An inspiring presentation by Yogachemmal Meena Ramanathan, Cordinator-cum-Yoga therapist CYTER on "Positive Self-Empowerment for the Youth" that was given for faculty and staff members of Avvaiyar College of Engineering and Technology, Thiruvandaiyar near Pondicherry.

1. Meena Ramanathan
Coordinator / Yoga Therapist, CYTER, MGMCRI
18.12.2014
Avvaiyar College of Engineering
& Technology for Women,
Thiruvandarkoil

2. Unify Your
Mind , Body
& Spirit

3. • Take a moment for
yourself…..
• Observe what you
notice?
• On a scale of 1-10,
how good do you
feel right now?

5. • Balancing equal & opposite energies of body
• Unites body - mind - soul
• Disciplines and controls the mind (drunken
monkey / chitta vritti)
• Cleanses and refines emotions
• An experiential science
• Preventive - promotive – curative potential
• Showcases individual capacity (volcano)
• Provides health-happiness-harmony
• Improves strength- stamina-stability
• Sukha-sthanam
Empowerment through YOGA

6. 7 Magic Keys to live a life full of Yoga
1. Efforts
2. Body + Mind + Breath= as a Single Team
3. Awareness
4. Objectivity – be a passive witness
5. Diet
6. Trust
7. Patience

12. The Key Word Is….
Balance

14. What is your choice??? !!!!!!!

15. • Don’t make study sessions too long
• Drink some water before you start
• Break tasks down into smaller manageable ones
• Do daily summaries of work covered in class in
your own words under Main Points
• Set a task to achieve for each session
• These sessions are the backbone of your Study
Programme
How do you study?

16. Prioritise your options
• TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS, SACRIFICES HAVE TO BE
MADE
• Avoid ‘time wasters’
• Reward yourself for working well and achieving
short term goals
• To perform at your best requires fulfilling and
stimulating leisure/relaxation time
• You are responsible for the organisation of your
time and lifestyle
‘The first step is the most difficult part
of the journey’

17. Prioritising study
Setting yourself a specific task to achieve each
night is a necessary skill
Too often you tend to ‘let it happen’ and don’t
plan ahead
Procrastination is an obstacle to your goals
Read over notes during travel time
You can also use travel time for
planning and when you arrive
home, you can start working as
your plans are made already

18. Countdown to the exams
Your performance in the exam is vital to your
success
Look at them positively as an opportunity to
demonstrate your understanding
Exercise daily to reduce the pressure
It clears the mind and encourages positive
thoughts

19. • Avoid Distractions
• Eliminate noise
• Organise for friends to call at an agreed time
• Plan and revise

20. Identify
areas of
weakness
and
address
them
The key is to study actively :
• Take notes
• Don’t just read
• Test yourself
‘ Many drops fill the bucket ‘

21. Exam preparation
The secrets to success:
• Have genuine faith in your preparation
• Don’t leave anything to chance/choice
Know exactly what is required for each exam
• Understand each subject
• Know your exam format
– Multiple choice
– Short answer
– Essays
– How many questions

22. Exam preparation
Test your knowledge and understanding
• Discuss it, explain it
• Justify it with friends
• Work through them systematically
• Retest your knowledge
• Be thorough and focused – have a Study
Timetable in your study area
‘ When only the best will do ‘

23. Some tips
• Don’t study after 11.00pm
• Divide time equally between subjects
• Revise your study timetable
• Try to stick to it !
“Well done is better than well said”

24. A Recap 
• Don’t leave Revision to the last
minute: slow and steady wins!
• Don’t avoid revising subjects
you don’t like /find difficult
• Don’t forget that there is life
beyond Revision and Exams

25. Remember
• It is important to eat and sleep well
• Put yourself first – it is an important time for you
• Try to talk to family about how they can help you.
• e.g. by agreeing times when you can have your own
space, when they will try to be quieter around the
house and when you would rather not be disturbed
Don’t revise all the time – take breaks
and do things you enjoy and that helps
you relax

26. Above all …
• Perform as well as you can – ‘YOU are YOU’ so
you can only do the best you can on the day
• Don’t go through the answers with your friends
afterwards, if it is only going to worry you
• Put the previous exam out of your mind and look
ahead to the next– you can’t change the past.
Just do your best and leave the rest!
Remember, exams are important, but they
are not the only key to a successful
future.
GOOD LUCK !

