The practice of yoga goes back more than 5,000 years. It came originally from India and spread from there all over Asia and, in the second half of the 20th century, to Europe and the Americas. Yoga is a generic word that encompasses practically all kinds of meditations that aim at a psycho-physical improvement. In the United States and Europe most meditation disciplines are focused around the physical position that is called lotus or asanas. The breathing of the meditating person plays a very important role, because in many yoga schools or disciplines it is used to focus the mind. It may be used as a passive vector by just observing it, or it can be used in the context of breathing exercises, most of which belong to the school of pranayama.
The old English word yoke served as a linguistic bridge and nowadays yoga is associated with union. This connection might be with the absolute or God, in Hinduism called Brahman, or with the inner self. There is passive and active meditation. Passive meditation has a more spiritual aim, the contemplation and comprehension of life itself, whereby active meditation aims at a better physical condition, stress control through understanding of the processes that lead to stress, mental clarity and generally just feeling better.
There are different schools or types of yoga, which are called paths. All of them have in common the search for the path of enlightenment.
Bhakti yoga, for example, has as its aim love and devotion. The practice itself is very ceremonious, with a lot of rituals such lighting incense and chanting mantras. It is closely linked to another person, called the guru, basically a mentor or sponsor. Everybody who practices Bhakti yoga is free to develop a relationship with God as he or she understands him. And it is so attractive because at its center is the inherent desire of all creatures to love and to be loved
A meditation discipline that focuses almost entirely on the physical aspect of yoga is Hatha. The person who practices it has to be physically strong and to be able to spend a lot of time on his or her physical processes. The aim is to clean the nervous system and make the body stronger. So strong, in fact, that a yogi (a person spending many years practicing specific meditation exercises) can reach a state where he doesn’t feel anymore the heat or the cold and is indifferent to pleasure and pain.
The total opposite of this physically oriented yoga practice is Jnana yoga. Here the body is seen more like an impediment for reaching true wisdom and its unclean aspects like puss or feces are emphasized in order to cause disdain for the physical existence. Jnana is about developing wisdom and insight and the realization of the fact that what we experience here on earth is just the transcendent aspect of the eternal.
Last but not least there is Karma yoga, which is about being of service to fellow human beings and God. It is the perfect discipline for those people with a deeply developed sense of community who seek to build the kingdom of heaven here on earth.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Yoga
Showing posts with label Devotion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Devotion. Show all posts
March 1, 2009
Karma Yoga - Part 2 For Life & Spirtual Liberation
There is a story in the Ramayana, one of the great kings, Janaka, who besides being a Rishi, was also a perfect Karma Yogi. The Ramayana is one of the sacred epics of Hindu tradition and religion.
This is a story of spiritual liberation for everyone.
A Rishi is a wise and scholarly saint, who has attained all possible knowledge in a certain area. King Janaka had attained this (and more) as a perfect Karma Yogi was said to have also attained Moska, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
What is Karma Yoga?
Karma Yoga, or the “discipline of action” is based on the teachings of the Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita, the holiest of Hindu scriptures. As one of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga requires the adherence to one?s duty (swadarma) while remaining detached from the reward. Simply, It is the yoga of performance of ?right action?.
What is right action?
Right action is compliance with your Swadharma (personal right duty-action). Thus each thing you do, is harmony with the Creator, Creation and your purpose for life. We all know what we should be doing. It ?feels? correct.
More specifically, and your life?s work done must be without expectations, motives, or anticipation of its outcome. Doing so, it purifies one’s mind and enables an individual to comprehend the wisdom is so doing.
Why does Karma Yoga help? What can it do for you?
Karma Yoga, practiced in daily life enables an individual worthy, through action, meditation and devotion to develop the power of reasoning, develop their intuitive power to acquiring knowledge and finally to transcend the mind itself.
What do I do next?
You practice daily the 3 Ds?Devotion, Duty and Discipline. This is the secret of performing Karma Yoga.
Devotion
Is gained through, if nothing else, understanding the magnitude and greatness of the Creator?s work. This is the first step to becoming a Karma Yogi, and you cannot proceed without it. It never fails, even just to glance at the heavens, and let one?s mind wander, you will become devoted. The more you reflect on creation, the more you are drawn to the creator.
Duty (swadharma).
Often “duty” is referred to as “righteousness”. You will incur demerit if you shun your duty. In Karma Yoga, the whole thing is about achieving merit, Your duty is towards God, or Self, or the Inner Teacher who teaches you through all the specific circumstances of your life as they appear. Karma Yoga teaches that God is the doer, not you
Discipline. Each work you do, each task is a sort of teacher or lesson. You know you can learn different skills by doing different jobs.
You also know that each job has different requirements in terms of time, degrees of concentration, skills or experience, emotional input and output, physical energy, and will.
A Karma Yogi will do whatever job or task well, and in full compliance according to your Swadharma.
The message of Karma Yoga is this:
When you do any action that is in harmony with the Creator and Creation, you are never egotistically motivated.
You also no longer maintain compulsive desires relative to the future. With this eradication of compulsive desire, you are able to live in the ever-present, with the understanding that present actions influence the future, so you live without being bound to the future.
It is a basic spiritual law that all desires carries within themself the motive force for their fulfillment.
That is, if an experience is possible to have in this natural world, and we desire it, we are subconsciously pushed toward it or attract it to ourselves.
Spiritual liberation
The adherence then, to correct action, through Karma Yoga can lead then to our ultimate spiritual liberation.
More FREE Information
On karma yoga and other alternative health and spiritual matters, go to our website for free articles, downloads and magazines:
http://www.net-planet.org
This is a story of spiritual liberation for everyone.
A Rishi is a wise and scholarly saint, who has attained all possible knowledge in a certain area. King Janaka had attained this (and more) as a perfect Karma Yogi was said to have also attained Moska, or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
What is Karma Yoga?
Karma Yoga, or the “discipline of action” is based on the teachings of the Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita, the holiest of Hindu scriptures. As one of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga requires the adherence to one?s duty (swadarma) while remaining detached from the reward. Simply, It is the yoga of performance of ?right action?.
What is right action?
Right action is compliance with your Swadharma (personal right duty-action). Thus each thing you do, is harmony with the Creator, Creation and your purpose for life. We all know what we should be doing. It ?feels? correct.
More specifically, and your life?s work done must be without expectations, motives, or anticipation of its outcome. Doing so, it purifies one’s mind and enables an individual to comprehend the wisdom is so doing.
Why does Karma Yoga help? What can it do for you?
Karma Yoga, practiced in daily life enables an individual worthy, through action, meditation and devotion to develop the power of reasoning, develop their intuitive power to acquiring knowledge and finally to transcend the mind itself.
What do I do next?
You practice daily the 3 Ds?Devotion, Duty and Discipline. This is the secret of performing Karma Yoga.
Devotion
Is gained through, if nothing else, understanding the magnitude and greatness of the Creator?s work. This is the first step to becoming a Karma Yogi, and you cannot proceed without it. It never fails, even just to glance at the heavens, and let one?s mind wander, you will become devoted. The more you reflect on creation, the more you are drawn to the creator.
Duty (swadharma).
Often “duty” is referred to as “righteousness”. You will incur demerit if you shun your duty. In Karma Yoga, the whole thing is about achieving merit, Your duty is towards God, or Self, or the Inner Teacher who teaches you through all the specific circumstances of your life as they appear. Karma Yoga teaches that God is the doer, not you
Discipline. Each work you do, each task is a sort of teacher or lesson. You know you can learn different skills by doing different jobs.
You also know that each job has different requirements in terms of time, degrees of concentration, skills or experience, emotional input and output, physical energy, and will.
A Karma Yogi will do whatever job or task well, and in full compliance according to your Swadharma.
The message of Karma Yoga is this:
When you do any action that is in harmony with the Creator and Creation, you are never egotistically motivated.
You also no longer maintain compulsive desires relative to the future. With this eradication of compulsive desire, you are able to live in the ever-present, with the understanding that present actions influence the future, so you live without being bound to the future.
It is a basic spiritual law that all desires carries within themself the motive force for their fulfillment.
That is, if an experience is possible to have in this natural world, and we desire it, we are subconsciously pushed toward it or attract it to ourselves.
Spiritual liberation
The adherence then, to correct action, through Karma Yoga can lead then to our ultimate spiritual liberation.
More FREE Information
On karma yoga and other alternative health and spiritual matters, go to our website for free articles, downloads and magazines:
http://www.net-planet.org
February 27, 2009
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.
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.
