whole life running here and there, fulfilling one desire, only to replace it with another. Instead, we should be like Lord Ganesha and keep our desires firmly under control, never allowing them to overwhelm us. According to the Vinayaka Puranam, the rat also represents the demon Gajamoohaasura who was destroyed by Lord Ghanapathy. The Lord actually used his tusk to kill the evil entity, the same tusk that He later used to write down our holiest of books the Mahabaratha. Interestingly enough, according to the Puranic stories, all the vehicles of the different Gods and Goddesses represent the particular asuras (demons) that they defeated. Symbolically they represent the ignorance of man, which can be kept under control only by God, in the form of knowledge.

There are 32 forms of Lord Ghanapathy and each has a wealth of Puranic stories attached to it. They include: Balaganapathy, depicting him as a child. Herambaganapathy with five heads, ten hands, 3 eyes in each face and riding on a lion. Vyravignesha, showing his fighting form with many weapons held in his hands. Lakshmiganapathi, with his wife Goddess Lakshmi. And Nrittaganapati, a wonderful image of him dancing. Each of these forms has a wealth of symbolism attached to it. Each will take us closer to the goal that we seek. We just need to delve deeper to reveal the treasures of spiritual and philosophical knowledge that our ancient forefathers have left for us to enjoy.
For those who thirst for spiritual fulfillment, and enjoy the intellectual stimulation of being a “spiritual detective”, the art of symbolism is the perfect opportunity to learn about Hinduism at its best. So dust off your deerstalker hat and magnifying glass and begin your search!


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