30. Self Assessment

34. If you always do as you have always done,
If you always think as you have always
thought ,

36.  Live among the living
 Live as life comes
 Live for life
WHERE DO I STAND?

38. A moment of silence
 helps connect with your inner
values and start the process of
healing
 is the best gift you can give
yourself
In a moment of
silence, you can beat a
retreat from the cares
of the world, find
solitude and then fly
back to your
responsibilities feeling
refreshed.
“Just one minute of
solitude”– a long, deep
breath….
YOU OWE IT TO
TOURSELF
Just-a-moment

39. Mind & Meditation
• Gross- subtle- causal body connectivity
• Mind is often a helpless victim of various
turbulences like anger, grief, sensuality, revenge and
remorse and this condition is prone to harm one’s
own self or others.
• Practice of meditation frees the mind from
purposeless wanderings and channelises its energy
in a focused way.
• The aim of meditation is to quieten the mind and
purge it of its tendency

40. The Purpose Of Meditation: is to invade and
explore the inner depths of the self.
Advantages of meditation
• The meditative quality of mind helps in proper
utilization of available resources as well as in
harnessing the potential of inner capabilities.
• There is no other process known to man for
changing an imbalanced state of mind into a
balanced one than the science of meditation.
• With mediation one learns the art of single-
pointed concentration, which elevates the level
of efficiency and opens the right avenues

41. Mudras for Meditation
Hastha mudras enhance the concentration and
deepen the experience of meditation.
• Jnana Mudra
• Namaskar Mudra
• Anjali Mudra
• Kailash Mudra
• Yoga Mudra

42. Trataka: Yogic gazes
Concentration upon a single point or
object for a prolonged period helps to
shut out the outer world
• Jyoti Trataka
• Bhrumadhya Drishti Trataka
• Nasagra Drishti Trataka

43. Palming
• To relieve any tension accumulated in
your eyes, rub your palms together to
generate healthy, warm, pranic energy.
• Place your cupped palms over the
respective eye blocking out any external
light and relax for some time
• If headache develops, stop the practice
and rest your eyes with palming

45. Bhramari Pranayama

46. Chakra Meditation

47. LAUGH OUT LOUD!
47
Keeps you cheerful, exercises max number of muscles

49. • What do you notice?
• On a scale or 1-10
• how good do you feel now?
Just a moment please!!!!!

50. 10 Minute Chair Yoga
• The following yoga poses/exercises
can be done anytime and anywhere to
reduce stress and re-energize
yourself during the day
• Begin the practice with slow breathing
through the nose and continue on to
refresh and renew

51. Breath-Body Awareness
• Begin by sitting on the edge of
a chair with your feet placed
squarely on the floor about hip
distance apart, toes facing
straight forward.
• Place your palms flat on your
thighs, and feel length in your
spine—head balanced over
heart, heart balanced over
hips.
• Inhale and exhale evenly for
five counts each.
• Repeat inhale/exhale 2 times.

52. Seated Side Stretch
•Inhale, lift arms overhead,
stretching upwards.
•Exhale, bend to the right.
•Inhale, come back up to the
centre. Exhale, bend to the left.
•Inhale come back up to the
centre.
•Exhale, release your arms down to
your side

53. Shoulder Rotation
• Circle your shoulders by slowly
rolling them up, back and down
• Repeat the same in the
opposite direction
• Reach back and hold onto the
outside edges of the back of
your chair and stretch open
your shoulders and chest

54. Seated cat/cow
• Place hands on knees.
• Inhaling open your chest ,arch
the back and look up
• Exhaling push spine backward
bringing neck down.
• Be conscious of the movement
and feel the spine moving in
coordination with the breath.
• Repeat the cycle 9 times more.

55. Seated Spinal Twist
• Sit straight
• Inhaling twist your upper body
to the right, starting from the
base of the spine.
• You can place your left hand on
the outside of your right thigh
and your right hand on the
back of your chair.
• Exhaling untwist back to center
• Repeat to the other side

56. Namaste !!!
• Bring your knees to center and sit
straight
• Bring the palms of your hands
together, with the thumbs
touching your chest
• Close your eyes and breath
normally for a few seconds and
you have completed your chair
yoga break!

57. • Letting down – barriers
• Giving up- negativities and stress
• Giving in- Inner mind/ self
• Giving over- Higher self

59. Acres of Diamonds-Kimberly
TRUE STORY - WITH ITS AGELESS MORAL
• A farmer lived in Africa – sold his farm - went looking for
diamonds- wandered all over the continent, years slipped by
searching for diamonds & wealth, which he never found -- was
completely broke and threw himself into a river and drowned.
• The new owner of that farm picked up an unusual looking rock -
got it analysed- this was the biggest DIAMOND ever found. The
farm turned out to be the Kimberly Diamond Mine . . . the richest
the world has ever known.
• The original farmer was literally standing on 'Acres of Diamonds'
until he sold his farm.
• Each of us is right in the middle of our own 'Acre of Diamonds',
if only we would realize it and develop the ground we are
standing on before charging off in search of greener pastures.

