Tricks with the tip of the tongue!

Disclaimer:

• No. I am not responsible if you have come to this blog with any "different ideas" after reading the headline .
• Connecting the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth or palate of the mouth is a well kept secret in Yoga, meditation and martial arts schools. I came across this technique while reading about Tai-Chi secrets and got it well corroborated during the Pranic healing classes. Lets discuss why this should be done. 
• Again I would like to highlight that this not written from a position of authority but certainly is shared as a practitioner who has experienced the benefits first hand.

You need to have basics on meridians as described in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).  This roots back to Indian scriptures but Chinese medicine has developed this into multiple areas in a much matured way like acupressure, acupuncture, applications in martial arts like Dim mak etc. Let me try to explain this as easily as possible.

First lets see how to connect this. Take the tip of the tongue to one inch behind your upper teeth inside the roof of your mouth and without pressing hard just touch it softly and let it settle down there. Saliva may secrete and you can swallow the same. It should settle down quickly.

It is told that new born kids by default have their tongue connected to the palate even when it is sleeping. Now lets go through the reason.

• Energy channels that carry Prana / Chi are called as meridians in Chinese and "nadis" in the Indian system.There are 72000 nadis in human body which are the energy channels and there are 12 major organs. There are 12 main meridians that energize our major organ systems. 
• Two meridians are known as the Master Meridians – they are in charge of all the rest.They are called the Conception or Central Vessel (CV) and the Governing Vessel (GV).
• The very fact they are called “vessels” gives us a clue. A meridian is a line of energy; a vessel is some sort of container. These two meridians, the Master Meridians, are important because they “contain” the secret of energy and vitality.
• Both of these meridians begin at the perineum – that part of the body between the genitals and the anus. The Central Vessel travels up the front - through the Chest, soft tissues of the body, bisecting the belly button - and ends at the tip of the tongue.
• The Governing Vessel (governs our movement) travels up the spine - through the hard bony tissues of the vertebrae, over the bones of the cranium - and ends at the roof of the mouth.
• To keep the tip of the tongue at the roof of the mouth completes the “microcosmic circuit” and allows the energy to flow.
• Doing Mula Bandha (You can google if you want to know more) helps this circuit to close at the perineum. This is the lower lock and connecting the tongue is the upper lock. Actually doing Jalandhara bandha should provide the upper lock but I have not seen or read any text highlighting this.

With this circuit closed we can tap the energy where we want.

• When we tap the sternum, we direct this flowing energy to the thymus gland, stimulating its function – producing T-cells, thereby enhancing the immune response.
• We can also tap over the right lower rib cage to stimulate the liver, the cranium to stimulate the brain, etc. 
• The other advantages include feeling more energetic, noticing that ones aura expands as we do it. I have read some reports that it helps in improving the overall speed of recuperation. 

If one has heard about "Kechari Mudra" it is similar but an advanced form. The tongue is taken further back and inserted into the hollow area of the nasal pathway from the top of the throat. It is believed that amrut from bindu flows down and is collected at a point called Lalana chakra located some where between the throat and nose.


So what is the use of knowing this? You can connect your tongue to your palate if required all the times except when it is not possible like eating, talking etc. Don't connect the tongue to the palate when you are excreting / urinating. 


It is certainly recommended that you connect the tongue to the palate during your Yoga classes, pranayama practice or during meditation.


I am sure you would find this useful if you are a regular practitioner!


Happy reading :)


PS: 
1. Yes. This is the best you can do with your tongue when you are all alone. :).
2. If you are a chronic smoker, alcoholic or a non-vegetarian, please do not bother yourself with this since it does more harm to you than good.
3. Due regards and gratitude to people who helped me understand this.

The COPIS of Thoppukaranam / Kaan Dhand !

Disclaimer: 

1. Read this blog after reading my article "The Yang side of Love", which is a 5 part series, and this blog is sort of sequel for the earlier article. URL to Part 1/5 is here... http://ragsgopalan.blogspot.com/2010/06/yang-side-of-love-part-15.html

2. COPIS - Acronym for "Customer -Output - Process - Input - Supplier", a very popular mapping tool in Six Sigma studies is slightly modified for my topic as follows:

"Conditions - Output - Process - Input - Symptoms".

