I dedicate this page to the truth, the divine and the meaning of life
SADHANA, spiritual practice in everyday life
from Mundane to Meditative
"To make tea a meditative ceremony is just symbolic. It shows that any mundane activity can become meditative. Digging a hole in the garden, planting new roses in the garden... you can do it with such tremendous love and compassion, you can do it with the hands of the Buddha. There is no contradiction. The tea ceremony is only the beginning. I say unto you: Your every act should be a ceremony. If you can bring your consciousness, your awareness, your intelligence to the act, if you can be spontaneous, then there is no need for any other religion, life itself will be the religion."
(Osho, Hyakujo: The Everest Of Zen, With Basho's Haikus)
And now let yourself be inspired by my "mundane sadhana world" ...
I would like to start with a SADHANA that is so commonplace that most people would not recognize it as such:
walking as a spiritual practice
Have you ever watched yourself walking? What are you doing? Are you really walking or are you doing something different? Today's time is very fast-paced. Often I have the feeling that I cannot keep up anymore. That's why every day I try to make something consciously special out of everyday things. Walking has become a matter of course for us. It runs off mechanically. You do not need to do much for it. And so comes the notion that this precious time to get from A to B could be used for something else. "Oh, I eat or drink something fast. Oh, I still have to call someone. Or I could quickly check the emails. "There are so many things you can do by the way. And I watch this every day on the street!!! Did you read what I wrote earlier? Precious time and time of walking is so precious that it would be a pity not to really experience it. Take a look at the next "walking" to observe the process of walking. What do you feel in you? How is the ground under you? How do you breathe while walking? What do you think when walking? Are you distracting yourself? At the beginning there is a kind of self-knowledge and from this perception something wonderful can arise. Begin to be careful. Feel the ground beneath you, it is Mother Earth, where our roots lead us. Feel the wind or the breeze that caresses you. It is the divine! Close your eyes for a moment. Inhale with your nose and follow the breath as it flows through your body. Let the breath end in your feet and give it to the earth. Suddenly you feel connected. Wonderful, right? Now go on and be completely with yourself. Do not be distracted. Go, if you go! Be in the present mOMent, here and now!
“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” ~ Jacques Yves Cousteau
Sadhana, gratitude for water as a spiritual practice
Water is a precious commodity. In industrialized countries, people are not always aware of this. Only when you have experienced that the water does not just come out of the tap, then you appreciate that. That's what happened to me in Bali in our last years there. In our house we originally had a water pump. Beautiful, fresh water. At some point the groundwater level dropped and we had no water. So many hotels were built that attract tourists with large water facilities and pools - this became more and more extreme. Thank God our village was connected to the state water supply. That did not mean that there was always water in the house. Early in the morning and late in the evening we could take a shower or fill up the water basin. During the day, the water dripped from the tap rather than it flowed. Or not even that. I learned to use it sparingly. This time has shaped me.
So when I touch or work with water (bath, shower, washing …), I sing a mantra for gratitude. I never forget it.
OM APO BHURBHUVASSUVARAPA OM
OM APO IDAGM SARVAM VISVA BHUTANYAPAH PRANA VA PASAVA
APO MRTAM APO NNAMAPAS SAMRADAPO
VIRADAPAS SVARADAPASCHANDAGSYAPO JYOTIGSYAPAS SATYAMAPASSARVA DEVATA
OM AP BHURBHUVASSUVARAPA OM
You probably think, oh god, these are almost inexpressible words. Do not be deterred from learning the mantra. Try again and again. Read it very slowly. The meaning of the mantra is just too nice not to recite it. The mantra combines the purifying power of water with the spiritual power of the names of the divine. I love this mantra. I always recite it when I come into contact with water. It says that in the beginning everything came out of the water - everything that breathes, all beings. The milk of the holy cows consists of water and also the holy drink of the gods, amrita (tirtha). Everything that creates, everything that grows, the world soul and the individual soul came out of the water. The sound of wisdom, the course of the planet, what is, reflects water. The gods, the three worlds (bhur bhuvaha svaha) emerged from the vortex of the oceans and the OM is in every single drop.
The last line will remind you of the light-flooded Gayatri mantra and just let it follow ...
In this way the spiritual and purifying power is transferred to the water. You can strengthen it with a water mudra. For example with the Karana , Bhudi or Kilaka Mudra Of course you can also use another mantra that is right for you. Or just express your gratitude during the process. This is a very simple sadhana, but it can do so much in you. Try it out!