Knowing More About Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti means devotion or faith. It can be devotion towards your fellow men as well as for the need we are living in this world. The devotion towards your god no matter which faith you are. It is the faith towards the Supreme Being which some may believe and some may not.
The thought is about how devoted you are towards the path you have taken. It is the energy which denotes the path and how important is the path for you. It talks about your full devotion towards the direction you have taken and the values for which you are standing by.
It is also a bond of love which grows between the one who prays to the one he prays to. It talks about love and devotion transcending all the boundaries you must have ever known about. It is not the physical attribute which creates the impact; it is spiritual, which creates unison of mind and soul.
It is one of methods to gain your spiritual path and gaining immense self-awareness which would be very hard to find. Looking into your heart and soul just makes things crystal clear. Need for a mind which is clear from all worries and attachment, for undivided attention to the devoted path.
It talks about love, devotion and knowledge in all forms which can bring a bright change in your life. It can create immense presence of your being in the beautiful world. It is beyond religion, a search for higher ground with your devotion (Bhakti). It is a form of love creating a merger between you and the outside world. It is a process to gather knowledge and also provide it to the one who needs it.
Kevin Pederson, the webmaster for Yogawiz, www.yogawiz.com which gives you everything you wanted to know about yoga and also goes beyond exercise, breathing techniques and attain more than you seek.
To learn about Bhakit yoga for devotion or complete faith click here ==>http://www.yogawiz.com
The thought is about how devoted you are towards the path you have taken. It is the energy which denotes the path and how important is the path for you. It talks about your full devotion towards the direction you have taken and the values for which you are standing by.
It is also a bond of love which grows between the one who prays to the one he prays to. It talks about love and devotion transcending all the boundaries you must have ever known about. It is not the physical attribute which creates the impact; it is spiritual, which creates unison of mind and soul.
It is one of methods to gain your spiritual path and gaining immense self-awareness which would be very hard to find. Looking into your heart and soul just makes things crystal clear. Need for a mind which is clear from all worries and attachment, for undivided attention to the devoted path.
It talks about love, devotion and knowledge in all forms which can bring a bright change in your life. It can create immense presence of your being in the beautiful world. It is beyond religion, a search for higher ground with your devotion (Bhakti). It is a form of love creating a merger between you and the outside world. It is a process to gather knowledge and also provide it to the one who needs it.
Kevin Pederson, the webmaster for Yogawiz, www.yogawiz.com which gives you everything you wanted to know about yoga and also goes beyond exercise, breathing techniques and attain more than you seek.
To learn about Bhakit yoga for devotion or complete faith click here ==>http://www.yogawiz.com
February 26, 2009
Yoga in Practice: Bhakti Yoga
If Yoga were like fine wine, Hatha Yoga would surely be the wine for export. It could be said that Raja Yoga and Kundalini Yoga got a fairly strong foothold outside India, as well. All of these forms of Yoga have many aspects, but the physical aspect is what lures most Yoga students - outside of India.
Bhakti Yoga, on the other hand, is a spiritual form of Yoga and is very commonly practiced within India. Bhakti Yoga is union by love and devotion to God. Therefore, this is the form of Yoga that really does have a deep spiritual aspect and a connection to Hinduism. This spiritual, and religious, aspect is possibly the reason why Bhakti Yoga has not managed to proliferate as well as Hatha Yoga, which is Union by physical mastery.
Could Bhakti Yoga be practiced by a Yoga practitioner who is not a Hindu? Let?s ask, for example, could a Christian, Moslem, or Jew practice Bhakti Yoga and stay within the confines of his or her religion? Some already do.
This could be considered sectarian Yoga, when a number of Yoga practitioners, of the same religion, gather to worship, meditate, pray, sing, or chant. Attachment to God is not reserved to any one specific religion. Therefore, in principle, Bhakti Yoga can be practiced by members of any religion.
There are many more types of Bhakti classifications, but I will name two basic classifications. Nishkamya Bhakti is praise to God for all that you have. This is appreciation and acceptance of all your situations, relationships, and everything else. Instead of being a seeker, you are now a ?finder? of all that is good in your life. In turn, you will easily be able to project loving kindness to others.
In contrast, there is also Sakamya Bhakti. This is devotion to God with the desire for gaining something. The objective could be material gain, to free yourself from an ailment, or to gain power of some kind. In time of need is when most people pray to God. This is a common thread in all of us, and surprisingly our prayers are answered in a positive way.
It is important to understand that Bhakti Yoga is much more complex than this simplified explanation that I have presented. However, the principles of Bhakti Yoga are there for all Yoga students of every religion.
Interestingly, I have heard strong arguments against ?oneness? with God. The theory is that God will only let us so close, as we are imperfect. It is true that humans are imperfect, but there is no harm in self-improvement or Yoga.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Bhakti Yoga, on the other hand, is a spiritual form of Yoga and is very commonly practiced within India. Bhakti Yoga is union by love and devotion to God. Therefore, this is the form of Yoga that really does have a deep spiritual aspect and a connection to Hinduism. This spiritual, and religious, aspect is possibly the reason why Bhakti Yoga has not managed to proliferate as well as Hatha Yoga, which is Union by physical mastery.
Could Bhakti Yoga be practiced by a Yoga practitioner who is not a Hindu? Let?s ask, for example, could a Christian, Moslem, or Jew practice Bhakti Yoga and stay within the confines of his or her religion? Some already do.
This could be considered sectarian Yoga, when a number of Yoga practitioners, of the same religion, gather to worship, meditate, pray, sing, or chant. Attachment to God is not reserved to any one specific religion. Therefore, in principle, Bhakti Yoga can be practiced by members of any religion.
There are many more types of Bhakti classifications, but I will name two basic classifications. Nishkamya Bhakti is praise to God for all that you have. This is appreciation and acceptance of all your situations, relationships, and everything else. Instead of being a seeker, you are now a ?finder? of all that is good in your life. In turn, you will easily be able to project loving kindness to others.
In contrast, there is also Sakamya Bhakti. This is devotion to God with the desire for gaining something. The objective could be material gain, to free yourself from an ailment, or to gain power of some kind. In time of need is when most people pray to God. This is a common thread in all of us, and surprisingly our prayers are answered in a positive way.
It is important to understand that Bhakti Yoga is much more complex than this simplified explanation that I have presented. However, the principles of Bhakti Yoga are there for all Yoga students of every religion.
Interestingly, I have heard strong arguments against ?oneness? with God. The theory is that God will only let us so close, as we are imperfect. It is true that humans are imperfect, but there is no harm in self-improvement or Yoga.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
February 25, 2009
Hot Yoga - Sweeping Away an Image
There are many benefits in using Bikram Yoga, which is a form of yoga that can totally change your life.
Bikram Yoga or Bikram Method Yoga, is widely known as ?hot yoga?. And was developed by Bikram Choudhury, who is 60 this year. Based now in the US, he is, of course, a yoga practitioner himself and he developed Bikram Yoga after injuring himself in a weightlifting accident.
Since then, many have proven the benefits of Bikram Yoga, so the practice has grown.
Some people practice Bikram Yoga for healing purposes and physical therapy. This type of yoga has proven helpful in bringing holistic (whole body) benefits, to those who practice it.
In order to be successful, with the healing processes, of Bikram Yoga, you need real devotion, because it is practiced in rooms with a recommended temperature of a minimum of 105 degrees farenheit and about 40% humidity.
This temperature is important because:-
- It (ironically) keeps the body from overheating
- To protect the muscles allowing for deeper stretching
- So that toxins are encourage to be ?sweated out? through open pores
- To thin the blood and encourage much better circulation
- It gives a better cardiovascular workout
- It improves muscle strength
- Fats in the body seem to be made more fluid and more easily cleared from the body
With this type of yoga, muscles are given a thorough workover. Cellular level lipids and proteins are reorganize optimally in such conditions, allowing for better circulation.
Joint strength and muscular alignment are better co-ordinated and together with strengthened bones, the organs of the immune system within the bones (red marrow) are boosted. It is a whole-body developmental experience.
The lymph nodes are massaged, lymph is pumped throughout the body, and white blood cells are distributed throughout the body as the lymphatic system works more efficiently.
Although there are some who do not believe in the benefits of Bikram Yoga. Bikram Choudhury developed it with the help of scientists from the University of Tokyo University Hospital.
They proved that Bikram Yoga has medical benefits including the repairing of tissues and curing chronic ailments. As early as 1972 the findings and benefits were presented at an International Medical Conference where it was confirmed scientifically that Bikram Yoga has the ability to affect the body internally.
