Karmic Yoga and Devotion

An Earth, Wind and Fire song says, 'Through devotion blessed are the children. Praise the teachers who bring the light to many. Your devotion opens the life treasures and delivers from the fruits of evil.'

I think this song is very meaningful when it comes to Karmic Yoga, because the whole concept of Karmic Yoga, though it may not seem to be sometimes, is devotion to a higher power as well as other human beings. Through devotion we help all of humanity. We raise our own consciousness while we are helping others raise theirs. The truth is that when we truly live a devotional life, we are engaged in Karmic Yoga where we are. When we are devoted to anything positive or neutral (but not anything negative) we are doing Karmic Yoga. You may wonder why I am saying this. I will give you an example.

I once knew a man who played the top of a Bic pen. I would consider this very neutral. He could play rock and roll, classical music, jazz, anything, on the cap of this Bic pen. He had even done classical concerts on it. I met him working as a volunteer at a drop in center for mental health out patients. He was one of the counselors. My job was to help get people involved in activities like singing, dancing, and so on each week to enjoy themselves. One night we decided to have a talent show. One friend played the guitar, I sang and this man offered to play the Bic pen cap.

What the heck? I thought to myself. We began to perform and we were so good that everybody quickly joined in and had a good time. Later he participated in many performances at the drop in center. During later talks I found that his man had done the talk show tour all over the United States playing the Bic pen cap. His devotion to playing the Bic pen cap had led him all over the country. Now these outpatients were benefiting because this young man had been dedicated to playing the Bic pen top. Very interesting.

Playing the Bic pen top doesn?t seem like much, but one can even do service in the world and help those in need, by being devoted to learning how to do that. How much more can one effect the world by being devoted to art, music, writing, reading, teaching, alternative health, any of the activities in which humans engage daily? This type of devotion leads to action. It benefits the human family when one has perfected his or her gifts and shares them freely with others. When we do this we are engaged in Karmic Yoga.

Your devotion to ?following your bliss,? as Joseph Campbell called it, and sharing that bliss with others, helps lift their spirits and helps make the world a better place. The world is in need of people who are happy and joyful. Your gift can be helping people to become joyful and to see the best parts of themselves. If you are working at a soup kitchen, feeding the hungry, digging wells for poor people in Africa, whatever, the element that is most necessary during these activities is to help people see the best parts of themselves. That can begin a climb from the deepest emotional and economic depths. To do this, however, firstly you must see the best of yourself. Following your bliss can help you do that.

Are you following your bliss? If you want to start doing Karmic Yoga it is important to dedicate yourself to doing so. It is important to dedicate yourself to become the most alive, vibrant, joyful person that you can possibly be, and that alive, vibrant, joyful person with others through your actions of service. For this is truly what we need in the world, people who are fully alive.

As you partake in your life of service, remember that just doing things for others isn?t enough. It is necessary to hone yourself so that you can be that beautiful spark of the Divine that you experiences in the most intimate moments. It is important to channel the creative nature of the Divine so all may partake of it. It is important to work from a center of being. Doing the work and service because you are a reflection of the embodiment of love that goes by many names is your objective. Through your devotion to this ideal and to other people, you will open the life treasures and deliver from the fruits of evil. This is the secret of Karmic Yoga?working on the self by working in the world and working in the world by working on the self.

Dr. J. W. Gilmore is a Writer, Spiritual Director, Anti-oppression Consultant and Wellness Consultant. He is a Certified Massage Therapist and Reflexologist, a Reiki Master Teacher, a Martial Arts Instructor and a Spiritual Coach living in Costa Rica. For more article like this or similar information visit: http://www.dswellness.com Recommended book, A Return to Being Human Religiously, Dr. John W. Gilmore.

What is Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga? (Part-II)

Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga has eight limbs(parts). In my earlier article, Yama and Niyama have been described briefly. Yama and Niyama are external limbs of Yoga; these are to be practised while leading social life. The rest six limbs - Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahar, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi are internal limbs of Yoga. While practicing these six limbs one concentrates one’s mind on true self and realises the divine truth. In this article Asana and Pranayama have been described.

Asana(posture)

Asana is a posture of the body by which the body rests on a plane surface. For different actions man chooses different postures. For Yoga one should choose a comfortable posture by which one may concentrate mind on true self. For choosing a posture Patanjali describes - posture should be motionless and comfortable(II.46). So in Yogasana one rests one’s body in a comfortable and static posture so that all other succeeding limbs are practiced easily and one reaches upto the last limb i.e. Samadhi.

Different Schools of Yoga teach different Yogic exercises in the name of Yogasana. These Yogasana should be included in Tapa, a type of Niyama. In Tapa a practitioner imparts warmness or heat to the body through the practice of Yogic exercises and thereby the body becomes strong and diseaseless. Tapa and its exercises is external limb of Yoga; however the third limb of Yoga i.e. Asana is internal limb. Through Yogasana which involves exercise of the body, one cannot be motionless or feel comfortable. So in these postures one cannot enter into Samadhi. In true Asana rests one’s body comfortably and rises up above the gross mind, body and senses and realises the true self.

