There are many forms of yoga which various yogis’ practice. The students of Hatha Yoga practice it for the health and vitality that it brings. Hatha Yoga is a wonderful means of stretching, exercising and freeing the body so that it can be healthy. The health of the body is a vital instrument of the soul and mind. Many people who practice Hatha Yoga find that in addition to healthy feeling bodies they become extremely clear minded and have better powers of concentration. They feel that every aspect of them is healthy. A few Yogis’ use Hatha Yoga as their main method for spiritual realization. Meditation is much easier with clear uncluttered minds and healthy bodies. Harmonizing the body’s inner currents (acting, willing, thinking and feeling) until they are in perfect balance is the main practice of Hath Yoga. This type of meditation is not so well known today as the purity of life required to do this well takes more time and dedication than most are prepared to give.
Another type of Yoga is Kundalini Yoga. Kundalini Yoga usually involves a combination of Raja, Hatha, Tantra, Laya and Mantra Yogas. The principal goal Of Kundalini Yoga is the stimulation of the spiritual life force at the base of the spine enabling it to rise easily from the lower centers of the being into the spiritual centers in the head where higher consciousness is perceived, experienced and lived in. Yet another form of Yoga is Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga is a mix of Raja, Jnana and Bhakti practices. The work ‘Kriya’ means to ‘make an effort’ or ‘to transform”. Practicing Kriya Yoga involves a daily program of self-discipline of the mind and body and devotion to God. Today Kriya Yoga is also practiced to direct life force to move up and down the spine transforming the meditator’s being until spiritual realization happens. To learn how to do this technique a student really requires initiation from a long-term practiser or Guru. Both types of Kriya are very ancient and deeply related. Throughout the world today there are several million people practicing the art of Kriya Yoga.
People become inspired to practice yoga by traveling many paths. For some they may meet a devoted Yogi, for others it could a personal crisis, which leads to the quest to find God, or the true meaning of life. Sometimes the path chooses the new devotee. Practising Yoga is a spiritual practice and a way to satisfy the heart’s deepest hopes. Once a devotee decides to proceed he then needs to decide which form of yoga is the most appropriate for him to practice. Yoga is best practiced for at least an hour every day. Bhakti yoga is usually chosen by those who are dominantly emotional, Jnana Yoga is predominantly chosen for those who are dominantly intellectual and for those who seek to attune their will with the higher self choose Raja and Karma. At the beginning devotees practice Yoga to gain the benefits that they hope for but as time passes begin to give more of themselves towards their ideals. Once this happens devotees practice Yoga not only for what it can give them but also out of love.
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Yoga
Showing posts with label Mantra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mantra. Show all posts
February 27, 2009
February 23, 2009
A Fresh Look at Mantra Yoga
The whole universe is Consciousness vibrating at different frequencies. All the varying techniques of yoga(union) and meditation are based on the underlying principles of resonance and sympathetic vibration.
Through atunement with a particular state of consciousness we become it. Atunement means aligning our variables so that they correspond with the state we are trying to attain.
What are the variables which we have to work with? They are such things as posture, colour, our actions and the words that we intone.
Sacred alphabets such as Sanskrit are said to embody the complete spectrum of universal forces. By utilizing the science of mantra we may harness this awesome power- this power of vibration which is the basis for the whole of Creation.
It has often gone unrecognized however that the power of mantra yoga affects us all whether we are aware of it or not.
When ever we speak silently to ourselves or out loud we are influenced by the quality of the vibrations which we are giving out.
Imagine that you heard two people arguing in a foreign language which you could not understand. You would be able to get a feel for what was been said by the actual quality of the sound being produced.
It is not then necessary to know the ins and outs of the exact nature of sacred alphabets nor to be empowered by a Guru in order to benefit from the science of mantra.
By being mindful of the quality of our speech we will be making an important contribution to our well being.
If you ever catch yourself talking harshly, with unkindness or moaning in a victim like way know that you are actually intoning a negative although weak mantra.
With this awareness, relax and uplift the quality of your speech. Imagine the ideal: rich, confident and compassionate tones and aim for that. An understanding of the virtues is useful in imagining the ideal. Be sure then to study “Inner Medicine” for a deeper appreciation of the virtues.
One of the reasons for the differences in national character is because of the particular language habitually used. Even same language regional differences in character and accent have a mutual effect on each other.
It can be useful to see your own character and speech in the context of regional influences so as not to be restrained by them.
Whilst it is true that general speech is important, there can be no doubt that more advanced mantra practices are far more powerful. Why is this?