Bikram has come up with twenty-six different posture exercises which are related, each working with previous postures, in a sequence, to treat the body effectively. This is a daily experience, where possible to maximise the benefit.
Anyone who wants to do yoga can use Biktam Yoga. It is not age specific. Because of the demanding nature of this type of yoga, if the body is weak, applying the practice and consequent healing will be difficult to achieve.
Thanks to Bikram Choudhury, we can now have some alternative solutions to some of our medical problems which really have been shown to be effective.
Always remember that the more you are able to practice this type of yoga, the more beneficial it is, but be careful to ensure that you are fit enough for it by having a medical check first.
? 2006 Martin Haworth has a useful website with lots of information for those new to yoga as well as extended information for experts. Check it out at
http://www.makethemostofyouryoga.com
Bikram Yoga or Bikram Method Yoga, is widely known as ?hot yoga?. And was developed by Bikram Choudhury, who is 60 this year. Based now in the US, he is, of course, a yoga practitioner himself and he developed Bikram Yoga after injuring himself in a weightlifting accident.
Since then, many have proven the benefits of Bikram Yoga, so the practice has grown.
Some people practice Bikram Yoga for healing purposes and physical therapy. This type of yoga has proven helpful in bringing holistic (whole body) benefits, to those who practice it.
In order to be successful, with the healing processes, of Bikram Yoga, you need real devotion, because it is practiced in rooms with a recommended temperature of a minimum of 105 degrees farenheit and about 40% humidity.
This temperature is important because:-
- It (ironically) keeps the body from overheating
- To protect the muscles allowing for deeper stretching
- So that toxins are encourage to be ?sweated out? through open pores
- To thin the blood and encourage much better circulation
- It gives a better cardiovascular workout
- It improves muscle strength
- Fats in the body seem to be made more fluid and more easily cleared from the body
With this type of yoga, muscles are given a thorough workover. Cellular level lipids and proteins are reorganize optimally in such conditions, allowing for better circulation.
Joint strength and muscular alignment are better co-ordinated and together with strengthened bones, the organs of the immune system within the bones (red marrow) are boosted. It is a whole-body developmental experience.
The lymph nodes are massaged, lymph is pumped throughout the body, and white blood cells are distributed throughout the body as the lymphatic system works more efficiently.
Although there are some who do not believe in the benefits of Bikram Yoga. Bikram Choudhury developed it with the help of scientists from the University of Tokyo University Hospital.
They proved that Bikram Yoga has medical benefits including the repairing of tissues and curing chronic ailments. As early as 1972 the findings and benefits were presented at an International Medical Conference where it was confirmed scientifically that Bikram Yoga has the ability to affect the body internally.
Bikram has come up with twenty-six different posture exercises which are related, each working with previous postures, in a sequence, to treat the body effectively. This is a daily experience, where possible to maximise the benefit.
Anyone who wants to do yoga can use Biktam Yoga. It is not age specific. Because of the demanding nature of this type of yoga, if the body is weak, applying the practice and consequent healing will be difficult to achieve.
Thanks to Bikram Choudhury, we can now have some alternative solutions to some of our medical problems which really have been shown to be effective.
Always remember that the more you are able to practice this type of yoga, the more beneficial it is, but be careful to ensure that you are fit enough for it by having a medical check first.
? 2006 Martin Haworth has a useful website with lots of information for those new to yoga as well as extended information for experts. Check it out at
http://www.makethemostofyouryoga.com
The Truth About Options for Yoga Teachers, Part 7
Mommy and Me Yoga: These classes are popular enough to be a regular weekly class. Yoga studios do have them, but they are also popular at dance studios, child care centers, martial arts studios, and ?kid friendly? fitness complexes.
The Yoga teacher, who considers teaching in a Mommy and Me Yoga class, must have ?the patience of a saint.? Teaching children Yoga is one hurdle that many Yoga instructors don?t want to jump over, but teaching toddlers with their mothers, in the same class, is quite another matter.
Therefore, carefully establish guidelines to keep everyone?s behavior in control. You may start out with ten rules, but after a few months I will bet you have many more. Interestingly, I have found that just a few obnoxious parents will, unknowingly, be the cause of rules, and safeguards, for the rest. Such is life - we have laws that most of us would not consider breaking, but always someone comes forth to be the cause of new laws and more rules.
Back to the saintly Yoga teachers who run Mommy and me Yoga classes. If you teach these Yoga classes, you have my deepest respect and I congratulate you.
I have never run one of these Yoga classes, but did once have the experience of teaching children, and their parents, martial arts - in a joint setting. Notice, I said ?did once have? ? one parent single handedly created 30 new rules before he was finally dismissed. By the way, his child is still welcomed. He was my personal test of patience.
Religious Yoga: Most people, outside India, discount the value of Bhakti Yoga. This is a serious mistake for the masses to be so involved in buying, gathering, and consuming materials, that ?we cannot see the forest from the trees.? With the condition of the world today, there has never been a better time to pray for peace, tolerance, a return to traditional values, and preservation of the families.
Bhakti Yoga is the Yoga for divine worship and devotion to God. It helps, if you practice this with other Yoga practitioners who share your same religious beliefs. This will avoid conflicts and create a strong bond within the group. This form of Yoga has not become as popular outside of India.
Perhaps this is the one link that is often missing in Yoga practice. Yoga is not a ?soulless? or a mechanical practice. The connection to God is enhanced through prayer, meditation, singing, and Yoga practice.
Do not worry; Yoga is an equal opportunity practice. Yoga can be integrated with any religion. Yoga does not discriminate, or justify hate crimes, against people who think or worship differently than we do.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
The Yoga teacher, who considers teaching in a Mommy and Me Yoga class, must have ?the patience of a saint.? Teaching children Yoga is one hurdle that many Yoga instructors don?t want to jump over, but teaching toddlers with their mothers, in the same class, is quite another matter.
Therefore, carefully establish guidelines to keep everyone?s behavior in control. You may start out with ten rules, but after a few months I will bet you have many more. Interestingly, I have found that just a few obnoxious parents will, unknowingly, be the cause of rules, and safeguards, for the rest. Such is life - we have laws that most of us would not consider breaking, but always someone comes forth to be the cause of new laws and more rules.
Back to the saintly Yoga teachers who run Mommy and me Yoga classes. If you teach these Yoga classes, you have my deepest respect and I congratulate you.
I have never run one of these Yoga classes, but did once have the experience of teaching children, and their parents, martial arts - in a joint setting. Notice, I said ?did once have? ? one parent single handedly created 30 new rules before he was finally dismissed. By the way, his child is still welcomed. He was my personal test of patience.
Religious Yoga: Most people, outside India, discount the value of Bhakti Yoga. This is a serious mistake for the masses to be so involved in buying, gathering, and consuming materials, that ?we cannot see the forest from the trees.? With the condition of the world today, there has never been a better time to pray for peace, tolerance, a return to traditional values, and preservation of the families.
Bhakti Yoga is the Yoga for divine worship and devotion to God. It helps, if you practice this with other Yoga practitioners who share your same religious beliefs. This will avoid conflicts and create a strong bond within the group. This form of Yoga has not become as popular outside of India.
Perhaps this is the one link that is often missing in Yoga practice. Yoga is not a ?soulless? or a mechanical practice. The connection to God is enhanced through prayer, meditation, singing, and Yoga practice.
Do not worry; Yoga is an equal opportunity practice. Yoga can be integrated with any religion. Yoga does not discriminate, or justify hate crimes, against people who think or worship differently than we do.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
February 24, 2009
Bhakti Yoga - The Science of Devotion
Bhakti means devotion to the Almighty. Bhakti yoga deals with devotion to God and achieving the union with him. This is the easiest of all yoga types. This branch of yoga teaches the relation between the devotee and the divine. It does not involve any technical or complicated procedures. There is no need of any intellectual capacity to master this yoga. It has appealed to the common man because it gives him a feeling security and develops a kind of reliance and dependence on the object of his devotion.
Bhakti yoga assumes that there is a higher power that has created the universe and is all-powerful. This power has the capacity to confer grace and mercy on him and thus protecting him from all the harms and evils. The devotee or bhakta is expected to make himself fit for receiving this divine grace. For this, he has to practice devotion and virtue. His ultimate goal should be to unite with this divine power and rest eternally in happiness and peace. The devotee surrenders all his motives and acts to the Divine Power. He renounces all the responsibilities towards the good or bad consequences of all his actions and ascribes it to the will of the Supreme.