The term "mudra" in Sanskrit means seal. Mudras are powerful hand gestures that are credited with health benefits. The finger postures have an influence on body energies and moods. Mudras are one of the traditional sadhanas. The Gyan-Mudra, which I'll describe to you right away, is so versatile in everyday use that I also describe Gyan on this page.
GYAN MUDRA
Mudras are finger poses. Great healing power is flowing in Mudras, which actually emanates from me and returns to me. I love mudras and they play a big role in my everyday life. That's why I have devoted two pages to the mudras (MUDRAS and THE FIVE ELEMENTS - MUDRA SADHANA) Here I introduce you to a very simple mudra, although this mudra is the most important ever!
The Gyan Mudra is a very popular spiritual practice for me. I can almost always do it, in principle. Whether I am lying, sitting, standing or walking. The Mudra is always possible with one hand. Accordingly, I use them very often during the day. When I put my thumb and index finger together in a naturally way, I immediately feel a certain lightness. Immediately I will become attentive and aware again. That's why I like to use Gyan-Mudra in everyday life. It is, so to speak, my "Universal Mudra", to turn something mundane into something divine. For example, when writing, painting, running, brushing your teeth ... Sometimes I fall asleep with this mudra too. But then I do it with both hands. The Gyan is one of the mudras that you do not necessarily have to practice for a given time. You just make them as long as you feel comfortable doing. Or of course as long as you have time. For me, the Gyan is just the perfect everyday Mudra! Nevertheless, I do it with dedication and love. With the Gyan you can not only heal your spirit (it leads you from the chaotic world of thought to a unity), but also cure diseases. Personally, I have no experience. But I can imagine that very well. The Gyan-Mudra offers many possibilities to use. Gyan is the mother of many mudras. It can be used to create other mudra shapes by turning your hands connected with different postures. Gyan mudra symbolizes the union of Self with the universe, the unification of one's soul and the supreme Soul. The thumb symbolizes the supreme Soul, the index finger refers to the practitioner's soul. Gyan really gives me a lot of joy and I hope that I could inspire you!
“Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves – slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Drinking tea as a spiritual practice
Drinking is a process that happens mechanically to most people. In general, man does not care much about how he is drinking, what it does or how to turn something commonplace into something divine. It's so easy. Take your time for what you do and watch it. Drinking tea is by nature something spiritual, because the drink is hot and you cannot just swallow it. If it's cold outside, maybe you warm your hands on the cup. You connect. Of course you can do that with a coffee or a hot chocolate. In principle, it does not matter if you make this sadhana with a glass of water or fruit juice or just tea. Alcohol or sugary lemonade I would not find so suitable. From my side, that does not fit into a yogic life. But everyone should decide for themselves. Food and drinks should be something healing and not destroy the body. Enjoy, if you drink something! Enjoy, if you drink a cup of tea! And already it can become something sacred for you. Drinking tea is a prayer for me. And often I turn it into a meditation. It starts with the boiling of the water. First, I silently sing the water mantra (see below) in me as I fill the kettle. We have a gas stove at home and I light the flame with a match. In doing so, I sing the mantra for fire (see below) in gratitude. Have you ever heard the sound of boiling water? It's like music. I basically do that. With a kettle that sounds wonderful. But even when I use an electric kettle, I sit next to it and listen. I always hold my hands in the Namaste greeting posture and crouch down (I write this in another sadhana more). As soon as the water boils, I quietly sing the mantra for water (see below) again and prepare the pot. Then I prepare the place where I want to drink tea. It is a sacred place for me because I take something divine to me, something that makes me conscious of the process. I always use beautiful dishes for my tea meditation. Personally, I like Japanese ceramics. On vacation this is not the case. But then I make the simplest cup and pot to something special! There is silence in me. I touch the dishes. Touching makes me attentive. I perceive the texture of jug and cup. Then I pour the tea. With one hand I hold the pot, the other hand I have in the Gyan-Mudra. This is one of the holiest mudras for me. Simple in style and always usable for everything. When the thumb and forefinger touch, silence and peace arise in me. I hear the splashing and with the flow of tea, I too flow. Before I drink the tea, I once again touch the cup in harmony and gratitude with both hands, and now I feel the change that has come from the tea. The heat. I bring the cup to my nose with closed eyes and perceive the smell. The scent of tea leaves. I take the first sip as if I were drinking God, the Divine, the existence. With the second sip, I become one with the tea, the divine. I flow with it through my body. When I put the cup back, I do it in silence and bow down with my hands folded.
