The seven upper worlds, or vyahrtis, represent a high-state of conscious awareness. They range from being awake and pass through the various stages of enlightenment until the rishi reaches Samadhi – absolute or full enlightenment – the realm of Lord Vishnu and Shiva which is comes from the mind of Lord Brahma.

1. Satya-loka – Abode of Truth or Samadhi. The highest state of conscious awareness and the realm in which atman and Brahman are reunited eternally.

2. Tapa-loka – A pure state of consciousness. From this state it is easy to access Satya-Loka if you are already fully enlightened, but need a conscious awareness in everyday life on Earth.

3. Jana-loka – This is a level of illumination known as “God-consciousness”. People who reach this level today are typically known as ‘mystics’ but are usually great healers or spiritual teachers.

4. Mahar-loka – This is the realm of consciousness that can be accessed by the great mythological Rishis such as Bhrigu Muni and Markendeya. They have an incredible depth of understanding and can be considered devas or demigods.

5. Svar-loka – In Hindu myth, this realm is inhabited by the 33 Vedic gods who represent individuals that have mastered their emotions and have no attachments in the physical realm. In western traditions, this is the realm known as Heaven, and in Islam it is called, Jannat. Here you find inner peace.

6. Bhuvar-loka – The Bhuvar-loka are described as being born in the earthly realm, but symbolically represent people that have found contentment and fulfilment in their life, but also vibrate at a higher frequency and have a higher-state of conscious awareness.

7. Bhur-loka – The Bhur-loka is the earthly realm and is the state of consciousness for many people, awakened or otherwise. Attachments to material possessions or physical needs are still present, but the initiate is aware of themselves and others.

In the next article we will take a look at 7-lower loka’s of Hinduism. Happy Reading…

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However, thanks to the media and the internet, the information that we have on mediation can become warped through opinions and contrasting studies that can make it increasingly difficult to figure out the actual facts of mediation and the practice.

While some see mediation as the magic practice needed to reduce stress and anxiety, others see it as a ‘hippy’, tree-lovers activity where you try to become one with the universe. While there are countless studies out there that have proven the benefits of meditation, many of which are cited by countless articles, as we do here an Antaryami, but what do we actually know?

The Studies

Of course, studies are important because they highlight the effects of a practice such as mediation. If a study researches 5,000 people from all walks of life in a controlled environment and figures and statistics are then collected from these groups of people, it’s safe to say that these are going to be accurate.

While there are obviously exceptions to the rules here and there, if a study is carried out multiple times around the world, a general picture is formed, and the facts can then be applied to different concepts.

For example, if you take 100 people and give 50 meditation training and monitor their stress levels over the year, whereas the over 50 don’t receive the training, you can then see exactly what percentage of people benefit from the practice, giving you an accurate figure you can apply to society and culture.

The Science

However, it’s important to note that while we can understand the benefits and effects that meditation can have, scientists and researchers are still relatively unaware of how meditation actually affects the mind and brain.

In fact, one recent publication in the Perspectives in Psychological Science took all the data we have on mindfulness and meditation, spanning from all over the world including countries like the U.S., Australia and the Netherlands, and say that the general public theory of meditation is flawed, that it’s not a cure-everything solution.

This is because there are two major flaws that science has been unable to prove;

Firstly, there’s no way you can accurately or efficiently measure ‘mindfulness’ on a scale, range or with a number.

Secondly, there’s no similar or consistent way that you can measure and record the effects that mindfulness can bring to an individual.

This is because there is no universal definition of what mindfulness actually is. For example, is mindfulness practice for ten minutes at home the same scale of definition as a two-hour mindfulness session at a yoga studio?

Until a definition is agreed upon by researchers and scientists, this level of acknowledgement will be impossible. For example, why can some forms of mindfulness help to decrease levels of anxiety? Is it the same type of mindfulness that has been proven to reduce pain signals in the brain?

The Takeaway

While there are cases out there that meditation and mindfulness can be used for good purposes, it’s important to realise that mindfulness is an individual process. For some people it will work, for others, it won’t, and there’s only one way to find out.

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However, while the practice itself may be thousands of years old, it still has much relevance in the lives that we’re leading today. This is because the practice is all about the science and art of improving your mental and physical well-being, which will all know these days are off the scale in terms of diversity.

Today, we’re going to turn our attention to how Ayurveda practices can help us manage our stress levels. If you’re able to manage your stress, you’ll be able to stay calm and collected throughout any situation in life, enabling you to stay level-headed and in control.

