Meditation Teacher Tarun Kumar
Meditation. Why is everyone getting so excited about it?
Could be because it works – on many different levels.
In March & April of this year New Zealanders will have a chance to find out why meditation is so powerful from India-based meditation expert Tarun Kumar.
Back by popular demand, Tarun is touring the country for the third time.
“I have hosted Tarun a number of times at the Albany Yoga Room,” says teacher Sue Grbic. “Tarun has a lovely gentle energy and a humble sincerity that shines through his teachings. In a world filled with self-important so-called spiritual teachers it’s very refreshing to come into the sweetness and light of the real thing.”
Tarun is being brought to New Zealand by Waiheke-based charitable organisation Baleno.
Founded in 2007 by Toby Ruckert and Margit Brusda, Baleno’s mission is to offer support, create awareness, provide education and fund research into the way we experience emotional, mental and physical issues, diseases or crises.
This four-pronged approach is intended to help people experience better health and well-being. It works on the idea that physical disease is no accident, and that the causes for many problems are mostly a combination of not only physical but also mental and/or spiritual imbalances.
It means that one of the practice Baleno wants to promote is meditation – hence sponsoring Tarun’s trip to New Zealand.
The Yoga Lunchbox had a chat to Tarun about his own meditation practice and his upcoming visit to New Zealand.
What was it that got you first interested in this subject and when was that?
I started meditation when I was 16 years old. I don’t know the exact reason why I started this, but since my childhood I like yoga.
What’s the link between yoga and meditation?
Meditation is a part of yoga. By doing meditation one can attain a calm state of mind, which is a basic qualification for practicing yoga properly anyway.
What have you observed for yourself in your own meditation practice?
Initially I was very short tempered and this has become much better. But I am not saying that it is completely vanished as of yet 😉
Why would you recommend meditation to others and what are its benefits?
For me, if one can meditate, it relaxes the mind and decreases stress which we can meet everywhere in our daily life.
Meditation also increases our immunity power. Most of the diseases originate from mind level. If a person stays calmly without stress and strains, he is less vulnerable to diseases – at least to some extent. Thus one can often perceive the real essence of problems before they manifest physically and that they are not there to make you sad, but to ignite your passion in facing and overcoming them in victory. They are like exams to a student, merely to test your skills.
There are already many meditations available and the beginner may have difficulties in choosing. What is there to look out for, and maybe even be careful about when starting meditation?
Anyone can do meditation, but proper guidance is advisable. Don’t do anything forcefully or something you are not comfortable with. Often even some seemingly simple things like chanting mantras, rapid breathing or breathing with focus on certain body areas – and even doing meditation in certain asanas can lead to unpleasant experiences if proper guidance and knowledge is lacking.
Common sense suggests never to stop questioning the use of a specific posture (asana), sound (mantra), breathing or visualisation. A good teacher should be able to give good reasons why to do things in a certain way. The students benefit may just be that through asking such questions, his meditation practice may become more effective also.
You have been teaching in different countries but been to New Zealand three times already. What is it about New Zealand that you enjoy coming back so often?
I love New Zealand’s external beauty and the inner beauty of my friends there. I also enjoy the students questions and feedback very much as they don’t learn meditation just like a weekend project, but they really enjoy learning to practice, which is like a great gift for me.
There are different subjects which you have taught such as Heart-Soul-Meditation, Cord Healing, Angel Healing and others, do you have favourite ones from a teacher’s perspective and if so, which are they?
Hmm, that’s difficult. I guess it depends a bit on what the individual group combination currently interests the most. But ultimately each subject has its own knowledge and key to “enlighten” us in physical, mental and spiritual levels. So from that perspective I treat all subjects equally.
What is it that you like particularly well in the Heart Soul Meditation and why?
This meditation is not only meant for the personal development of the practitioner. It also helps other people and beings on earth. It gives a feeling of Conscious evolution from “I” to universe via “our” feeling.
To find out more about Baleno, and the many free events and classes that they offer, including confirmed dates and venues for Tarun Kumar’s New Zealand Tour, please check out Baleno’s website.
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