High blood pressure may be caused by several factors, the primary ones being stress and fatigue (which lead to kidney/adrenal exhaustion). If you are overly stressed, it is best to evaluate what is causing the stress and then customize your practice accordingly.
If your stress is stagnant – caused by too much sitting in a chair – you should practice sequences like Suryanamaskar (Sun Salutation) and other high-energy asanas, as well as groin openers in the form of mild backbends. If you frequently work at computers, ask your teacher to show you sequences that include shoulder and upper-back openers – like Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose), Garudasana (Eagle Pose), Parvatasana (interlocking the hands overhead, palms up), and Paschim Manaskarasana (reverse Namaste), all of which can be done seated in a chair.
If the stress is caused by overexertion, however, restorative poses are tremendously helpful for exhausted adrenals and general body fatigue. If you are not familiar with these poses, ask your teacher to show you this sequence for exhaustion. The times listed are minimum suggestions:
Supported Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
Adho Mukha Svanasana (at wall; ropes on thighs, head on bolsters, 5 min.
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (on two bolsters placed end to end, thighs belted), 5-10 min
Janu Sirsasana (belly, torso, and head supported), 3-5 min. each side
Viparita Dandasana (on bench or chair, head supported, thighs belted), 10 min.
Upavistha Konasana (belly, torso, head supported), 5 min.
Shavasana (with a thin cushion under the head and deep internal gaze into the heart), 10 min.
Throughout the above series, make sure you do slow, deep Ujjayi breathing, making exhalations twice as long as their inhalations.
Many people have a combination of stress and fatigue. In general, if you have high blood pressure, work to slow your breathing and do restoratives if you are exhausted, or do some movement if you are tied to a desk all day. Remember that the poses to avoid for high blood pressure are the ones that increase pressure in the head, such as Virabhadrasana I and III, Shirasana in all forms, Sarvangasana, arm balances, and Uddiyana Bandha. And to be safe, even if your blood pressure is regulated by medication, always follow the contraindications given by your teacher for High Blood Pressure.
When people think of meditation, they usually think of people sitting quietly for long periods of time in an attempt to remove or quiet any thoughts or activity of the mind. The focus stays in the mind and thoughts.
However, as Sri Aurobindo wrote, “Meditation is a process leading towards knowledge and through knowledge it is a thing of the head and not the heart….Concentration in the heart is not meditation, it is a call on the Divine, on the Beloved.”
So, what is the difference? Purna Yoga Meditation, revealed through years of inner exploration, teaches how to concentrate in the heart with the intention of opening the Heart Chakra , the seat of the soul in the physical body, our access to The Divine, and our connection to Wisdom, Truth, Love and Light. Unlike traditional forms of meditation, we do not attempt to quiet the mind; instead, we work to bring the mind’s energy and its ability to focus and concentrate into the Heart Chakra, reminding us that the truth lies in the heart and not in the mind.
Becoming still and quieting the mind and emotions are only the first steps toward true meditation. Purna Yoga Meditation teaches us how to move the mental energy down into the Heart Chakra and the emotional/pelvic energy up into the Heart Chakra. It reveals how to connect with the Pillar of Light (classically called the sushumna nadi), our central axis. By aligning these inner energies for transformation, Purna Yoga Meditation becomes an active and dynamic progression of self-discovery and personal evolution. By awakening the guidance from within, we learn to live from the dictates of the Heart Chakra, our connection with our soul.
Historically, consciousness has always evolved. So far, it has always evolved as a force from nature, with nature causing the evolution. The object of evolution never had a choice. Now, the object that is to evolve has the choice whether to evolve or not. The choice is now ours.
Yoga helps us discover our life purpose and then grow into it. The more comprehensive our approach, the more we can heal and grow. For example, a student once told me that she had been suffering from excessive phlegm in her sinuses and throat for many years. Though she had been practicing asana intensely and regularly for twelve years with some of the world’s most noted teachers, her problem persisted. After making inquiries, I realized that her problem could not be solved by asana because it was a nutritional issue. I suggested that she stop consuming wheat and dairy products. Within two months, her problem disappeared, never to return.
In the last decade, Mirra and I have developed a more encompassing approach to yoga, similar to the one envisioned by our Gurudev, Sri Aurobindo, who first used the phrase “Purna Yoga.” Purna is a Sanskrit word meaning “complete” or “whole.” Purna Yoga is an evolving system that distills and integrates the vastness of yoga into an invaluable set of tools for healing, fulfilling one’s dharma, and transformation. It offers wisdom and techniques for the union of the body and the mind with the Spirit. Using awareness, precision, and concentration, Purna Yoga practitioners evolve from their lower nature to their Divine Self. Purna Yoga is the art of loving oneself by living from the heart.