Devotion and faith play a vital role in this branch of yoga. The devotee or bhakta is supposed to be highly religious, should adopt a friendly stance towards all the other living beings including animals, read religious texts, concentrate on the symbol of the Divine, think and wish well for the others etc. The beauty of this yoga lies in its simplicity. This has made it one of the most appealing of all the yoga types. Following this yoga develops the peace of mind in an individual. A peaceful individual will always think happy and prosperous thoughts and will thus lead a happy life.
Kevin Pederson, the webmaster for Yogawiz, mentions the importance of yoga and Bhakti Yoga . Bhakti yoga is a devotional branch of yoga which teaches a person to ascribe all the events in his life to Divine Will.
Bhakti yoga assumes that there is a higher power that has created the universe and is all-powerful. This power has the capacity to confer grace and mercy on him and thus protecting him from all the harms and evils. The devotee or bhakta is expected to make himself fit for receiving this divine grace. For this, he has to practice devotion and virtue. His ultimate goal should be to unite with this divine power and rest eternally in happiness and peace. The devotee surrenders all his motives and acts to the Divine Power. He renounces all the responsibilities towards the good or bad consequences of all his actions and ascribes it to the will of the Supreme.
Devotion and faith play a vital role in this branch of yoga. The devotee or bhakta is supposed to be highly religious, should adopt a friendly stance towards all the other living beings including animals, read religious texts, concentrate on the symbol of the Divine, think and wish well for the others etc. The beauty of this yoga lies in its simplicity. This has made it one of the most appealing of all the yoga types. Following this yoga develops the peace of mind in an individual. A peaceful individual will always think happy and prosperous thoughts and will thus lead a happy life.
Kevin Pederson, the webmaster for Yogawiz, mentions the importance of yoga and Bhakti Yoga . Bhakti yoga is a devotional branch of yoga which teaches a person to ascribe all the events in his life to Divine Will.
The Heart of a Yoga Practice: Dedicating Your Efforts
There are a variety of reasons people begin practicing yoga. Many wonder what all the fuss is about, some have heard that it can help with flexibility and strength, and others wonder about the stress relief benefits. More than fifteen million Americans have stepped on the mat and have explored how yoga can enrich their lives, but many only see the physical benefits. Despite the growing popularity of yoga, many instructors are left wondering if many people are really missing the true purpose of the practice.
What are yoga students missing when they are only taking class to lose weight, become fit, or relieve stress? They are missing the heart of the practice and the chance to make significant positive changes in their lives. When going to a yoga class becomes something greater than just something you do for yourself every now and again, you begin to realize that it is not just about you anymore. Dedicating the practice to something greater than yourself is what draws the distinction between just doing exercise and practicing yoga.
These days, it seems that the mention of dedication, or devotion, can be a tricky subject in yoga class. People tend to be unresponsive when the idea of the divine is mentioned. It is important for yoga practitioners to know that the philosophy of yoga is inextricably linked with divinity, no matter what name is given to it or how it is incorporated. Yoga was built on the idea that there is a force greater than ourselves, and yet we are still connected to it. This is the idea of Oneness, and the idea is more than fairly comforting. Others who are religious fear a conflicting of faiths by believing in the spirituality of yoga; however, Swami Satchidananda said, ?The Truth is one, the paths are many.? Therefore, people of any faith or belief can practice yoga. Even if a practioner of yoga does not believe in any form of divinity, this does not present a problem. They must simply recognize that the nature of all beings is joy and try to connect with that.
Now that we?ve gotten that sticky subject out of the way, I want to explain this idea of dedicating your practice in greater detail. It?s not even so much about dedication as it is relinquishing or letting go of everything whether they be worries, fears, misunderstandings, or hang-ups. My teacher, Sharon Gannon, always promotes the idea that ?You?ve got to get down to get up.? What she means is that you need to be rooted in the here and now and be able to let go of all the fruits of your actions. Why, you ask? Why shouldn?t you just keep on doing yoga to perfect your chatturangas, balance longer in tree pose, and get that yoga butt? The answer is a simple one. What are all those things going to get you in the long run?
Sure, nailing that Chatturanga feels great, and deepening your Hanumanasana (splits pose) can give you a bit of a rush. I?m not denying that one bit, but what is the true purpose behind the motions? Yoga practice can help you to break a cycle, stop bad habits, and transform your life. Yes, it can do all of those things, but you have to let it. You see, you can?t acquire yoga like you can dance steps or aerobic maneuvers; you have to let go of what is obscuring it. You have to let go of your preferences and simply be in the moment as a divine being.
So why do asana at all if you?re not supposed to be attached to the outcome? Because the asanas help to show you the interior of your own mind, they clearly point out what you?re holding on to and what you still need to work through. They transform you into the tree or the warrior and make you see what it is like to step outside of yourself, even for the briefest of moments. Asana also gives you the chance to see that both the world and you yourself are constantly changing. This, in turn, gives you the opportunity to find what is real and unchanging.
When you realize that the purpose of your yoga practice is not to keep you rooted in this world, but to let you move through it, you begin to have faith in your ability to reach the divine with your actions. It can ignite the soul and give you a sense of renewed dignity and worth. Because you know that you?re not just performing the motions for your own benefit, the sense of satisfaction from your practice can grow beyond the mat. For example, have you ever had the opportunity to offer selfless service to another? Maybe you?ve adopted a pet and taken on the full responsibility of loving and caring for it, and, in exchange, all you have received is unconditional love from them for giving happiness and freedom. This is what the act of devotion is all about?realizing that it?s not all about the wishes and wants you only think you need.
When you start letting go of the selfish motives for practice and try to connect with something greater, you inspire your own ability to love. This is the nature of the spirit, and connecting with that is the ultimate goal of yoga practice. Samadhi is union with the divine, a connection with the source, which is true love. Everything else is negligible. As my teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, would say, ?The sheer desire for Oneness is the way to it.?
Realizing that all the beings in this world are connected in this way is a remarkable step for the yogi. Once the lines between ?you? and ?them? begin to fade, you realize how important it is to share love and a sense of gratitude with everyone around you.
Copyright 2006 Alanna Kaivalya
Alanna Kaivalya is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga instructor who teaches nationally and internationally. Her favorite element of yoga is the practice of deep listening ? Nada Yoga ? which helps to connect her to the divine vibrations everywhere. To download her podcasts, contact her or to invite her to teach, please visit her website, http://www.jivadiva.com
What are yoga students missing when they are only taking class to lose weight, become fit, or relieve stress? They are missing the heart of the practice and the chance to make significant positive changes in their lives. When going to a yoga class becomes something greater than just something you do for yourself every now and again, you begin to realize that it is not just about you anymore. Dedicating the practice to something greater than yourself is what draws the distinction between just doing exercise and practicing yoga.
These days, it seems that the mention of dedication, or devotion, can be a tricky subject in yoga class. People tend to be unresponsive when the idea of the divine is mentioned. It is important for yoga practitioners to know that the philosophy of yoga is inextricably linked with divinity, no matter what name is given to it or how it is incorporated. Yoga was built on the idea that there is a force greater than ourselves, and yet we are still connected to it. This is the idea of Oneness, and the idea is more than fairly comforting. Others who are religious fear a conflicting of faiths by believing in the spirituality of yoga; however, Swami Satchidananda said, ?The Truth is one, the paths are many.? Therefore, people of any faith or belief can practice yoga. Even if a practioner of yoga does not believe in any form of divinity, this does not present a problem. They must simply recognize that the nature of all beings is joy and try to connect with that.
Now that we?ve gotten that sticky subject out of the way, I want to explain this idea of dedicating your practice in greater detail. It?s not even so much about dedication as it is relinquishing or letting go of everything whether they be worries, fears, misunderstandings, or hang-ups. My teacher, Sharon Gannon, always promotes the idea that ?You?ve got to get down to get up.? What she means is that you need to be rooted in the here and now and be able to let go of all the fruits of your actions. Why, you ask? Why shouldn?t you just keep on doing yoga to perfect your chatturangas, balance longer in tree pose, and get that yoga butt? The answer is a simple one. What are all those things going to get you in the long run?
Sure, nailing that Chatturanga feels great, and deepening your Hanumanasana (splits pose) can give you a bit of a rush. I?m not denying that one bit, but what is the true purpose behind the motions? Yoga practice can help you to break a cycle, stop bad habits, and transform your life. Yes, it can do all of those things, but you have to let it. You see, you can?t acquire yoga like you can dance steps or aerobic maneuvers; you have to let go of what is obscuring it. You have to let go of your preferences and simply be in the moment as a divine being.