3. I am going to explain what I have learnt and I am practising. I am not an expert and I  strongly urge that this article be seen as a motivator for you take this up in your life. Its always advisable to approach a Yoga teacher / Pranic healing foundation and take this formally through a guru.

4. Though this is recommended for all, there are some exceptions which is written below.

This blog shall primarily deal with dos and don'ts of "Thoppukaranam" and how to benefit from that. Lets start with "Conditions", which are like to preconditions before you start this.

• Conditions - This is the set of dos and don'ts to start with. Never proceed to next stage unless you understand this follow and are prepared to follow it.

1. Be more sensitive to yourself and your body - Most of us are not sensitive and not aware of the changes in the body. We have taken our body for granted. We are talking about movement of subtle energies in the body and hence we need to be more sensitive to ourselves.
2. Avoid using a cell phone or listening to iPod during this 60 seconds just like we do it when we are jogging or in a tread mill. This takes our awareness of our body.
3. Energy moves freely when there are no blocks hence it is always advisable to do a little bit of stretching and if possible deep breathing before doing this. (It is ideal to practice Thoppukaranam after a brief session of Pranayama on an empty stomach.)
4. Its ideal to be a vegetarian as meat and pork eaters have significant amount of dirty energy in their bodies and hence do not practice this till you predominantly survive on a vegetarian diet. We are what we eat.
5. Never over do. Prescribed is 7 squats a set and a maximum of 2 sets per day, ie. 14 squats. Problems of over doing this are discussed in the symptoms sections. I am highlighting it here also since this is very important.

• Output - Actually don't worry about. Most of us should feel mentally fresh with more energy (at the top of our head) instantly. If you are not feeling so, don't worry. In few days you should feel the difference. Please ensure that you don't increase the count just because you are keen to see the results. This may end up with some undesired problems. So, never ever over do.
• As discussed extensively in the last blog the prime outputs for this activity are as follows:
• Partially awakens Kundalini energy.
• Cleans the chakras in a quick way and balances the energies in the chakras.
• Energy from Mooladhara / Basic chakra moves up to the brain and hence mentally we are fresh and more active. As I understand since it is balancing  energy also moves the other way. Hence it is recommended after doing meditation too.
• Quite a number of studies are available now that it helps mental disorders, autism and increases grades for dull/ weak students.

• Process - How to do it
1. Wear something comfortable. Remember you are going to squat. 
2. Face East direction. People about 40 years can face North.
3. Stand comfortably and keep your feet shoulder width apart. Spine straight but not tense. Look straight. There is normal tendency to look down and hence the upper torso bends / curves to the front. Avoid this.
4. Connect your tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth palate. This is a very important step and I shall blog the importance of this separately. At this point of time understand that the energy circuits in the body gets connected properly when we do this. (I have added this link later.. read about this here http://ragsgopalan.blogspot.com/2010/06/tricks-with-tip-of-tongue.html)
5. Hold the ears with alternate hands as shown in the following URL. Ensure that the right hand is outside and the left is inside. Also please ensure that if I stand in front of you I should be able to see your thumbs.                                                       http://www.pranichealing.org/SuperBrain/SuperBrainYoga.html
6. Now squat fully without bending your upper torso (try as much as possible), as you squat (sit), inhale softly and as you try to get up exhale softly. Inhaling and exhaling are through the nose only. It is important to get the sequence right, "SQUAT - INHALE, GET UP - EXHALE". Please note that in our normal exercises this sequence shall be in reverse. When you squat please ensure your heal is still on the ground.
7. Do it 7 times to start with a day and increase it to 14 times. NEVER EVER OVER DO.   

• Inputs - The inputs for this activity are the following:
• Our faith in yogic science. Faith moves mountains (within us).
• Will power to adhere to a schedule and not to over do it.
• Sensitivity to our own body.
• And of course a vegetarian diet and little bit of physical exercise.
• Do it in front of your pooja room and thinking of Lord Ganesha. It helps in your spiritual development also. Atheists and non-Hindus can still practice without this step. This isn't a religious activity but a yogic exercise without any chanting.