That may seem strange to you. But give it a try. Change your behavior when you drink something. Give the drink attention and gratitude. It's just a simple tea, a simple water. But through your attention, it becomes something divine. Is not that wonderful? So, ordinary drinking becomes a spiritual practice!
water mantra
OM APO BHURBHUVASSUVARAPA OM
OM APO IDAGM SARVAM VISVA BHUTANYAPAH PRANA VA PASAVA
APO MRTAM APO NNAMAPAS SAMRADAPO
VIRADAPAS SVARADAPASCHANDAGSYAPO JYOTIGSYAPAS SATYAMAPASSARVA DEVATA
OM APO BHURBHUVASSUVARAPA OM
This mantra says that in the beginning everything came out of the water - everything that breathes, all beings. The milk of the holy cows consists of water and also the holy drink of the gods, amrita (tirtha). Everything that creates, everything that grows, the world soul and the individual soul came out of the water. The sound of wisdom, the course of the planet, what is, reflects water. The gods, the three worlds (bhur bhuvaha svaha) emerged from the vortex of the oceans and the OM is in every single drop.
The last line will remind you of the light-flooded Gayatri mantra and just let it follow ...
mantra for fire
OM HUM HRAM CAITANYAYA NAMAHA
OM HRIM AGNI-RUPAYA HRIM OM NAMAHA
(On the page "Mantra" I will explain it to you soon. Look forward to it!)
"Hindus say, Anam Brahma – food is divine. So with deep respect you eat, and while eating you forget everything, because it is a prayer. It is an existential prayer. You are eating the divine and the divine is going to give you nourishment. It is a gift to be accepted with deep love and gratitude." ~ OSHO
Eating and preparing food as a spiritual practice
In the course of my life I have learned to listen to my body. I've developed a fine sense of what's good for me and what's not so good for me. Eating and preparing food have become a healing, spiritual practice for me. I understand that I am only "healed" when everything I eat, everything that surrounds me, and everything that I do, is healing. So I consider food as a cure. Food has to nourish and heal me. So I exclude a lot. How can artificially created food heal me? How can sugar cure me? How can something that has been treated with chemical toxins cure me? How can something heal me that has been mass-produced in a factory? How can anything heal me if it was produced even under the most adverse circumstances? How can something heal me if it grew up joyless? Food is one of the holiest gifts that gives us the existence. That's why I feel obliged to keep the soil on which my food grows clean. Our earth is so precious. Unfortunately, it is destroyed by greed.
I live according to yogic principles and of course that includes "Ahimsa". "Ahimsa" I will later devote an entire article. For me it is impossible to describe "Ahimsa" in a few words, otherwise you would misinterpret it. In this article I just want to express that my life is characterized by harming no living being. That's why I do not eat anything that could come from an animal. I also make sure that plants do not necessarily die because I want to eat them. I grow salad and herbs myself and let them grow out, come to bloom. I only take the leaves that I need in one day. This is a small example.
Each food can only give me what it has got and was allowed to experience. A plant bred with love passes on love. That would certainly be the same with animals and maybe that was how it was, but where do you find these animals today? Even in organic farms, this does not happen. Maybe there are exceptions. Certainly. Each food contains its own personal history. Everything that has been given him by nature or processing, it carries within itself and transmits it. That's why I pay attention to where my food comes from, and most of the time I do not like it when it's too much processed.
Osho encouraged me to learn to say thank you. Not loud. Inwardly, with a joyful heart. I thanked for little things.
To be grateful with all your heart - a sadhana, but it's not just a spiritual practice, it's a spiritual being
Sometimes I feel like people have forgotten what they actually possess. Not only what material goods they have, but also things like freedom, health, the ability to do anything. Dissatisfaction - where I look, where I listen, where I look, there is dissatisfaction. I find that very sad. It touches me. Have you ever thought about simply saying "thank you" for everything you are experiencing, what you are doing and what you have? Perhaps you are asking yourself now: what does this mean for me? what does it do to me? And my answer is: give it a try! Do it and you will feel how good it is for you. I speak from my own experience. I started to smile. You cannot imagine how many beautiful things you come across. You become aware of what you have, what you can do, what happens to you. You will be amazed. It's almost childish behavior. Innocent.
I am currently in the process of creating this website. Please excuse that this page does not have that many posts yet. I work on it every day.
from heart to heart, Nisarga
My website has no claim to be scientific. It should only serve as inspiration.
HARI OM and Namaste!
I am pleased that you have visited my website.
I am happy to answer any questions or give you information. I am open to spiritual exchange. Please use the following contact form.
With love, Ma Prarthana Nisarga
(Hari OM means: May our hearts be interconnected and aware that we are part of a cosmic whole. May we contribute something together to the Cosmic Whole!)
OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI OM