61. The Oyster
• There once was an oyster, who found that some sand had got
into his shell.
• It was only a grain, but it gave him great pain
• Oysters have feelings although they're so plain. –
• He said to himself as he lay on a shell, since I cannot remove it I
shall try to improve it. NOW the years have rolled around, as the
years always doand he came to his ultimate destiny, a stew. And
the small grain of sand that had bothered him so, was a
beautiful pearl all richly aglow.
Now the tale has a moral, for isn't it grand what an oyster can do
with a morsel of sand?
What couldn't we do if we'd only begin, some of the things that get
under our skin?

63. 10 tips for creating a life of your dream
• 1. Stop doing things just because others expect them of you.
Your heart must be in it to finish the race. When we do things just because we
'should,' we eventually reach a place of resentment, anger, and rebellion.
• 2. Get your priorities straight.
Spend your time &resources with the people, activities, or things that are
meaningful. Stop wasting these on people or things that are not adding value to
life.
• 3. March to the beat of your own band.
The most satisfying experiences in our lives are when we are engaged physically,
emotionally, spiritually, mentally, or intellectually. If everything feels like an
uphill battle, then you're doing the wrong thing.
• 4. Do what you're good at
Whether you're a brain surgeon or a dog walker, be the best you can be at it Your
enthusiasm and love for what you do is what will make you successful
• 5. Share your dream with others, but be discerning.
Realize that not everyone you share your dream with will be thrilled for you. Focus
on those people who can support you even if they don't agree with you.

65. • 6. Stop making excuses and just do it.
The reason why you have not taken that first step does not matter. What matters is
that you take that first step NOW.
• 7. Determine what your ideal life looks like.
Most people's initial response to this is 'I don't know.' If you did know, what would
your ideal life be like? What would you like to experience as life?
• 8. Identify the stumbling blocks that can be turned into stepping stones.
Your past experiences and adversity can create opportunity for you. It's all in how
you look at life and how you choose to use those experiences to eliminate the
blockages and move on. Victory is yours!
• 9. Reduce your learning curve.
Learn from the experiences and mistakes of others. Take what you can apply from
the trials and challenges others have overcome and learn.
• 10. Align yourself with a role model/mentor.
Having someone who's 'been there and done that' is one of the best ways to get
yourself on track with what you want to accomplish or be. A mentor will be
supportive, when you need the support the most. His expertise and knowledge
is a great strength in life.

66. 10 tips for creating a life and living
your dream
• 1. Stop doing things just because others expect them of you.
Your heart must be in it to finish the race. When we do things just because we
'should,' we eventually reach a place of resentment, anger, and rebellion.
• 2. Get your priorities straight.
Spend your time, talents, and resources with the people, activities, or things
that are meaningful to you. Stop wasting these on people or things that
are not adding value to your life or that keep you from moving forward
towards what you want to be or do.
• 3. March to the beat of your own band.
The most satisfying experiences in our lives are when we are engaged
physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, or intellectually. Life is meant
to be effortless. If you're tugging and pulling, and everything feels like an
uphill battle, then you're doing the wrong thing.

67. • 4. Do what you're good at and the money will follow.
Whether you're a brain surgeon or a dogwalker, be the best you can be at it
because you love it. Your enthusiasm and love for what you do is what will
make you successful in the long run. Enthusiastic and positive people
attract others to them who want that too.
• 5. Share your dream with others, but be discerning.
Realize that not everyone you share your dream with will be thrilled for you.
Avoid the nay-sayers and focus on those people who can support you even
if they don't agree with you.

68. • 6. Stop making excuses and just do it.
• The reason (excuses) for why you have not taken that first step does not
matter. What matters is that you take that first step NOW.
• 7. Determine what your ideal life looks like.
• Most people's initial response to this is 'I don't know.' If you did know,
what would your ideal life be like? Who would you want to live with, who
would you like to meet, where would you like to live, what
activities/shows/parties/places would you like to experience or be with?
• 8. Identify the stumbling blocks that can be turned into stepping stones.
• Your past experiences and adversity can create opportunity for you. It's all
in how you look at life and how you choose to use those experiences so
that you eliminate the blocks and move on in spite of them. Victory is
yours!

69. • 9. Reduce your learning curve.
• Learn from the experiences and mistakes of others. Instead of reinventing
the wheel, take what you can apply from the trials and challenges others
have overcome then tweak the process to fit your own situation.
• 10. Align yourself with a role model/mentor.
• Having someone who's 'been there and done that' is one of the best ways
to get yourself on track with what you want to accomplish or be. A mentor
will be supportive, offer the benefit of his/her expertise and knowledge,
and will listen to you when you need the support the most.