So why do asana at all if you?re not supposed to be attached to the outcome? Because the asanas help to show you the interior of your own mind, they clearly point out what you?re holding on to and what you still need to work through. They transform you into the tree or the warrior and make you see what it is like to step outside of yourself, even for the briefest of moments. Asana also gives you the chance to see that both the world and you yourself are constantly changing. This, in turn, gives you the opportunity to find what is real and unchanging.
When you realize that the purpose of your yoga practice is not to keep you rooted in this world, but to let you move through it, you begin to have faith in your ability to reach the divine with your actions. It can ignite the soul and give you a sense of renewed dignity and worth. Because you know that you?re not just performing the motions for your own benefit, the sense of satisfaction from your practice can grow beyond the mat. For example, have you ever had the opportunity to offer selfless service to another? Maybe you?ve adopted a pet and taken on the full responsibility of loving and caring for it, and, in exchange, all you have received is unconditional love from them for giving happiness and freedom. This is what the act of devotion is all about?realizing that it?s not all about the wishes and wants you only think you need.
When you start letting go of the selfish motives for practice and try to connect with something greater, you inspire your own ability to love. This is the nature of the spirit, and connecting with that is the ultimate goal of yoga practice. Samadhi is union with the divine, a connection with the source, which is true love. Everything else is negligible. As my teachers, Sharon Gannon and David Life, would say, ?The sheer desire for Oneness is the way to it.?
Realizing that all the beings in this world are connected in this way is a remarkable step for the yogi. Once the lines between ?you? and ?them? begin to fade, you realize how important it is to share love and a sense of gratitude with everyone around you.
Copyright 2006 Alanna Kaivalya
Alanna Kaivalya is an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga instructor who teaches nationally and internationally. Her favorite element of yoga is the practice of deep listening ? Nada Yoga ? which helps to connect her to the divine vibrations everywhere. To download her podcasts, contact her or to invite her to teach, please visit her website, http://www.jivadiva.com
February 23, 2009
OOBE- Out of Body Experience is Real!
An interesting incident in the life of Ramana will explain about OOBE.
?Vasishtha Ganapathi muni? proclaimed Ramana of Thiruvannamalai, India,as ?Maharishi? meaning ?Great Sage? to the whole world.
Once ‘Ganapathi muni’ went to Thiruvotriur , now a part of Chennai, India. He started doing penance in the Ganehsa Temple. On the eighteenth day a strange thing happened. The Muni was wide awake, sitting and meditating. He suddenly saw Ramana there. Surprised he got up hurriedly with devotion welling up in his heart; but Ramana put his hand on the Muni?s head and made him sit down. The Muni was surprised and thrilled because the whole world knows that Ramana has never moved out of Thiruvannamalai.
When Ramana touched the Muni, a great Force cascaded through his frame. Billows of sheer joy rose from his heart and overflowed. At the same time, what happened to Ramana in Thiruvannamalai, he himself narrated later on in the course of conversation.
At that time, Ramana was as usual sitting in a cave on the hill of Thiruvannamalai.He experienced that from his heart a ray of light rose and darted through his head outside. Along with it Ramana went up the sky traveling on the path of the luminaries. He heard some-where the word Thiruvotriyur and came down. He walked up the road in front of him, saw the Ganesha Temple and entered it.
He spoke to Ganapathi Muni and touched him.
ESP Projection, ?astral projection?, ?out of body experience? are nearly, if not entirely, synonymous terms.
A study of ESP projection was reported by Homell Hart (1954), the chairman of a committee appointed for the purpose at an international congress in Europe. Hart defined a ?full-fledged? projection ideally as a situation in which a ?projected? individual carries within himself ?full memories and purposes? during his projection out of his body and afterwards.
Robert Crookall devoted nine volumes to out of body experiences. South African investigator J.CPoynton has collected 122 cases. English researcher Celia Green has brought 326 cases.
Astral body can be explained as an exact replica of the physical body but composed of finer matter.
Coming back to Ramana?s incident, Ramana exclaimed that he understood the way the Siddhas (meaning perfect souls or sages) travel in the air from place to place.
The OOBE experience is a step in Yoga siddhi (meaning one of the benefits of Yoga).
One who understands yoga and practice it could very easily understand OOBE.
S Nagarajan is a vehicle body engineer by profession. He has written more than 1300 articles in 16 magazines and published 18 books. He is revealing Eastern Secret Wisdom through T.V. Programmes, magazine articles, seminars, courses. His email address is: snagarajans@gmail.com. His articles on Yoga, laughter, efficacy of mantras and sound, Hypnotism, Tele Kinesis, Power of Prayer, Vastu and Feng shui, Auto suggestion, Success Formula etc are regularly appearing in ezinearticles.com
?Vasishtha Ganapathi muni? proclaimed Ramana of Thiruvannamalai, India,as ?Maharishi? meaning ?Great Sage? to the whole world.
Once ‘Ganapathi muni’ went to Thiruvotriur , now a part of Chennai, India. He started doing penance in the Ganehsa Temple. On the eighteenth day a strange thing happened. The Muni was wide awake, sitting and meditating. He suddenly saw Ramana there. Surprised he got up hurriedly with devotion welling up in his heart; but Ramana put his hand on the Muni?s head and made him sit down. The Muni was surprised and thrilled because the whole world knows that Ramana has never moved out of Thiruvannamalai.
When Ramana touched the Muni, a great Force cascaded through his frame. Billows of sheer joy rose from his heart and overflowed. At the same time, what happened to Ramana in Thiruvannamalai, he himself narrated later on in the course of conversation.
At that time, Ramana was as usual sitting in a cave on the hill of Thiruvannamalai.He experienced that from his heart a ray of light rose and darted through his head outside. Along with it Ramana went up the sky traveling on the path of the luminaries. He heard some-where the word Thiruvotriyur and came down. He walked up the road in front of him, saw the Ganesha Temple and entered it.
He spoke to Ganapathi Muni and touched him.
ESP Projection, ?astral projection?, ?out of body experience? are nearly, if not entirely, synonymous terms.
A study of ESP projection was reported by Homell Hart (1954), the chairman of a committee appointed for the purpose at an international congress in Europe. Hart defined a ?full-fledged? projection ideally as a situation in which a ?projected? individual carries within himself ?full memories and purposes? during his projection out of his body and afterwards.
Robert Crookall devoted nine volumes to out of body experiences. South African investigator J.CPoynton has collected 122 cases. English researcher Celia Green has brought 326 cases.
Astral body can be explained as an exact replica of the physical body but composed of finer matter.
Coming back to Ramana?s incident, Ramana exclaimed that he understood the way the Siddhas (meaning perfect souls or sages) travel in the air from place to place.
The OOBE experience is a step in Yoga siddhi (meaning one of the benefits of Yoga).
One who understands yoga and practice it could very easily understand OOBE.
S Nagarajan is a vehicle body engineer by profession. He has written more than 1300 articles in 16 magazines and published 18 books. He is revealing Eastern Secret Wisdom through T.V. Programmes, magazine articles, seminars, courses. His email address is: snagarajans@gmail.com. His articles on Yoga, laughter, efficacy of mantras and sound, Hypnotism, Tele Kinesis, Power of Prayer, Vastu and Feng shui, Auto suggestion, Success Formula etc are regularly appearing in ezinearticles.com
Yoga in Practice: In Search of the Perfect Yoga - Part 3
This is the last in this series of answers to statements about Yoga students who are searching for the perfect Yoga, or the perfect Guru.
?You can?t teach me anything about Yoga, I already know it.?
You are absolutely right. There is an old Chinese saying, ?A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood.? In other words, a closed mind still must go through a deep awakening process to reach its complete potential.
However, I am getting on in years, and do not have the desire to teach the intolerant, or those who already know everything. My answer to this student is: You are right, and please stay with your current Guru.
It should come as no surprise that, very often, the student who says he or he already knows everything, does not and never had a Guru. If intolerance cannot be purged from within a particular Yoga student, he or she should be banished by any self-respecting Guru.
Life is too short to waste your time teaching those who don?t want to learn. In talking to my colleagues, I have found similar sentiments. Who among you wants to waste your time?
?What could I get out of Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, or Jnana Yoga??
Each of these styles has so much to offer, but they could be classified, for the most part, as non-physical styles of Yoga. Let?s briefly take a look at each one.
Bhakti Yoga is most often practiced within India. Bhakti Yoga literally means -unity through devotion to God. Therefore, this is a sectarian practice, most often practiced by Hindus. However, there are Jews, Christians, and Moslems who practice Yoga exclusively with members of their own religion. The practice of Bhakti Yoga is deeply spiritual.
Karma Yoga is unity through selfless service; also known as the Yoga of action. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. could be considered Karma Yogis. Both were men of peace and action who ultimately gave their lives for what is right.
