3 minutes
Maha Shiva-Ratri —The great night of awakening, dissolution, and insight. It is a night dedicated to Shiva. A night to rise from the corpse-like shava state to a Shiva-like state of consciousness.
Meaning: Shiva is the consciousness principle. It is what is left when everything else is taken away. It is what is present as a subtle undercurrent in everything be it living or not, animated or not, human or animal, object or subject.
Maha: greater than greatest, grand
Shiva: Consciousness, nothingness, fullness of emptiness, Shunya
Ratri: Ra means "to give" and tra "to protect," the night that nourishes, the grand night of dissolution
On Maha Shiva-Ratri
The night of light
The light of the night
With the fullness of the moon, may you be emptied
As the night sets in, may you be awakened
In a moment
Take a dip in the space of the body
The surrounding space
Only a moment is enough
If we are present with all that we are
Neither the mantra, nor the mudra
Neither the asana or the prana
Simply dive in the void
Let the dark of the night
Transform into the light of the night!
Do one or a combination of five practices listed below for the sake of awakening your own insight, to bring forth what lies dormant in us as consciousness. May we rise from Shava to Shiva.
1) Listen: Simply listen to the Maha Mritunjaya Mantra 108 times (here)
2) Chanting with Nyasa: Mental chanting of the mantra Om Namaha Shivaya with divination of the various chakra regions by touch.
OM focusing upon/gently touching the center of the eyebrows
NA focusing upon/gently touching the lower abdomen
MAHA focusing upon/gently touching the middle abdomen
SHI focusing upon/gently touching the navel
VA focusing upon/gently touching the heart space
YA focusing upon/gently touching the throat center
Continue by repeating as many rounds as you enjoy!
3) Practice: Yoga Nidra or Third Eye Meditation
4) Observe: Mauna—conscious silencing of the mind by practicing silence of speech and all forms of nonverbal communication for a couple hours in the evening. Avoid reading, writing, watching, listening to anything in this time period. Simply mentally recite your personal mantra, Om Namaha Shivaya or Mahamritunjay Mantra.
5) Hold: Shiva-Linga Natraja Mudra after meditation—hold it comfortably for few minutes. Check it out in the book Mudra: The Sacred Secret.
Happy Maha Shiva-Ratri! May the Shava rise from Shiva and may the Shiva attain Sada Shiva state.
PREPARE FOR YOGA NIDRA WITH THESE THREE PRACTICES
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"Just go and apply haldi/ turmeric!" - my mother often said when there was a cut, injury, pain or ache.
We all have heard about turmeric and its healing properties. What was known to Indian cuisine as a culinary and medicinal secret is now known to the world.
Listen to the awakening chants of "Om Namaha Shivaya" in Indu Arora's voice. Read about the importance and special practices to celebrate Maha Shiva Ratri here.
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