Truth is one, though many are its ways. The purpose of Purna Yoga is to integrate the truths that serve the soul’s end. Purna Yoga recognizes that great teachers have been born through the ages, teachers who have labored to liberate mankind from pain and sorrow, and bring peace to this troubled world. Purna Yoga respects and honors these masters, these divinely inspired beings, regardless of their particular faith. Purna Yoga is a spiritual approach to yoga that can stand alone, yet is not in conflict with religion. People of all religions practice Purna Yoga and indeed, Purna Yoga enhances the connection they feel with their own faith.
Since Sri Aurobindo’s belief is that all life is yoga, we must do what we are called to do, and I believe that activism is an integral part of that, if that is a calling for me. It is not about right and wrong, it is about what my heart is saying.
We are so honored to have received this beautiful testimonial. With our deepest gratitude to Memo, we share it here hoping it may remind others of the joy that awaits the journey of self-discovery.
“Here is a guy who can shatter your ego” said a voice sitting in front of Aadil less than two years ago at a 2007 Yoga Conference in South Florida. Maybe this was the soft whisper of the inner self or a thought passing by, I am not sure. What I am sure of was that the four hour mini workshop was nothing short of educational, eye opening and energizing. I can confidently state on behalf of everyone there that Aadil had full command of the class and a vast knowledge of yoga and the human body. What impressed me the most and made me evaluate my commitment to better my life was Aadil’s way of patiently and very effectively translating the principles of yoga to real life examples. The concepts such as surrender, dharma and energy were starting to come alive. During all my interactions with Aadil both in and outside the classroom, I felt his passion toward serving his purpose and his commitment to inspire others to discover and live their purpose. Above all else, Aadil’s utter most respect and love for his wife Mirra, his daughter Zenia and the mission of Yoga Centers is truly heartwarming.
Having returned from Aadil’s workshop, I wasted very little time to travel from Orlando, FL to Bellevue, WA to attend Mirra’s meditation workshop, expecting to learn to calm the occasional inner turmoil, and to relax and enjoy silence. Having discovered how energetic, committed, compassionate and disciplined Mirra was, I knew I was wrong, but I did not know how wrong. The day I stepped into that workshop is the day I started the real journey of self discovery. Come to think of it, what a short distance it was to travel to find one’s self! Mirra showed us the truth that lies in our hearts allowing us to feel whole, beaming with confidence.
Having lived outside the country of my origin by myself for more than twenty years, I often thought my travels, my degrees, and my profession were shaped mostly based on my perception of cultural expectations. When I pause to reflect on these experiences, I feel that they were propelled by the inner desire to search for the meaning of life. I am eternally grateful that Aadil and Mirra have been two gracious guides who shed their light onto my path.
Memo Emec
Regional Manager, Operating Participants, Walt Disney World
Orlando, FL
An Ayurvedic teacher once told me a profound truth: “All illness is a function of the loss of the inner smile.” Hidden deep within the veiled recesses of the Heart Center is a smile that emerges from a sense of connectedness with all things. This unifying feeling is true love, far removed from the physical passions or even the sentimental attachments we label “love.” As the dreary burdens of life weigh us down, our communication with our heart is stifled, the inner smile is smothered, and the illusion of grief descends upon us. Grief is an illusion because the smile is always there, waiting for us to uncover it, and what we perceive as grief is only a form of forgetting. The adverse circumstances of our lives are simply various ways (some forceful, some mild) that remind us: “Go within yourself and rediscover your true nature, your inner smile, the bliss within.”
Bliss, then, is a decision. Do we choose to connect with our inner essence or continue to be pushed around by mere circumstances? Bliss does not depend on external factors. Bliss is not conditional. While events may bring happiness or sadness, there is no event that can bring bliss and no event that can take it away. Bliss is the connection with the heart, and is not to be merely a passing fever.
Evolution cannot happen without involution. Unless I spend my time knowing who I am, any effort to try to become something more becomes a facade, a pretense, or it becomes what my wife Mirra calls, the “White Shadow.”
What we are working on in Purna Yoga is quite different. What we are working on is integrity. This means that until I know myself, it is pointless trying to be something that I am not. In fact the exact opposite is true.
Musings and insights from Mirra and Aadil
on the evolution of Purna Yoga—uniting asana, meditation, yogic philosophy, and nutriton—to
quicken the transformation of our human nature
into our Divine Self.