Jnana Yoga is unity though knowledge or the path of wisdom. Through Jnana Yoga you will discover truth without delusion or bias. Jnana Yoga requires the serious student to meditate often.
So, now you see the ?big picture? and the need to keep the Yoga community together. Yoga literally means unity or union. Therefore, we must be living examples of it.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
?You can?t teach me anything about Yoga, I already know it.?
You are absolutely right. There is an old Chinese saying, ?A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood.? In other words, a closed mind still must go through a deep awakening process to reach its complete potential.
However, I am getting on in years, and do not have the desire to teach the intolerant, or those who already know everything. My answer to this student is: You are right, and please stay with your current Guru.
It should come as no surprise that, very often, the student who says he or he already knows everything, does not and never had a Guru. If intolerance cannot be purged from within a particular Yoga student, he or she should be banished by any self-respecting Guru.
Life is too short to waste your time teaching those who don?t want to learn. In talking to my colleagues, I have found similar sentiments. Who among you wants to waste your time?
?What could I get out of Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, or Jnana Yoga??
Each of these styles has so much to offer, but they could be classified, for the most part, as non-physical styles of Yoga. Let?s briefly take a look at each one.
Bhakti Yoga is most often practiced within India. Bhakti Yoga literally means -unity through devotion to God. Therefore, this is a sectarian practice, most often practiced by Hindus. However, there are Jews, Christians, and Moslems who practice Yoga exclusively with members of their own religion. The practice of Bhakti Yoga is deeply spiritual.
Karma Yoga is unity through selfless service; also known as the Yoga of action. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. could be considered Karma Yogis. Both were men of peace and action who ultimately gave their lives for what is right.
Jnana Yoga is unity though knowledge or the path of wisdom. Through Jnana Yoga you will discover truth without delusion or bias. Jnana Yoga requires the serious student to meditate often.
So, now you see the ?big picture? and the need to keep the Yoga community together. Yoga literally means unity or union. Therefore, we must be living examples of it.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Yoga in Practice: Projecting Happiness
We are all human, living life with its many ?ups and downs,? but how can we keep our spirits up in difficult times? There are many types of Yoga, and not all are physical styles, like the many popular Hatha Yoga sub-styles. To name one that is not Hatha, and classified as one of the nine main Indian Yoga styles, there is Bhakti Yoga - the union of love, devotion, and worship.
The principle of Bhakti Yoga is universal to all people of all religions. A person who sings, prays, worships, and helps another person is practicing this form of Yoga - whether they have heard of Bhakti Yoga or not. It does not matter what religion you are because singing, praying, worshiping, forgiving, and helping are morally right.
To quote one of the most enlightened men of the 20th century, ?The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.? - Mahatma Gandhi
Therefore, life is a daily Yoga practice, even if you do not attend a Yoga class. When you help others, you are practicing Yoga. It could be argued that you are practicing other forms of Yoga, but that is not the purpose of this article. It is more important to understand that you can help others in many ways, and it does not have to cost you a fortune.
Projecting happiness is free and does not require a lot of money. Here are some ideas that will help you to be happier, and hopefully, more worry free. Whether you are a beginner, Yoga practitioner, Yoga teacher, or Master teacher of Yoga, you should spread happiness to everyone you meet.
Listen to everyone, regardless of his, or her, social status. Let go of judgment; it makes fools of all of us. Pre-judgment is prejudice, and this is the one thing that prevents world peace. To some degree, we all have felt it, but you must discard it, suppress it, and never teach it.
You cannot listen if you are talking at the same time. The wisest and most educated person has learned that the purpose of listening is to understand; understanding is knowledge, and knowledge is power. There are times, when you cannot listen. This could be due to time restraints, the fact that you may have heard it all before, or possibly you do not consider this person?s opinion to be important.
My grandfather had a saying, ?Even the court jester can teach you something about life.? Sometimes, we take the help, or opinions of others, for granted. How many times do we seek more information in order to make the best decision? The final decisions you make, in any given situation are entirely up to you, but when you can sit back and listen, that is time for learning.
Try to avoid arguments and stay the course of peaceful co-existence. You may not always be able to do this, but you should try to improve. You could keep a log of daily situations that end peacefully and those that did not.
This is not meant to make you feel guilty, but it is a course in self-improvement.
You will then see your daily shortcomings and your success. Learn to develop your power of influence for the common good.
It does not matter who is right, especially, if your intention is to proliferate happiness. Related to this, I share one more quote by Mahatma Gandhi.
?What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?? - Mahatma Gandhi
Think about these words, and how you can make the world around you a happier place. This concept is contagious, but it has to come from within and spread worldwide.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
The principle of Bhakti Yoga is universal to all people of all religions. A person who sings, prays, worships, and helps another person is practicing this form of Yoga - whether they have heard of Bhakti Yoga or not. It does not matter what religion you are because singing, praying, worshiping, forgiving, and helping are morally right.
To quote one of the most enlightened men of the 20th century, ?The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.? - Mahatma Gandhi
Therefore, life is a daily Yoga practice, even if you do not attend a Yoga class. When you help others, you are practicing Yoga. It could be argued that you are practicing other forms of Yoga, but that is not the purpose of this article. It is more important to understand that you can help others in many ways, and it does not have to cost you a fortune.
Projecting happiness is free and does not require a lot of money. Here are some ideas that will help you to be happier, and hopefully, more worry free. Whether you are a beginner, Yoga practitioner, Yoga teacher, or Master teacher of Yoga, you should spread happiness to everyone you meet.
Listen to everyone, regardless of his, or her, social status. Let go of judgment; it makes fools of all of us. Pre-judgment is prejudice, and this is the one thing that prevents world peace. To some degree, we all have felt it, but you must discard it, suppress it, and never teach it.
You cannot listen if you are talking at the same time. The wisest and most educated person has learned that the purpose of listening is to understand; understanding is knowledge, and knowledge is power. There are times, when you cannot listen. This could be due to time restraints, the fact that you may have heard it all before, or possibly you do not consider this person?s opinion to be important.
My grandfather had a saying, ?Even the court jester can teach you something about life.? Sometimes, we take the help, or opinions of others, for granted. How many times do we seek more information in order to make the best decision? The final decisions you make, in any given situation are entirely up to you, but when you can sit back and listen, that is time for learning.
Try to avoid arguments and stay the course of peaceful co-existence. You may not always be able to do this, but you should try to improve. You could keep a log of daily situations that end peacefully and those that did not.
This is not meant to make you feel guilty, but it is a course in self-improvement.
You will then see your daily shortcomings and your success. Learn to develop your power of influence for the common good.
It does not matter who is right, especially, if your intention is to proliferate happiness. Related to this, I share one more quote by Mahatma Gandhi.
?What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?? - Mahatma Gandhi
Think about these words, and how you can make the world around you a happier place. This concept is contagious, but it has to come from within and spread worldwide.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
February 22, 2009
Jnana Yoga & Bug-Free Beliefs
In Hinduism there are said to be several paths that lead to the cessation of human suffering. These are known as the four yogas: karma yoga (action, work, service), bhakti yoga (love, devotion, worship), raja yoga (meditation, mental control, ?psychic? exercise), and jnana yoga (knowledge, philosophy, enquiry). No one yoga is better or worse than any other, but individuals will tend to find themselves drawn to one yoga more than the others.
Jnana Yoga
If you?ve been following this blog regularly and digesting some of my lengthier posts, then it should be fairly obvious that among these four, my personal preference is jnana yoga, which is the path of attempting to understand reality through the process of enquiry, i.e. through the mind. In practice, however, I spend time working on all four of these yogas. I express karma yoga through the act of writing and striving to help others grow. Bhakti yoga (love) is an internal, less public path for me. And I?ve done a variety of meditations in the practice of raja yoga. But jnana yoga remains the most compelling for me. I seem to have an insatiable curiosity to understand reality on an intellectual level. It isn?t enough for me to simply feel the truth of something in my heart or to find peace through action. I strive to create a mental model of reality that?s as accurate as possible.
If you share the path of jnana yoga, you?ll likely find the process of enquiry to be fascinating and rewarding. You probably enjoy open-minded, intellectual discussion of high-level subjects. And you may often feel frustrated or isolated to meet few people around you who seem as curious about such things as you are. Formal religion is likely to be too static and ritualistic for you, even downright boring. For you the path of spirituality is the path of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Your desire to know is very strong.
