Māori words and phrases

They were the ones responsible for taking care of the spiritual side of the Hawaiian culture as well as the daily practices of the lāhui. According to Collier, “Pule was something that all kāhuna did and it was their specific kuleana to themselves. They have a direct contact with the akua, and pule was a way for kāhuna to seek knowledge and answers from the akua or ʻaumākua.” The exchange of words and language was expressed through different cultural practices. Kimura claims “An example of the importance of language in human activity is best illustrated in the area of music and dance.” The way that a kahuna expressed language is through guiding and advising the aliʻi and makaʻāinana in their daily practices. Kimura strongly continues to claim that “Prayer has words. From a traditional Hawaiian viewpoint, the western concept of silent prayer denies the god-giving human privilege of using words. The prayer is also chanted, which makes the words purposefully more subtle, thus very personal, a feature enhanced by the inclusion of extra sounds such as lā and ē.” It is a form of resource when a kahuna channel the ʻike of his/her ancestors, through pule, and is able to teach or pass down the knowledge orally. In traditional times, oral teachings done by the kāhuna was a huge amount of…

A sudden Nostalgia in a Yoga class. We, human beings, tend to build intimate and emotional connections towards various things we encounter or have and places that we visit. If, ever, our relationships with these things or places come to an end; we may well mourn their absence or go through an experience of remembrance. This emotional an existential remembrance could include the past; our past experiences, incidents we got through, actions, places we have been to and people we met. Despite the…

The Bhagavad-Gita is a rather small section in the overall massive text of the Mahabharata. However, the size of this passage had no effect on its ability to influence. The likes of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Annie Besant, and Mohandas K. Gandhi were all inspired or influenced by this text. The Bhagavad-Gita wouldn’t be the inspiring text is it today if it hadn’t been influenced by many other religious texts that came before it. The Bhagavad-Gita takes ideas from other religious…

oga originated in India and has the purpose of stimulating both spiritual growth, mental wellbeing and physical health. Yoga contains many exercise programs, of which physical exercises, or hathayoga, is one. In the following the basic principles of hathayoga are outlined. An important part of physical yoga is the breathing exercises, or pranayama. This part is in many ways the most fundamental, because the basic type of breathing is also a part of the yoga postures - the asanas. The postures…

reflects the idea of Hindu karma. The cycle of birth and death will continue until we reach moksha. Moksha means you have reached enlightenment and broken the cycle and no longer have to endure death and birth again. Anyone can reach moksha as long as they continue to repent of their bad karma such as selfishness, greed, and harming others. Through Karma yoga, you can practice selfless action to increase your good karma and get rid of your bad karma. Karma yoga focuses on helping people reach…

Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi together comprise meditation in Yoga. Dharana or concentration is the first step in yogic meditation. Dharana is focusing the mind on one object. Patanjali allows you to choose any object whatsoever. The only condition is that you must be favorably inclined towards the object. The entire effort in the dharana is to keep distractions at bay. Given the nature of the human mind, except for the object chosen everything comes in the mind or again and again the mind is…

I am sure you also know people, who are financially poor, yet feel very rich and abundant. Blessed with good friends and enjoy good health. You look at them and you think...they look well...and you wonder what is their secret. How do they look so vital? Especially when you know they are unemployed, in debt or going through a distressing emotional phrase. The Secret Of Wealth Taking the stance that Health is Wealth, what can you do to attract wealth? What tools, tips and techniques are out…

Why Kundalini is so cherished Dharmic concepts are found throughout Asian religions and cultures. It's concepts include rituals, rites of passage, law and justice and even yoga. There are different forms of yoga that have been created over the course of hundreds of years in this region, but only Kundalini yoga exemplifies these concepts to a higher level. It "aims to develop spiritual awareness by freeing the serpent power (Kundalini) that is coiled in the base of the spine and drawing it…

Everyone has heard of posture these days, however maybe some are not so aware whether they have good posture or how to correct it. This is where yoga can help you to become more aware of your posture both in your daily life and in your yoga practice. I am going to share a few simple pointers that I hope will benefit you, your body and life. Through Yoga you learn how to hold yourself correctly. You will discover how standing properly can make you look taller and slimmer. Yoga postures like the…

Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word meaning union. It is an ancient practice in the Indian tradition that brings the concepts of movement and breathing into a whole and it works together to bring physical and mental wellbeing. Yoga was attained by the teachings of gurus (teachers) where there were one-on-one sessions and the goal was to achieve the highest spiritual goals, self-realization, enlightenment, and liberations of the soul (Synovitz, 2013). Yoga therapy is a reworking aspect of yoga. It…