Yoga-Meditation

Hi Yahoo Member, In recent weeks, we communicated the latest changes to Yahoo Groups and explained how to request a download of any content you've previously posted to the platform. Some Groups users asked us for more time, and in response to these requests, we have decided to extend the deadline. Groups users now have until Friday, January 31, 2020 at 11:59pm PST to submit a request for their data. We have now taken down all user content from the Yahoo Groups website. However, we will continue to accept users' requests for their data until January 31, 2020, and will ensure these have been fulfilled prior to deleting the data. For additional support, users can email YahooGroupsEscalations@verizonmedia.com and our team will troubleshoot any issues. Best, The Yahoo Groups team     Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Customer Support 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 ©2020 Yahoo

Dear Group Moderators and Members, Last month we notified you of the changes coming to Yahoo Groups that better align with user habits, and today we are providing an update to guide you through the next steps of the transition. Yahoo Groups is not going away - but we are making adjustments to ultimately serve you better. We are amazed at the vibrant community you've created through Yahoo Groups and we want to make sure you feel supported as we introduce these changes. The following changes were made since our last communication:    •   Users can now only join a Yahoo Group through an invite or group request approval by the Group Moderator.    •   New Groups can't be public. They can only be private (not listed in Groups directory, membership by invitation only) or restricted (listed in Groups directory, membership requests must be approved by a Group Moderator).    •   Members must share all content via email, and can no longer upload or host new content on the Yahoo Groups website itself. The following changes will be made on December 14, 2019:    •   Public groups will no longer exist. All existing public Groups will become restricted Groups that require Group Moderator approval to join.    •   Any content that was previously uploaded via the website will be removed. If you would like to keep any of the content you've posted or stored within your Yahoo Group, please download it by December 14 by accessing the Groups Download Manager at this link. Once you provide your preferred email address, we will send you a confirmation of your download request and notify you once the download is complete. You will receive a link to a downloadable zip file via email for each of your Groups organized into a separate folder. Download time varies depending on the amount of information and file size. If your download request is made by 11:59pm PST on Saturday, December 14, 2019, your content will not be deleted until your download is complete. We are unable to accommodate any download requests made after this deadline. This is the final reminder to download your content. You can find additional information about the upcoming changes here. We have worked extensively with our customer support team to develop recommendations for tools that can help you with any download issues. See help article here. We have watched the evolution of Yahoo Groups with awe, as we grew to a community of millions with over 10 million Groups. Every day, we witness the power of community and shared passions, and our mission is to provide a platform for the strong connections people make with each other around their interests. We thank you for being part of the Yahoo Groups community and look forward to continuing to provide ways for you to connect with one another about your shared interests and passions. Sincerely, The Groups Team     Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Customer Support 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 ©2019 Yahoo

Dear Group Moderators and Members, Thank you for your commitment to Yahoo and for helping us define the power of digital communities. Eighteen years ago, we combined the functionality of a site called eGroups.com with a precursor community platform called Yahoo Clubs to launch Yahoo Groups. Since then, you and millions of others have helped prove our hypothesis, by creating and joining more than 10 Million groups. A lot has changed about the Internet since 2001, including the ways most people now use Yahoo Groups. Today, most Yahoo Groups activity happens in your email inbox, not on the bulletin boards where Yahoo Groups started in the pre-smartphone age. Increasingly, people want content and connections coming directly to them, and this is why we continue to invest in Yahoo Mail -- including the recent launch of a new Yahoo Mail app that is currently the highest-rated email app in the App Store and Google Play. So, as our users' habits have evolved, we have begun the process of evolving our approach to help active Yahoo Groups thrive and migrate to our email platform. To help you plan for these changes, below is the schedule of how this transition will happen. Beginning October 28, 2019: Users will be able to join a Yahoo Group only through an invite from the Group Moderator or by submitting a request to join a Group, which requires approval by the Group Moderator. Since we are moving Group communication from posting on message boards to email distribution, uploading and hosting of new content will also be disabled on the Yahoo Groups website. Beginning December 14, 2019: All Groups will be made private and any content that was previously uploaded via the website will be removed. We believe privacy is critical and made this decision to better align with our overall principles. If you would like to keep any of the content you've posted or stored in the past within your Yahoo Group, please download it by December 14 by accessing this link. As these dates get closer, we will send follow-up reminders. More information about the upcoming changes can be found here. While this evolution of Yahoo Groups is inspired by how we see the platform being used today, we know change can be difficult. Here are a few important facts as we make this transition: 1. Yahoo Groups is not going away - We know that our users are deeply passionate about connecting around shared interests, and we are evolving Groups to better align with how you use it today. 2. New groups can still be formed - Users can continue to connect with others around their common bonds and interests. From animal rescues to sporting and activity groups, civic organizations to local PTAs, members of our Yahoo Groups will remain connected and able to share their activities and interests. All of the content that you have shared previously on the website, can continue to be shared via email. We know that Yahoo Groups is an important online extension of your real-life group of friends, interests and communities, and we are committed to supporting communities that rely on Yahoo Groups. Thanks for coming along with us this far. We look forward to seeing where the technology -- and you -- take us in the decades to come. Sincerely, The Groups Team     Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Customer Support ©2019 Yahoo 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Excerpted from the 7th of the 7-webpage series on Kundalini Awakening:
http://www.swamij.com/kundalini-awakening-6.htm

