Sunday 30 September 2012

Why I'd Love To Wear A Turban Every Day


I know not everyone agrees, but I do believe we are meant to cover our hair.  And lots of cultures, religions, and traditions throughout the world reflect the same core practice and belief.

It was perhaps only one generation ago, when it was commonplace that even people in Britain wore a hat.

But like most traditions, customs and practices, they are slowly being eradicated, forgotten, outgrown, and sometimes simply disrespected or as is often the case misunderstood.

I am at my happiest when I am wearing a turban if truth be told.

This is me, a few years ago. I hope to get back there!  I'd go back to it straight away but I need to practice what I preach, and find my inner peace.  Ultimately I need to reestablish a daily yoga routine.  I need to deal with my inner daemons and time is running out!  I'll have reached a certain level of success once I have done so!

I recently read a post about Islam, where the author does not believe in covering her hair.  Reading that post reminded me that I need to write this one.  It has been on my mind for a while.  When I wrote the blog post about Kate Middleton, it was on my mind.  You may have noticed that I stated that the only reason I picked up the magazine was because of how stunning she looked on the front cover with her hair covered.  Hair does not equate to beauty.  In fact Deepa, is a stunning Muslim friend of mine, and I have never ever seen her hair.  Her inner beauty radiates from her eyes and her smile!

Please do not assume that men ask ladies to cover up.  This is a grossly inaccurate misconception in the West.

There are many reasons to cover the head and some of them are "technology," in so far as the cranial-sacral benefits that I have personally experienced time and time again.  You can read about it in brief here. There is information from a Sikh perspective here.  This video shows Britain's captivation with turbans from back in 1942.

But, turbans aside, as long as I can remember, be it at work, Uni or school, I could not at all concentrate if my hair was down - I'm still like that now.  And when I get home I usually put one of those towel turbans on my head (£1 or £2 in Primark) as I can't abide my fringe in my way either.  And that's a whole other story.  Our foreheads actually need to be exposed to light. The forehead bone is porous and functions to transmit light to the pineal gland of the brain.

This is what The Alchemy Centre in Camden says about turban wearing, and is also copied and pasted below:

Question: What is the reason for the turban my teacher may wear?

The hair regulates the inflow of sun energy into the body system. To let the solar energy flow without obstruction, let the hair grow to its full natural length , and take good care of it. If this is done, the amount of energy that goes downward from the 7th chakra increases tremendously. The kundalini energy is activated by the radiant force of the solar plexus and moves upward in response to the solar energy coming down. This balances the body energy and maintains total equilibrium. If the hair is unkept, down, or uncovered so that it is electrically imbalanced, this natural process of raising the kundalini energy will be impeded. Actually the hair is so important that the word for consciousness, kundalini, actually derives from kundal which means “a coil of the beloved’s hair”. The hair is best kept uncut and tied on top of the head in a rishi knot at the solar centres, to concentrate the solar energy at the pineal gland. It encourages the raising of the kundalini.
Wearing a head covering enables you to command your sixth center, the Ajna Chakra. Covering the head stabilizes the cerebral matter and the 26 parts of the brain, which are interlocked with the neurological system and electromagnetic field. Covering the head creates a focus of the functional circuit of the hemispheres of the brain, and tunes the neurological system. The whole head is to be covered, not just the crown chakra. The benefit of wearing a turban is that when you wrap the 5 to 7 layers of cloth, you cover the temples, which prevents any variance or movement in the different parts of the skull. A turban automatically gives you a cranial self-adjustment. You can pay for a cranial adjustment, or you can tie a turban for free!
Just type in "girl in turban" in Google images and you will see the many and varied ways we choose to cover our hair! We've done so for thousands of years!  After all GHDs are a recent invention!

I practiced Kundalini Yoga and taught it, right up to 37-38 weeks pregnant.  I even did White Tantra when pregnant as shown by this photo:

I know it benefited Aaron greatly, while he resided in my tummy, and only hope that I manage somehow to pick it back up again after such a long absence.

I wanted this post to be a thorough take on the subject of head covering and turban tying but the day beckons, I have a two year old, and I have been on this computer for too long.

And a thought I want to leave you with.  Please do not disrespect other cultures, countries and religions for covering their heads, when we Christians also used to too!  As this great summary shows, we have simply forgotten!

Liska x







3 comments:

  1. A few things occurred to me whilst reading this.
    1. The turban suits you.
    2. Whilst no one left the house without a hat only a couple of generations ago and wore them whilst working, it has always been a sign of respect in Christianity to remove one's head covering as a sign of respect when a show of respect is called for.
    3. In Judaism the men have to cover their heads at all times but the women only when they are married. It is a sign of modesty because hair is considered beautiful and you shouldn't be looked at that way once you are married, you are supposed to save your beauty for your husband only, and it tells people that you are a married woman. Conversely, a woman without head covering is sending the message that she is free.
    Just some thoughts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You know what, I wish there was an "award" for best commenter. I see you commenting here there and everywhere, and you are always so considered and knowledgeable in your comments, and so thoughtful in reading so many blogs.

    If there was an award my vote would be for you darling.

    As usual, thank you for visiting.

    Liska xx

    ReplyDelete

Drop me a line, and I will visit you right back - as soon as I get chance. Thanks for your comment.