But if jnana yoga isn?t your cup of tea, then you may simply find the notion of enquiry into the nature of reality to be pointless, overwhelming, or impractical. In that case you?re more likely to be interested in this blog for the practical productivity articles that help you improve your ability to do what you?re already doing? as opposed to those that challenge you to consider whether what you?re doing even makes any sense to begin with. Nothing wrong with that ? these are just different paths.
The Quest for Accuracy
One of the great challenges in personal development and in human life overall is that we exist in a world where we don?t fully understand the rules. And yet we cannot simply call a time out and refer to the instruction book, at least not in a direct and obvious way.
When I was a teenager, I began to question the nature of reality instead of merely swallowing what I was taught, whether it came from a priest or a scientist.
What led me to start asking such questions in the first place? It was something very simple ? inaccuracy. I would occasionally notice that the world did not function in the manner I expected it to function. And as a consequence of that, I experienced a certain degree of suffering. When your beliefs are incongruent with reality, some form of suffering is the result.
It took me many years to realize that my sense of suffering, pain, or otherwise unpleasant sensations were NOT caused by reality itself. They were caused by my own lack of understanding of reality. Inaccuracy is the root of all suffering.
Following the path of jnana yoga is like playing detective, where everything you experience is a clue, a pointer to the underlying reality. My biggest breakthroughs have come about from noticing a piece of data that just didn?t seem to fit my current working model of reality. If you take the time to reflect upon your own experience of reality, you?ll probably find at least a few pieces that just don?t seem to fit. Have you ever experienced something that you just can?t explain? Does fitting that experience into your current model of reality feel like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole?
For example, consider the concept of objective reality, which suggests that we?re all physical beings in a physical universe, and our thoughts and consciousness are merely epiphenomena of the physical world. Can you think of a piece that just doesn?t seem to fit this model, something that sticks out a bit?
Think hard.
How about the fact that you?re you? You?re you and you alone, not me and not anyone else. Does anything seem odd about that?
You notice that you have a physical body, and by looking around you notice that there are a lot of other physical bodies walking around this world as well. You can even touch and interact with them. You?ve been taught that there are over six billion of these bodies walking around on earth. No problem there so far.
However, how many consciousnesses do you perceive? You can perceive lots and lots of moving, talking bodies in the world, but you?re only able to perceive one consciousness. By consciousness I mean awareness, and that awareness appears to have a localized connection to your particular body, but you aren?t able to perceive the connection between your consciousness and other people?s bodies, at least not to the same degree you perceive the connection to your own body. Doesn?t this seem a bit strange to you? Why on earth should your consciousness be localized?
You can be fairly sure that I have a body just like you ? you can at least perceive it through your senses. You can come find me and access my physical form. But can you access my consciousness? Do you actually have any reason whatsoever to believe that I?m conscious at all in the same way that you are? Your senses tell you that there are lots of people in the world with physical bodies similar to yours. But you don?t have that same perception of consciousness. In fact, I dare say the only consciousness you perceive is your own. As far as you can tell, you?re the only truly conscious being in the world, aren?t you? Why would you assume that any of those other bodies walking around in your world experience individualized consciousness as you do? Isn?t that a pretty big stretch, considering the available evidence?
Do you make this assumption when you?re dreaming? Do you assume that your dream characters have a separate consciousness different from your own? Why on earth would you make this assumption in your waking life then?
The raw experiential data you?re able to know with certainty is that you can perceive lots of other physical bodies walking around, but you only directly perceive that one of them is conscious and aware ? you.
Now why is that? Does the model of objective reality provide a clear explanation for this? Does it tell you why your awareness is connected to you and not me or anyone else? If objective reality is to be believed, then why should you have a localized consciousness at all? Wouldn?t it make more sense for there to be no consciousness or awareness at all in such a universe? Or at the very least, if there is consciousness in the world, wouldn?t it be more logical that it should be totally non-local, not identified with any particular physical body? These are some pretty significant holes in the objective reality paradigm.
The process of enquiry can create cracks in certain belief systems, and by shedding those cracked beliefs (no matter how attached to them you may be), you?ll gradually develop a deeper understanding of the true nature of reality. In order to understand reality, you must first shed your false and inaccurate beliefs about it. This process is even more basic than science because science assumes the existence of objective reality. However, the process of enquiry begins with what you?re able to know through direct experience and doesn?t require you to make such unprovable assumptions. Your own consciousness is fundamental to your experience of life, so you don?t need to be convinced of its existence ? this is why your consciousness is perhaps the best place to start when attempting to develop an accurate model of reality. Any model of reality you strive to create must, at a bare minimum, explain the existence of your consciousness and why you experience it the way you do, including its apparent localized connection to your physical body. Otherwise, you?re ignoring a very crucial piece of data.
The belief in objective reality requires a rather large leap of faith. It isn?t fundamental. It?s simply one of many theories, one that begins with an assumption and which contains some problematic holes.
Another flawed model of reality would be a purely subjective one, suggesting that all of reality is created by your own thoughts. Through trial and error, you may find that a subjective model of reality (with respect to your own mind) doesn?t appear to be accurate either.
As you search for the real truth, you may perceive that reality has both objective and subjective elements to it. Some parts appear to be influenced, even controlled, by your thoughts. Other parts appear to be independent of your thoughts. But the most fundamental thing you?re able to perceive is the existence of this one consciousness, one awareness silently noticing reality unfolding.
You?ll know you?re making progress with jnana yoga when your constant experience of reality becomes one of utter amazement and wonder. You should be amazed, perhaps even freaked out a bit, when you attempt to stretch your mind to understand reality as accurately as possible. What is reality? It?s not fully objective, not completely subjective. Not quite a thing, not quite a thought. How does it work? What?s under the hood? What is its nature?
While you might be willing to settle for living with your current model of reality, begin to notice where that model begins to break down. You will know when it breaks because you?ll experience some form of suffering. But suffering is not there to punish you. It is there to serve as a wake-up call, telling you that you have an inaccurate model of reality and that the way to end your suffering is to correct the errors in your mental model.
Debugging Your Beliefs
What happens when a computer program is created by a programmer who makes inaccurate assumptions? The program will contain errors ? aka bugs. It won?t function optimally, and it may even crash. Your own mental software works the same way. When your beliefs about reality are inaccurate, you will experience bugs. Occasionally you may crash. Just as a computer program runs on certain hardware, you must work within the confines of your own physical hardware. But if you are experiencing software (not hardware) crashes in your life ? such as depression, hopelessness, anger, frustration, apathy, guilt, resentment, shame, or fear ? it?s because your code contains bugs. It means you?ve made some inaccurate assumptions. Your ?code? consists of your beliefs about reality.
If you want to run more accurate code (and thereby experience less suffering and pain in your life), then you must develop an accurate understanding of the hardware, the operating system, and the environment in which your code will run. You need to prevent the introduction of coding errors, and whenever you notice errors (which appear as some form of suffering), you must debug them. This means you need to identify the belief that?s causing the suffering and then either delete or rewrite it.
Your mental software doesn?t have to provide every possible feature in order to run properly. It just needs to be free of bugs. Code that isn?t written is inherently bug-free. You cannot crash code that doesn?t exist. Similarly, you cannot experience suffering if your beliefs about reality are bug-free, meaning that they contain no inaccuracies. When your code is accurate (even if there isn?t very much of it), you will experience states of peace, wonder, and amazement as your normal daily existence. Your code will not only run smoothly, but it will also be elegant. One of the deepest pleasures in computer program is the creation of elegant code. Elegant code is both accurate and efficient in a way that transcends mere logic and begins to cross into the domain of art. It is as close to perfection as computer programs can get.
Similarly, when your beliefs about reality become elegant, you will find that the program of your life takes on an almost unfathomable smoothness. This is the manner in which jnana yoga makes it possible to transcend suffering and experience peace.
Copyright ? Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)
Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now.
Jnana Yoga
If you?ve been following this blog regularly and digesting some of my lengthier posts, then it should be fairly obvious that among these four, my personal preference is jnana yoga, which is the path of attempting to understand reality through the process of enquiry, i.e. through the mind. In practice, however, I spend time working on all four of these yogas. I express karma yoga through the act of writing and striving to help others grow. Bhakti yoga (love) is an internal, less public path for me. And I?ve done a variety of meditations in the practice of raja yoga. But jnana yoga remains the most compelling for me. I seem to have an insatiable curiosity to understand reality on an intellectual level. It isn?t enough for me to simply feel the truth of something in my heart or to find peace through action. I strive to create a mental model of reality that?s as accurate as possible.
