In this newsletter, I've included five popular articles on Mind Power. After all, who doesn't want to have control of the Monkey Mind? That's what the practice of yoga is all about - understanding and working with the psyche.
An In-depth look at Warrior II
As we learned in a recent newsletter, the name of the Warrior postures reveal much about what they ask of us.
vira = hero; bhadra = gentle, blessed; asana = pose
Warrior I asks us to stand strong in our truth, opening both the hips and the upper back and shoulders strongly. Warrior II is easier through both the hips and the upper back, but still requires determination and power to stay in the posture.
How to set up Warrior II:
Start in downward dog. Inhale and step your right foot through into high lunge.
As you exhale, ground the back foot so it's parallel to the back of your mat. Your feet should be hip width apart, providing a solid foundation.
Inhale and windmill your hands up, initially bring them on to your hips so you can work on finding your foundation before going deeper into the posture.
Setting a strong foundation
Start by checking that your feet are correctly aligned. Back foot parallel to the back of the mat, and front foot parallel to the sides of the mat.
Now take a look at your front knee. The knee cap needs to line up with the second toe. This means your front thigh is also parallel to the sides of the mat.
Take a breath and inhale, lifting your front heel off the ground and press down firmly through the ball of your foot. This helps to align the head of your thigh bone in your hip joint, and helps you to press evenly down that front foot.
Exhale and release the heel to the ground again. Do this three times in total. Inhale, heel rises, exhale, heel releases.
Now bring awareness into your pelvis and inhale, keeping your front leg steady, exhale and radiate through the back leg and ground the back foot firmly onto the ground. Make sure your front knee doesn't swing into the midline when you do this. It's ok if your back hip does fall forward - it will do this until your hips open up more.
Your pelvis faces sideways, and if you had headlights on your hips, they's be shining to the side of your mat (as opposed to Warrior I when the hips are aligned square to the front of the mat).
As you inhale, focus on finding lift in the front hip bones and engaging through mula bandha and uddiyana bandha.
As you exhale, radiate energy out both legs, pressing firmly down on the outside of the back foot and the heel of the front foot.
As your hands are on your hips, you can easily feel the alignment of your hips. Eventually your hips will face sideways, but initially your back hip may be drop forward.
As you inhale and lift your f hip bones, see if you can also move the back hip forward.
As you exhale, ground firmly through both feet.
Lifting up into Warrior II
Now you've established a strong foundation with your feet, legs and pelvis in the right position, the rest of the posture flows.
On an inhale sweep your arms up sideways until they are shoulder height.
Extend your palms flat face down away from you and allow your shoulder blades to release toward the spine and down towards the tailbone.
Every inhale, focus on lengthening and lifting the torso towards the sky.
Every exhale focus on radiating through the limbs - out of the legs into the ground, and through the arms into the air.
Keep your gaze focused on your front hand, and your head stacked on top of your spine - don't jut the chin forward, or reach forward with the front arm. Stay balanced and poised.
Now you're in the posture, take five breaths before exhaling your hands down on either side of the front foot and stepping back into downward dog before trying the other side.
Top 5 Mind Power Revealed Articles:
Below are 5 interesting articles for you, on how to master your mind and understand how your thoughts impact your experience of reality.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2014/04/17/do-your-thoughts-your-beliefs-colour-your-perception-of-the-world/
Guest author Kara-Leah Grant looks at how what we think and believe affects the way we think the world is - and what to do about it.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2012/07/10/how-to-stop-negative-thinking-and-overcome-negative-thoughts/
It is an excellent guide on how to change your negative thought patterns and overcome negative thinking. In this guide you will find 10 timeless techniques to help you stop negative thinking and adopt a positive and peaceful state of mind. This article is by Yachna Tyagi, who is simply a marvelous blogger and an expert yogi.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/12/14/how-to-be-positive-thinking/
You may have heard about the power of positive thinking, and indeed it is widely accepted that positive thinking is a huge blessing to your life, but you might have not have been given tangible techniques on how to actually become a positive thinker.
In this article, I give you practical tips on how to accomplish this, so you too can enjoy the benefits of having a positive mind, full of positive thoughts and feelings.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2011/11/11/deep-thinking-strategies/
I love studying the mind and the thinking process. It has been a passion of mine for many decades now and thankfully, it seems to only grow stronger with time.
Yoga was actually a system put together by another who was a student of the mind, Patanjali, and it's purpose was to still the thinking process so that the deeper and more profound levels of consciousness could be directly perceived.
For those of us who are serious about this most important goal of life, we know how difficult this can be to do.
http://anmolmehta.com/blog/2007/09/06/mind-power-to-manifest-intentions-desires-instantly/
There is a fascinating story in the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda, where by using the power of his mind Yogananda's teacher, Sri Yukteswar, cured his ailment overnight and gained 50 pounds.
This story is worth relating as it will give you insight into the immense capabilities of the human mind you possess. It will help you see the power of thought to create any reality you intend and the power you have to manifest your desires if required.
Shape Shifter Yoga for Weight Loss
Yoga is a great way to get healthy, lose weight and get fit. Last month I shared with you some of the best yoga techniques from my website for weight loss and this month I am sharing with you another yogi's yoga program that will bestow these wonderful benefits upon you.
Here is a summary for what the ShapeShifter yoga program can do for you...
- Help you lose stubborn pounds and inches.
- Flatten your tummy, slim your thighs, firm your butt, and tone those jiggly arms.
- Make losing weight, getting fit and toning your body fun and pain free.
- Help you enjoy greater energy, get rid of tension and anxiety, end insomnia and make improve your mood and well-being.
To learn more about this very popular and effective yoga program, visit ShapeShifter Yoga by clicking the image below.
Affiliate Disclosure: I am grateful to be of service and bring you content, like this newsletter, free of charge. In order to do this, please note that whenever you click the links in my emails and purchase items, in some cases I will receive a referral commission.
Mastery of Meditation and Yoga 