Beyond the first six chakras, between there and the crown chakra, many other chakras, levels, or layers of reality are experienced. For the aspirant who is willing to do so, the guru chakra is used to purify the mind and to bring down spiritual truths. "Gu" means darkness and "ru" means light. Guru is the light that dispels the darkness of ignorance. Guru is not any person, although guru may operate through a person. Guru is actually the higher knowledge itself. Guru chakra is the doorway to that knowledge, to the wisdom and guidance of the teacher within. The sixth chakra, at the eyebrow center, is called ajna chakra, which includes "a" and "jna", which means the center without knowledge or with little knowledge ("a" is without and "jna" is knowledge). Guru chakra is experienced in the forehead, and is also called jnana chakra, or the center with knowledge. The knowledge of ajna is lower knowledge, while the knowledge of jnana is higher knowledge. The yogi invites all of the thoughts and samskaras to arise in the mind field of ajna chakra and offers them into the higher knowledge, the triangular shaped fire of guru or jnana chakra (Ajna and guru chakras are also called drikuti and trikuti respectively). From that process the pathway is cleared, and higher wisdom and teachings come down to the ajna. Eventually, awareness itself travels upward, receding through and beyond, to That which is the final abode, the Absolute, the union of Shiva and Shakti.

FOR MORE INFO:
http://www.swamij.com/kundalini-awakening-6.htm

SEE ALSO THESE ARTICLES:

Guru and the Light Within:
http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-guru.htm

Guru and Divine Grace:
http://www.swamij.com/swami-rama-guru-grace.htm

In the name of balanced and fair reporting, there is a great need for editors and journalists to research and report on the spiritual focus of Yoga, not merely the physical, which is a minor, though useful part of authentic Yoga.

(PRWEB) June 7, 2005 -- The underlying presumption of almost all articles on Yoga is the view that Yoga is a physical exercise program, stress management method, or medical treatment. It seems that virtually none of the articles, aside from specialty publications, focus on the more authentic truth that Yoga is a means of spiritual awakening or realization. Articles are needed that first address the spiritual perspective, and then mention the physical as a minor alternative, complement, or preparation.

The codes of ethics of many journalism associations and organizations stress the importance of fair reporting, including avoiding distortions due to either emphasis or omission. It is the emphasis of reporting on Yoga as a physical process, and the omission of Yoga in its deeper, truer aspects that tend to make these articles ethically questionable.

Two additional types of reporting are needed. One would be articles describing the original and true nature of Yoga, which may not even include most of the physical postures. The other would be articles on how it has happened that Yoga has become so significantly distorted in recent years. To report from these two perspectives would go along way in balancing all of the reporting that reflects the false premise that Yoga is about physical fitness.

If you are an editor, journalist, or reporter, won't you please help to balance the reporting to the public about the true nature of Yoga. If you can find people to interview about Yoga as physical fitness, then you can also find people to interview about Yoga in its more authentic form.

The article "Modern Yoga Versus Ancient Yoga" by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati provides an overview that may serve as background information, or a starting point for the journalist willing to further research and report on these topics. The article is online at:
http://www.swamij.com/ancientyoga.htm

One of my favorite of all quotes, though not recalling who is credited with first saying it:

"There is no path, but only a fool does not follow it."

Site: http://www.swamij.com http://www.swamij.com/about.htm

Welcome to SwamiJ.com,

Most of the articles on this site came as a result of questions from people asking me for simple, straightforward, practical explanations about principles and practices of meditation. When the site was originally quite "empty" of articles, some question would come, and this would lead to writing an article or creating a graphic image to try to clarify that point.

While simple explanations seem to sometimes grow into something more complicated, it is hoped that the articles here are presented in easy to understand language. This is said with a smile, as I truly find it humorous that such simple principles take so very many words, and that we end up with the appearance of complexity. All we can do is cry, get frustrated, or laugh, and the laughter seems to be the more useful path.

You will notice a common pattern among many of the articles, and that is to describe the universal inner process, which is systematic in nature. From outer to inner, through the levels and layers of our being, attention moves to the subtler and subtler aspects, finally leading the seeker to the pure, eternal center of consciousness, by whatever name you choose to call that center. Many of the articles describe this same process using different language and metaphors, with each adding a slightly different perspective that might make that underlying process more clear.

It is my sincere belief and experience that these principles and practices are universal, non-religious and non-sectarian. Admittedly, not all people agree with this. However, this is the stance from which I share, and say unequivocally that these principles and practices are applicable and useful to all people. If anyone does want to convert to some other religion, they will have to go elsewhere. Not only do I not do this, I do not even know how to do this, as I do not know the conversion rituals, rites or vows of any of the religions.

I do not claim ownership over any of the principles or practices described here, although the wording itself falls under the domain of copyright laws. There is no intent or desire whatsoever to profess or proffer any Swami J system of Yoga. The ancient teachings of Yoga Meditation are universal and available to the whole of humanity. It is only by the gift of my teacher and tradition that direct experience has been there sufficiently that I was instructed to share with others. It is from that, that these principles and practices are shared.

The relationship between student and teacher is a very personal one that is best done in face-to-face contact. I hope you glean much personally useful information from the articles on this website, but they are not meant to replace such personal contact. I wish for you to find the teacher who is just right for you. However, there is no intent here to establish student-teacher relationships via internet. Some others may do that, but I do not personally find this to be realistic. Simple questions of a general informational nature can be responded to by email or through the discussion forums, but I refrain from giving direct personal instructions through the medium of internet. Ultimately, the goal of even the external teacher is to lead the student to find the teacher within. May you find that teacher.

The articles on the site are continuously being expanded and edited for ever increasing clarity. If you print out any of the articles or save them into your computer, please do remember to revisit from time to time to check for revisions.

Above all, it is hoped that one thing is abundantly clear in these articles, and that is that the keys to direct experience of your own center of consciousness, by whatever name you choose to call that, are to practice, practice, practice. Please enjoy your visit to SwamiJ.com, and come back often.

In loving service,

Swami J