Well as stated earlier atunement is connected with optimizing variables. By sitting in the correct posture, by wearing natural loose fitting clothing of a particular colour, by gazing at a sacred image at the same time as reciting the mantra with conscious intent and understanding its meaning then we are harnessing far more of the variables available to us: thus having a correspondingly greater effect.
Where as the letters vocalized in everyday speech have a more or less random(or certainly unintentional) effect a true Mantra is constructed specifically with a goal in mind. This means that the intention energy is much more focused. It also means that the letters are chosen for their innate and non-arbitrary vibrational effect.
It is also said that by using a mantra given to us by a genuine realized soul the blessings are greater still.
Firstly such a realized soul, being aware of our imbalances etc, can prescribe us with a mantra/medicine ideally suited to our temperament. Secondly it is said that such a mantra is empowered by the blessings of the teacher. These blessings are partly due to morphic resonance and partly intelligent spiritual intervention at subtle levels.
If you really want to understand mantra yoga then you must study the sacred alphabets, the different types of letter and so on. Study many different schools of thought on the subject and try to get to the deeper meanings below the rubbish which inevitably creeps into these subjects.
I would say though that for most students this is unnecessary: Good natured intent and simple effort being more beneficial than what can become a distracting dry intellectual exercise.
Practicing diligently to uplift our every day speech is a noble yoga indeed.
Author James Barton invites your valued comments, questions and criticism.
Please Visit VirtueScience.com:
Character Improvement via the Virtues for more information.
If you would like this article for your website then click here for the cut and paste code
Through atunement with a particular state of consciousness we become it. Atunement means aligning our variables so that they correspond with the state we are trying to attain.
What are the variables which we have to work with? They are such things as posture, colour, our actions and the words that we intone.
Sacred alphabets such as Sanskrit are said to embody the complete spectrum of universal forces. By utilizing the science of mantra we may harness this awesome power- this power of vibration which is the basis for the whole of Creation.
It has often gone unrecognized however that the power of mantra yoga affects us all whether we are aware of it or not.
When ever we speak silently to ourselves or out loud we are influenced by the quality of the vibrations which we are giving out.
Imagine that you heard two people arguing in a foreign language which you could not understand. You would be able to get a feel for what was been said by the actual quality of the sound being produced.
It is not then necessary to know the ins and outs of the exact nature of sacred alphabets nor to be empowered by a Guru in order to benefit from the science of mantra.
By being mindful of the quality of our speech we will be making an important contribution to our well being.
If you ever catch yourself talking harshly, with unkindness or moaning in a victim like way know that you are actually intoning a negative although weak mantra.
With this awareness, relax and uplift the quality of your speech. Imagine the ideal: rich, confident and compassionate tones and aim for that. An understanding of the virtues is useful in imagining the ideal. Be sure then to study “Inner Medicine” for a deeper appreciation of the virtues.
One of the reasons for the differences in national character is because of the particular language habitually used. Even same language regional differences in character and accent have a mutual effect on each other.
It can be useful to see your own character and speech in the context of regional influences so as not to be restrained by them.
Whilst it is true that general speech is important, there can be no doubt that more advanced mantra practices are far more powerful. Why is this?
Well as stated earlier atunement is connected with optimizing variables. By sitting in the correct posture, by wearing natural loose fitting clothing of a particular colour, by gazing at a sacred image at the same time as reciting the mantra with conscious intent and understanding its meaning then we are harnessing far more of the variables available to us: thus having a correspondingly greater effect.
Where as the letters vocalized in everyday speech have a more or less random(or certainly unintentional) effect a true Mantra is constructed specifically with a goal in mind. This means that the intention energy is much more focused. It also means that the letters are chosen for their innate and non-arbitrary vibrational effect.
It is also said that by using a mantra given to us by a genuine realized soul the blessings are greater still.
Firstly such a realized soul, being aware of our imbalances etc, can prescribe us with a mantra/medicine ideally suited to our temperament. Secondly it is said that such a mantra is empowered by the blessings of the teacher. These blessings are partly due to morphic resonance and partly intelligent spiritual intervention at subtle levels.
If you really want to understand mantra yoga then you must study the sacred alphabets, the different types of letter and so on. Study many different schools of thought on the subject and try to get to the deeper meanings below the rubbish which inevitably creeps into these subjects.
I would say though that for most students this is unnecessary: Good natured intent and simple effort being more beneficial than what can become a distracting dry intellectual exercise.
Practicing diligently to uplift our every day speech is a noble yoga indeed.
Author James Barton invites your valued comments, questions and criticism.
Please Visit VirtueScience.com:
Character Improvement via the Virtues for more information.
If you would like this article for your website then click here for the cut and paste code
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