• Symptoms
• Normally there are benign symptoms as described above. I would strongly encourage to see videos in you tube or articles in the internet to fully convince yourself of the benefits.
• Over doing it may lead to undesired results like Insomnia, over heating of the body, weakening of the body, pain and discomfort, skin rashes and some times excessive or unregulated sex drive. Experts say that Non-vegetarian diet practitioners and over doers of this exercise,  some may experience "Kundalini Syndrome", which needs specialized treatment. I really don't know what this means but it certainly is not a desired state to be in.
• People with high blood pressure, knee / joint problems, underwent hip surgeries please consult a doctor or a qualified yoga teacher before doing this.
• Any signs of discomfort is seen, please discontinue and consult a doctor or a qualified yoga teacher / Pranic healing practitioner.
• This is not advised for females during the monthly period and not certainly for pregnant women. 
• I believe, kids from the age of 8 years can practise this. Again ensure that they don't over do this.
• I am aware of the practise in India to do this 108 times in the Ganesha temple. If you notice people who are doing this are doing it mechanically and incorrectly. I believe, we can do 108 squats mechanically there is nothing wrong it that. But avoid doing more than 14 times if you are practising it in the correct procedure.

The objective of this article is to share the good things I have learnt with others... யாம்பெற்ற இன்பம் பெறுக இவ்வையகம் ... This article is certainly not written from a position of an authority or as an expert but as a friend sharing his experience. Hope you liked it...

Happy reading :)

PS: I am initiated to this correct process through the Pranic healing course and hence my due gratitude to them. 

The Yang side of love! - Part 5/5

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Now coming back to our original topic of canning and admonishments, let’s understand what we accomplish when we do this to a kid who is in school just living their abundant energies in an intense and innocent way.

• When we or our kids are engulfed by a sense of fear then we pollute / congest our throat chakras. That stems higher creativity importantly among other visible effects that are known to us.
• Kids generally love everything by default and hate things that are not in tune with their frequencies. When they develop a sense of hatred for either the teacher in the class or the school itself, the heart chakra gets polluted or congested. It equally applies for adults too for relevant situations.
• Now let’s come to most interesting part. As individuals depending what stage of life we are in and what our nature is we all have abundant energies in the lower chakras, and now if the upper chakras are congested then how do these move up?
• In my opinion per the theory I explained so far, Terrorists and sadists are bunch of helpless souls whose heart chakra is full of hatred and their basic chakra is full of energy to be utilized for destructive purposes. It is important to highlight that their Ajna chakra which is their seat of will, should also be very strong for them to stick to what ever they do.

One of the best explanations I have ever heard on admonishing students is from the Yoga guru BKS Iyengar (he is the Kaliyuga Patanjali) few years back. In one TV interviews the interviewer asked him that “Do you beat your students during Yoga classes if they are not doing the asanas correctly?”

If you are student of martial arts you would have noticed that your master comes and kicks your thighs if the weight is distributed on your knees and heals and not on the thighs. Though painful, this increases awareness on the thighs and the posture gets corrected.

The response from the Yoga Guru was as follows: (Not verbatim, something like this)

”My consciousness is trying to reach my student’s consciousness through my words and his/her ears and since its not reaching in the right way and quickly, my consciousness is trying to reach theirs through my hands.”

When we are angry at our kids then we pollute our heart chakra and pollute our kid’s throat and heart charka with the fear of admonishment we instill in this. So should the admonishment be avoided?

Not at all. But this should be rightly balanced. And how can that be balanced? Some pointers as below:

• The admonishment should not be an intemperate outburst of our anger or impatience.
• It can’t be an expression of our inability to control the situation or them.
• It can’t be the manifestation of our ego “I have told you something and you are not listening”.
• The intention should not be to punish or control them but to correct them. Instill a sense of self esteem in them that they voluntarily repent for their mistakes. After scoldings give them lots of love so that they still feel loved. 

It simply called as the “Yang side of Love” as it is done in the right measure, balanced with advice but more importantly it is for the betterment of the receiver.

May I also suggest that both the parents and teachers should practice "Thoppu karanam" daily - not as a sense of punishment but as a yogic exercise.

As long as this spirit is seen in every teacher and parent I think we can avoid loosing another kid to this sort of stupidity. 

Yours Yangly!

Happy reading :)


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