If you share the path of jnana yoga, you?ll likely find the process of enquiry to be fascinating and rewarding. You probably enjoy open-minded, intellectual discussion of high-level subjects. And you may often feel frustrated or isolated to meet few people around you who seem as curious about such things as you are. Formal religion is likely to be too static and ritualistic for you, even downright boring. For you the path of spirituality is the path of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Your desire to know is very strong.
But if jnana yoga isn?t your cup of tea, then you may simply find the notion of enquiry into the nature of reality to be pointless, overwhelming, or impractical. In that case you?re more likely to be interested in this blog for the practical productivity articles that help you improve your ability to do what you?re already doing? as opposed to those that challenge you to consider whether what you?re doing even makes any sense to begin with. Nothing wrong with that ? these are just different paths.
The Quest for Accuracy
One of the great challenges in personal development and in human life overall is that we exist in a world where we don?t fully understand the rules. And yet we cannot simply call a time out and refer to the instruction book, at least not in a direct and obvious way.
When I was a teenager, I began to question the nature of reality instead of merely swallowing what I was taught, whether it came from a priest or a scientist.
What led me to start asking such questions in the first place? It was something very simple ? inaccuracy. I would occasionally notice that the world did not function in the manner I expected it to function. And as a consequence of that, I experienced a certain degree of suffering. When your beliefs are incongruent with reality, some form of suffering is the result.
It took me many years to realize that my sense of suffering, pain, or otherwise unpleasant sensations were NOT caused by reality itself. They were caused by my own lack of understanding of reality. Inaccuracy is the root of all suffering.
Following the path of jnana yoga is like playing detective, where everything you experience is a clue, a pointer to the underlying reality. My biggest breakthroughs have come about from noticing a piece of data that just didn?t seem to fit my current working model of reality. If you take the time to reflect upon your own experience of reality, you?ll probably find at least a few pieces that just don?t seem to fit. Have you ever experienced something that you just can?t explain? Does fitting that experience into your current model of reality feel like trying to shove a square peg into a round hole?
For example, consider the concept of objective reality, which suggests that we?re all physical beings in a physical universe, and our thoughts and consciousness are merely epiphenomena of the physical world. Can you think of a piece that just doesn?t seem to fit this model, something that sticks out a bit?
Think hard.
How about the fact that you?re you? You?re you and you alone, not me and not anyone else. Does anything seem odd about that?
You notice that you have a physical body, and by looking around you notice that there are a lot of other physical bodies walking around this world as well. You can even touch and interact with them. You?ve been taught that there are over six billion of these bodies walking around on earth. No problem there so far.
However, how many consciousnesses do you perceive? You can perceive lots and lots of moving, talking bodies in the world, but you?re only able to perceive one consciousness. By consciousness I mean awareness, and that awareness appears to have a localized connection to your particular body, but you aren?t able to perceive the connection between your consciousness and other people?s bodies, at least not to the same degree you perceive the connection to your own body. Doesn?t this seem a bit strange to you? Why on earth should your consciousness be localized?
You can be fairly sure that I have a body just like you ? you can at least perceive it through your senses. You can come find me and access my physical form. But can you access my consciousness? Do you actually have any reason whatsoever to believe that I?m conscious at all in the same way that you are? Your senses tell you that there are lots of people in the world with physical bodies similar to yours. But you don?t have that same perception of consciousness. In fact, I dare say the only consciousness you perceive is your own. As far as you can tell, you?re the only truly conscious being in the world, aren?t you? Why would you assume that any of those other bodies walking around in your world experience individualized consciousness as you do? Isn?t that a pretty big stretch, considering the available evidence?
Do you make this assumption when you?re dreaming? Do you assume that your dream characters have a separate consciousness different from your own? Why on earth would you make this assumption in your waking life then?
The raw experiential data you?re able to know with certainty is that you can perceive lots of other physical bodies walking around, but you only directly perceive that one of them is conscious and aware ? you.
Now why is that? Does the model of objective reality provide a clear explanation for this? Does it tell you why your awareness is connected to you and not me or anyone else? If objective reality is to be believed, then why should you have a localized consciousness at all? Wouldn?t it make more sense for there to be no consciousness or awareness at all in such a universe? Or at the very least, if there is consciousness in the world, wouldn?t it be more logical that it should be totally non-local, not identified with any particular physical body? These are some pretty significant holes in the objective reality paradigm.
The process of enquiry can create cracks in certain belief systems, and by shedding those cracked beliefs (no matter how attached to them you may be), you?ll gradually develop a deeper understanding of the true nature of reality. In order to understand reality, you must first shed your false and inaccurate beliefs about it. This process is even more basic than science because science assumes the existence of objective reality. However, the process of enquiry begins with what you?re able to know through direct experience and doesn?t require you to make such unprovable assumptions. Your own consciousness is fundamental to your experience of life, so you don?t need to be convinced of its existence ? this is why your consciousness is perhaps the best place to start when attempting to develop an accurate model of reality. Any model of reality you strive to create must, at a bare minimum, explain the existence of your consciousness and why you experience it the way you do, including its apparent localized connection to your physical body. Otherwise, you?re ignoring a very crucial piece of data.
The belief in objective reality requires a rather large leap of faith. It isn?t fundamental. It?s simply one of many theories, one that begins with an assumption and which contains some problematic holes.
Another flawed model of reality would be a purely subjective one, suggesting that all of reality is created by your own thoughts. Through trial and error, you may find that a subjective model of reality (with respect to your own mind) doesn?t appear to be accurate either.
As you search for the real truth, you may perceive that reality has both objective and subjective elements to it. Some parts appear to be influenced, even controlled, by your thoughts. Other parts appear to be independent of your thoughts. But the most fundamental thing you?re able to perceive is the existence of this one consciousness, one awareness silently noticing reality unfolding.
You?ll know you?re making progress with jnana yoga when your constant experience of reality becomes one of utter amazement and wonder. You should be amazed, perhaps even freaked out a bit, when you attempt to stretch your mind to understand reality as accurately as possible. What is reality? It?s not fully objective, not completely subjective. Not quite a thing, not quite a thought. How does it work? What?s under the hood? What is its nature?
While you might be willing to settle for living with your current model of reality, begin to notice where that model begins to break down. You will know when it breaks because you?ll experience some form of suffering. But suffering is not there to punish you. It is there to serve as a wake-up call, telling you that you have an inaccurate model of reality and that the way to end your suffering is to correct the errors in your mental model.
Debugging Your Beliefs
What happens when a computer program is created by a programmer who makes inaccurate assumptions? The program will contain errors ? aka bugs. It won?t function optimally, and it may even crash. Your own mental software works the same way. When your beliefs about reality are inaccurate, you will experience bugs. Occasionally you may crash. Just as a computer program runs on certain hardware, you must work within the confines of your own physical hardware. But if you are experiencing software (not hardware) crashes in your life ? such as depression, hopelessness, anger, frustration, apathy, guilt, resentment, shame, or fear ? it?s because your code contains bugs. It means you?ve made some inaccurate assumptions. Your ?code? consists of your beliefs about reality.
If you want to run more accurate code (and thereby experience less suffering and pain in your life), then you must develop an accurate understanding of the hardware, the operating system, and the environment in which your code will run. You need to prevent the introduction of coding errors, and whenever you notice errors (which appear as some form of suffering), you must debug them. This means you need to identify the belief that?s causing the suffering and then either delete or rewrite it.
Your mental software doesn?t have to provide every possible feature in order to run properly. It just needs to be free of bugs. Code that isn?t written is inherently bug-free. You cannot crash code that doesn?t exist. Similarly, you cannot experience suffering if your beliefs about reality are bug-free, meaning that they contain no inaccuracies. When your code is accurate (even if there isn?t very much of it), you will experience states of peace, wonder, and amazement as your normal daily existence. Your code will not only run smoothly, but it will also be elegant. One of the deepest pleasures in computer program is the creation of elegant code. Elegant code is both accurate and efficient in a way that transcends mere logic and begins to cross into the domain of art. It is as close to perfection as computer programs can get.
Similarly, when your beliefs about reality become elegant, you will find that the program of your life takes on an almost unfathomable smoothness. This is the manner in which jnana yoga makes it possible to transcend suffering and experience peace.
Copyright ? Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina
Personal Development for Smart People
http://www.stevepavlina.com
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog (blog)
http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles (articles)
Steve is intensely growth-oriented. He trained in martial arts, ran the L.A. Marathon, and graduated from college in three semesters with two degrees. He can juggle, count cards at blackjack, and make damn good guacamole. Steve is also a polyphasic sleeper, sleeping just 2-3 hours per day and only 20 minutes at a time. So chances are good that he’s awake right now.
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