So for a motionless and comfortable Asana one should lie on a plane surface on one’s back with hands and legs streched. This is called Sukhasana. In this posture all the six internal limbs of Yoga may be practiced well. A human being may be partitioned into four - body, Prana(breath), mind, and bliss(soul). If any one of these is brought under control, others will come under control automatically. In Asana, body is kept motionless and as a result Prana(breath) and mind are brought under control. When everything is brought under control and becomes motionless, one feels the bliss of soul or true self.

Pranayama(breath control)

For common understanding Prana(life) is breath or breathing air. But in reality it is more than the air we breathe. It is the life force that moves out and moves in and these movements are expressed through the exhalation and inhalation of air. When this life force goes outside it mingles with the universal life force of all living beings and when it moves in, it touches every living cell in the body. The body functions because of this life force. The energy of this life force is unending. Through our numerous births this Prana works from birth till death. Body does not depend upon food solely, but it depends upon Prana solely. There are people who do not take food for months and years; but still they are able to work and live.

In reality body, Prana and mind are one. When any one of these three becomes motionless, the other two become motionless. In Sukhasana when the body is kept motionless for half an hour, Prana and mind become motionless. When Prana is motionless there is no inhalation or exhalation or breathing takes place in a very subtle manner. This is Pranayama. Patanjali teaches - after one rests in Asana, there is cut off in the movements of inhalation and exhalation and this cut off is Pranayama(II.49). This can be scientifically explained also. When the body is in motion, the rate of metabolism in the body is higher and so one breathes in quick succession. Conversely whe one is in rest the rate of metabolism is less and one breathes after a long pause. Again, when mind is restless, one breathes quickly and when mind is calm, one breathes normally.

Different Schools of Yoga, which teach to control breathing forcibly, only follow unscientific and impure Pranayama. By forcibly withhelding breath, one keeps carbon dioxide inside for a longer period and this may be fatal to the body cells. In pure and true Pranayama one has to do nothing. One should lie in Sukhasana and keep mind on the movement of breath across the nostrills. In this way body, mind and Prana become motionless naturally and become one. In Pranayama one concentrates mind and gives rest to this overworked Prana.

Author is a desciple of Late Munishvar Shiv kumar Shastri and practices Yoga as taught by him. His aim is to spread true spiritualism and yoga. Those who want to read more about spiritualism based on the Upanishads and Yoga based on Patanjali’s Yogasutra should go through his book ‘Quest for Truth: the spiritual and yogic way’.
http://www.bookstobelievein.com/questfortruth.php
premansu_chand@rediffmail.com

Yoga for Mind Development

Sri Aurobindo , the sage of Pondicherry, India once narrated his experience thus:
?While I was practicing Pranayam, I was doing it for about five to six hours a day, three hours in the morning and two or three hours in the evening. I felt there was a great accession of light and power in the mind. I used to write poetry in those days. Earlier, I could sometimes write only about 200 lines a month. After I began practicing Pranayam I could write 200 lines in half an hour. My memory was rather dull before. But afterwards I composed whenever I had inspiration and remembered ad seriatum the whole, till I committed it to paper at leisure?

R.R.Divakar has recorded this experience of the great sage in his book Mahayogi Shri Aurobindo.

By practicing yogic disciplines one could attain exalted mental state and high inspiration so that his/her creative power knows no bounds.
Pranayama means practice of breathing exercises to get control over vital forces.

This is the fourth limb of Yoga, the other seven being Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pratyahara,Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. The equivalent English meanings for these Sanskrit words are ethical restraints, ethical observances , physical poses for the practice of meditation, withdrawal of senses, concentration of mind, meditation and super consciousness, respectively.

One should learn all these yogic disciplines from a true Yogi. Doing on one?s own will
lead to disaster.
If properly practiced as prescribed by the Yoga sutra , one could attain eight psychic powers.

They are
Anima : Minuteness (one can become small)
Mahima: Heaviness (one can become big and heavy)
Laghima : lightness(one can become light)
Prapti :Attainment (one can approach distance objects)

Prakamya :Infallible desires ( one can have immense will power)
Ishittwa : Lordliness (one can get the power to create)
Vashittwa : Control (one can control all objects)
Kamavasaittwa : Highest Bliss ( one can attain the highest bliss)

Mind Development can be ensured by simple breath control exercises.

Pranayam ensures:
Increased efficiency
Functioning of both left and right brain.
Creativity
Enhancement of memory power
Positive mental attitude
Good health
Longevity

Daily practice of pranayam will be the first step to learn Yoga..

S.Nagarajan is a vehicle body engineer by profession. He has written more than 1300 articles in 16 magazines and published 18 books so far. He is revealing Eastern Secret Wisdom through T.V.Programmes, magazine articles, seminars, courses. His email
address is : snagarajans@gmail.com.