By Nam Hari Kaur Khalsa
The month of May brings relief in the area of personal latitude and advancement. The deadlock of doldrums that the planet has been in throughout the previous two months is now clearing, and a literal spring cleaning of house and self is in order. We need to physically exert ourselves, as number 5 (May) represents the physical body and exercise. What would be especially inspiring is to plan a weekend adventure someplace near or far, as 5 is the domain of travel and exploration. We want to feel free at this time, our sense of personal power needs a jump start to create new momentum so we may feel inspired again about ourselves and our sense of possibilities in life. The motto, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” is an appropriate touchstone to help motivate our psyche towards a more visionary and expanded horizon of life.
Alliances play a very important part of how well our new found endeavors will turn out. May is the final test of our emotional fortitude, to see if we have truly learned the hard fought lessons of last year regarding boundaries and personal standards. You are the captain of your own ship, so be careful to check for sandbars and shallow reefs before getting too close to what may be Fantasy Island. Discretion is the better part of valor, and whatever is truly meant to be on a destiny level, there will be a safe and secure course of action to achieve it. We will also need to be more selective of our crew members, and the cargo they want to bring along. A sea chest with shiny brass hinges and ornate carvings on the exterior may well turn out to be a Pandora’s box of surprises if we neglect to use our meditative mind to discern the dimensions of the situation. As Yogi Bhajan has said, “Wisdom is a process of self involvement to guide our own self fearlessly and flawlessly. You have to develop that process.”
Now with our house in order and our ship of opportunity and adventure resting more lightly on the water, let’s look at how to polish things up a bit! One of the priceless gems of our 3HO® legacy is the yoga manual Praana, Praanee, Praanayam. It contains scores of meditations which have breathing techniques in each exercise. Life needs energy, and consciously developing the breath and breathing capacity gives us a unique type of high octane fuel on which we may run our life. Yogi Bhajan has stated, “Anything which is rhythmic is happy.” When we strengthen the pulse and frequency of our own existence, anything is possible. These times require a rhythmic intunement so that we may penetrate through obstacles to our own higher ground. A simple technique you can use daily is to sit in a relaxed posture with the eyes closed, and begin inhaling through the nose in 8 equal strokes, or “sniffs,” and then exhale through the nose in one long slow breath. Practicing this for 11 minutes a day in the evening will tune and recalibrate your psyche to an even flow and equilibrium. This is called the “Eight Stroke Breath for Energy and Stress Relief” and it is illustrated on page 165 of the previously mentioned manual.
Bringing this technology full circle, the Base number for the month of May is 8, and eight represents issues of power, authority, and fearlessness. With a strong foundation of your own spirit and vitality, you will not fall prey to irrational fear, or feel overpowered by someone else’s aggressive nature. Meditation is a sophisticated form of prayer, and when we develop our personal power through prayer, we don’t end up as the prey. In the folk/rock classic song, “Teach Your Children” by Crosby, Stills and Nash, there is a beautiful verse which says, “You who are on the road, must have a code, that you can live by.” We all need a code, whether it be a code of conduct, code of honor, or code for our soul’s journey to live by. Our personal code, supported by the energy we create for ourselves, creates the cutting edge of caliber and consciousness by which we may live our most excellent life.
source: www.3ho.org