Let’s find out what it’s got to offer!

Managing Stress Through Food

One of the most important focal points that Ayurveda practices have is through the food you eat. This is how we supply our body with the nutrients and energy we need which makes it easy to see why managing our diets is the key to happiness and optimal well-being.

Regarding stress, it’s important to note that spicy, salty and bitter foods only help to improve restlessness and can increase the heat of the body, resulting in you feeling out of balance. With this in mind, if you’re feeling stressed, these are foods that are best off avoided.

Likewise, stress is associated with sour tastes, which will mean that you’ll want to balance it out by eating sweet foods. However, before you go reaching for chocolate cake, the guidelines refer to natural sweet flavours, such as fruit and vegetables which will be far more beneficial to you.

Finally, if you fancy drinking some cumin tea, this is a renowned tea that’s extremely beneficial for combatting stress as it actively lowers your blood pressure.

Ayurveda Massages

Massages are one of the best ways to reduce stress and to take a ‘time out’ from your everyday life. However, while your mind might instantly jump to spa treatments and luxury hotels, which of course can be used if you like, there are many Ayurveda treatments that can bring you the same benefits for free.

As like massage treatments, Ayurveda uses special oils that can soak into your skin or give off a certain aroma that can help you to combat stress. The oils used are always warm, never cold.

While attending an Ayurveda massage therapist would be ideal, even getting some lavender oil, dabbing a bit on your finger and gently rubbing it into your arm, hands, feet or legs can bring about the same effects.

Yoga for De-Stressing

Of course, no traditional anti-stress list would be complete without the captivating and hugely beneficial Ayurveda practice known as yoga. When you’re stressed out, if you pay attention to your mind and body, you’ll find that you ‘forget’ to breath, clench your jaw or hold your breath in.

Not only can this decrease your overall lung capacity over time, but it will also decrease the oxygen supply in your body, causing your blood pressure to raise and for you to feel ultimately more stressed.

While you don’t have to jump into a downward dog when you’re feeling the stress start to rise, you can simply treat yourself to some breathing exercises to help oxygenate your body, naturally calming yourself of any stress you might have.

Next time you’re feeling stressed, take some time out, breath in through your nose and out through your mouth but exaggerate your breaths. You’ll feel calmer in seconds.

Summary

As you can see, there are many ways that Ayurveda can help us to manage our stress, and this is only scratching the surface. Next time you’re feeling stressed, make sure you start eating healthy, exercising and focusing on your breathing, and you can guarantee that you’ll feel like your happy self in no time at all!

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Back in March 2017, the York County SPCA held a fundraiser for their animal shelter. The organisation teamed up with Evolution Power Yoga and, well, I’m sure you can imagine what happened next. During the yoga-orientated fundraiser, cats were allowed to roam freely in and among the participants. As you can guess, the individuals at the time were delighted to be surrounded by some furry friends. After receiving some stellar feedback, the organisation to hold the events again.

At first, adult cats were considered, however, being a sheltered animal, there were fears the animals could feel intimidated by such a large group of people. With this in mind, less fearful kittens were introduced with many positive effects.

Hannah Beard, the SPCA’s Community Outreach Coordinator, describes that kittens are much more unpredictable than adult cats since they spend most of their time in cages or surrounded by other cats. Kittens, however, love the attention they received from humans and welcomed being in the room. One of the leading yoga instructors was Stephanie Ellis. She exclaimed that in many of her yoga practices, she wanted participants to remain focused, something that’s simply impossible during these sessions. However, animal interaction is encouraged.

Kitten Welfare

With animal welfare in mind, the SPCA puts a lot of thought and effort into selecting suitable kittens. Making the cut, only kittens that were raised together or were born in the shelter are giving the opportunity to be present.

Since the fundraiser, kitten yoga classes have remained sold out, and there are huge waiting lists for the upcoming classes. This is beneficial for everybody involved. As well as the shelter receiving funding to help give the cats a better lifestyle, the cats involved are also up for adoption. If a participant and a kitten share a special connection during the session, after the relevant procedures, the kittens are much more likely to get adopted. This gives them a much better chance of finding a good home which helps to keep everybody happy.

What do you think about kitten yoga? Do you think it’s a great thing to have evolved? Do you think that yoga trends are becoming out of hand and we’re losing sight of the original values? Let us know your thoughts in the comment sections below!

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