The word liminal: Derives from the Latin word Limin, which translates as threshold. A threshold is a boundary that marks a point of transition between one place and another, one state of being and another, or one object and another.…
Chakra Nidra® Chakra Nidra® is a technique developed by Swami Shankardev Saraswatī from www.bigshakti.com. Chakra Nidra® employs a technique developed by Swami Satyananda of the Bihar School of Yoga, called Yoga Nidrā, and combines it with powerful chakra meditations. Together…
Attempts to deal with desire range from the uninhibited revelry of Greco-Roman cults, the ‘desire is good’ approach, to the strict asceticism of old-world traditions such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism, the ‘desire is bad’ approach.
These two approaches still exist today.
For example, The Law of Attraction encourages the pursuit of desires and teaches that whatever you want, believe, and focus on will manifest. On this path, be careful what you wish for. If your desires are not dharmic (aligned with your nature), they may either fail to manifest or fail to bring the satisfaction you imagined.
The ascetic approach aims for a desireless, egoless, and selfless existence. Asceticism views the body and its appetites as separate and inferior to the spirit and prescribes transcendence of the body. To succeed in the ascetic life, the seeker needs a particular temperament, the right environment, conditions, and training. Who of us can truly give up desire? Even the intention to surrender desire is a desire. When desires arise, the ascetic may feel they have failed at spiritual life.
There is a third approach that balances the extremes. More suited to the contemporary seeker, the yoga tantra approach regards both desire and desirelessness as equally important. Yoga tantra forges a conscious connection between dharma, desire, and transcendence. This enables seekers to fulfill their desires in a balanced way while striving for spiritual growth.
We teach the yoga tantra path at Big Shakti.
It’s easy to get snagged in the chaos and gloom of these troubled times. The world’s shadow is creating mass-polarization, and it’s also easy to get sucked into one polarity and lose your center, your Self.
Knowing who you are, and having a clear intention, a Sankalpa for your life is essential. Without this self-orientation, you will feel like a leaf in the wind, or a cork floating on a stormy ocean. Your life path will be based on external circumstances, and you need a lot of luck on your side.
To become self-oriented, you need to become aware of your true nature, your innate self—your dharma. This is not achieved by thinking alone, or by emotion alone.
To become aware of your purpose requires much more of you than your thinking mind and your emotional attachments. Thinking and emotion are very important, but not your whole story.
Within many yogic and tantric traditions, certain seasons, months, and times of the day are given special importance.
They are ‘auspicious’ times when cosmic energies are heightened and, as such, support psycho-spiritual practice. These auspicious moments in time assist us in achieving positive results. For example, dawn and dusk are said to be ideal times for yoga and meditation.
The festival of Navarātri or Nine Nights (‘nav’ is nine and ‘rātri’ is nights) is one of the great ceremonies in the lives of Hindus in India. The exact time of this celebration varies according to the lunar calendar. It begins on a dark moon in the Indian autumn (in the month of Ashwin, usually in October) and ends ten days after. In 2020 Navaratri starts on the 17th of October (depending on which part of the world and time zone you live in).
This period of The Nine Nights is devoted to invoking The Great Mother Goddess, The Divine Creative Power, or Shakti, the creator and supporter of the universe. She is most closely identified with Durga, an exquisitely beautiful goddess who rides a lion, and who wields in her many hands’ awesome weapons, including the ‘shul’ (pike), ‘chakra’ (wheel), ‘parashu’ (ax), and ‘talvar’ (sword).
Durga is said to be the manifestation of the power of all the goddesses that, long ago, faced a terrible and irresistible demon called Mahishasura.
Many yogis do not see Navaratri as a religious process, but rather as a psycho-spiritual one, and a unique opportunity for yogic practice.
They adopt certain practices and rituals to understand their psychological shadow and to confront their egos.
