I had a routine physical examination recently and the doctor was impressed with my blood pressure. Why? Because it was not too high like it is in many of the other people she sees every day. When she learned that I was a vegetarian, she became interested, making a connection between vegetarianism and controlled blood pressure.

But the real secret for my good showing on the blood pressure examination has as much to do with meditation, as it does with my vegetarian diet. Meditation is the best remedy, the best “medicine” for high blood pressure and heart disease, and I haven’t missed a day in the last 37 years.

Why is meditation so effective against one of the biggest health problems of today? Meditation de-stresses a person. Stress is one of the biggest causes of hypertension, and it is a part of everyday life that everyone has to face.

Our ancestors, the proto-human beings who lived thousands of years ago, mainly had physical challenges to deal with. If they saw a large predator, then danger messages were sent to their brains, and then more messages went to the rest of their bodies. Their bodies were made ready to either fight or flee.

Scientists call this a “fight or flight” reflex. The heart starts beating faster, the blood pressure increases, hormones are secreted. It is a useful reaction when you have to deal with a saber-tooth tiger, but what about when you face your boss at work?

When we are upset by someone at work or in society, danger signals are also sent to our brain and our heart starts beating faster and our blood pressure rises. However, we don’t usually run away and we usually don’t start fighting physically. We hold it all in, perhaps showing a smile on the outside. If this is kept up all day, the stress builds and if it continues over a long time it can damage our heart.

If you were to withdraw yourself completely from society you might be able to escape the stress, but this is not an option for most of us. However, it is possible to “withdraw” yourself two times a day and sit in meditation.

In fact, one of the important aspects of meditation is that it is a form of sense withdrawal. You sit quietly and follow instructions that will help you to forget the world around you and focus on an inner peace that is inside of you. When you become adept at this technique it relieves stress and is just as effective as going away to the top of a forested mountain or sitting alone on a sandy beach.

Meditation also helps you to slow down your breathing. Our mind is directly related to our breathing. When we are agitated or in distress we will take short quick breaths. When we are relaxed or concentrated then our breathing slows down and becomes deeper as well. Proper meditation helps to calm the mind and slow down the breathing. This combination of sense withdrawal and slow, deep breathing works wonders. Try and it one day you too will impress your physician with a healthy blood pressure reading.

One of my students told me that he had finally been able to stop smoking. I asked him which technique had helped him get the victory in this long and dfficult struggle. He explained that it was the practice of the “guru mantra.”

What’s that? You may ask: basically it is a technique where, before each action that you do, you repeat a mantra that reminds you that all things are made out of Cosmic Consciousness. The philosophy of yoga holds that all the matter of this universe is just a transformed form of Cosmic Consciousness.That is, at their root, material things are actually spiritual!

The student who quit smoking explained that when he thought about this mantra, and its deep meaning just before lighting a cigarette, then it no longer seemed right to go ahead and smoke the cigarette.

The mantra that he used is part of the second lesson in a system of six lessons that I, and other Ananda Marga teachers, teach personally to students. In my ebook “Start Meditation, Stop Smoking I offer a more simple mantra and I believe that if someone  uses this mantra before smoking then it can also have the same effect in helping someone stop smoking.

I asked my student whether he thought the simple mantra, Baba Nam Kevalam –Love is all there is, would have the same effect. He said, “if people repeat it like it is just some magic words, then it won’t work, but if they can understand the deep meaning of it, and feel it, then it could be effective.”

And to understand the significance of the mantra, and the deep underlying philosophy behind it, the best way is to start meditating and to begin realizing that behind the seeming diversity of this physical world, there is one underlying Cosmic Consciousness (God).

Try it out, start meditating today, it will not only help you to stop smoking but it will help you to find true bliss.

The mystic poet Rabindranath Tagore said this many years ago, and it is very true. Music plays an important part in all spiritual traditions. In yoga, the chanting of mantras is called “kiirtan” (commonly spelled “kirtan”). And it is the best way to prepare your mind for meditation.

So, if you have been having trouble doing silent meditation. Why don’t you sing before you meditate. Don ‘t worry if you have a good voice or a bad voice. It doesn’t matter. This is something from your heart. Try it with the mantra “Baba Nam Kevalam”

Here is a video, with beautiful images and the mantra. Why don’t you watch the video, sing along and then do meditation. Try it you will like it!

Many people like to go on long trips to holy sites to try to “find God” but according to yoga this is not necessary. You don’t have to travel anywhere, at least in an outward direction. You have to travel inside and you will find what you are looking for.

This is how my spiritual teacher, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, describes it:

“The Supreme Consciousness is there in you as the oil is in the oilseed. Crush the seed through spiritual practice (sádhaná) and you attain Him; separate the mind from Consciousness and you will see that the resplendence of the Supreme Consciousness illuminates your whole inner being. He is there like butter in curd; churn it and He will appear from within. Churn your mind through spiritual practice and God will appear like butter from curd. He is like a subterranean river in you. Remove the sands of mind and you will find the clear, cool waters within.”

(Subháśita Saḿgraha IV, 126)

If you are interested in this spiritual approach to yoga, then vist the meditation website of Ananda Marga

by Dada Vedaprajinananda

The practice of yoga and meditation has become increasingly popular in the past few years, but I am sure that there are many people who are still asking themselves, “What’s in it for me?” So, if you have been wondering whether it would be worth your time to start practicing yoga and meditation, I would like to give you five good reasons why it would be a very worthwhile activity for you. (more…)

by Dada Vedaprajinananda

Many people try for years to lose weight or to make other positive changes in their lives, but never succeed. There is plenty of information on the subject of weight loss in particular and self-improvement in general, but it is the implementation of the good advice that is the stumbling block to most people.I am convinced that the place to start when you want to lose weight is in your mind. (more…)

The newest CD, Love is the Best, should be ready by July 1, 2009.  You can hear four tracks on my MySpace profile. The first four tracks on my music player will be on the new CD. Check them out and let me know what you think.

For the past year I have been in NYC (though I did travel to many places all over the US) but now I have shifted my home base to Urbana, Illinois. I live a the Ananda Marga spiritual community in Urbana, Illinois. It is a three hour’s drive from Chicago and it holds the main campus of the University of Illinois. Our center here is very beautiful, sitting on ten acres of land and is part of the Ananda Liina eco-village.

I have already started my work here, giving yoga and meditation workshops as well as performing music for children and adults in two centers for people with special needs.

In addition the quiet rural location is great for recording and video recording. Here is my first video which was made at Ananda Liina, it is a cover of Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind.