In all religions, it is believed singing or chanting prayers, hymns, or Japa, will bring about salvation. Within the Vedas, the verses are also called mantras. To go a bit further, every religion practices a form of Mantra or Japa. If you have been to a church, temple, shrine, ashram, or mosque, you will hear prayers, chanting, and singing.
So, what happened to the concept that Yoga is not a spiritual practice? Well, it is, but some popular physical forms do not address spiritual health. Pilates is a popular ?Yoga off shoot? that does not address spiritual health. Some of the contemporary Hatha Yoga styles do not contain much spiritual benefit. I teach Chair Yoga classes for physical and mental benefits only. However, as you can see, by what you have previously read, many of the main Indian Yoga styles do address mental, physical, and spiritual health.
The main point is that these forms of Yoga are not threatening to any religion at all. Yoga can be practiced by anyone of any religion, without the worry of a conflict. Now, if you are an atheist, you may prefer to practice a form of Yoga that will not enhance your spiritual health. It is every Yoga student?s prerogative to choose a style of Yoga or a Guru that fits his or her needs. However, if you ever find a Guru who does not embrace spiritual health, what does that tell you?
Let?s look at a few other points of interest found in Mantra Yoga. The Mantra Yogi has three methods of practice. They are Balkhari, Upanshu, and Manasik.
The Balkari method is chanting in a voice that can easily be heard. The immediate benefit is to withdraw into meditation easily. It is much easier to meditate when you can remove outside thoughts, problems, and concerns. The Upanshu form of chanting is performed in a low voice, similar to a whisper.
The Manasik form of chanting is one of my personal favorites and can be performed mentally. Some consider this to be difficult, but it does lead to higher states of consciousness. Since this is such a ?low key? form of Japa, you can easily fit it into your busy day. If you pray in silence during the day, you have already practiced in this way.
Some Mantra Yogis use a Rosary or ?Mala.? Most of the Malas that I have seen have 109 beads. The 109th offset bead is known as a Sumeru or Guru. This is where Japa begins and ends. Also worthy of note, is that Roman Catholics use a Rosary for prayers and meditation. This is also a deeply spiritual practice. The Mala or Rosary has been a helpful tool for enhancement of spiritual health regardless of which culture you are from or which religion you practice.
? 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
Showing posts with label Spiritual Practice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual Practice. Show all posts
March 5, 2009
March 1, 2009
What is Yoga?
In this article I will help you understand what Yoga is and how it can help you. Achieve a balanced happy and useful life. Yoga is more than exercise. Yoga is spiritual and gives you much more than just a healthy body. It helps your mind and your spirituality as well.
The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “Yuj” meaning to yoke, join or unite. Yoga is meant to combine your physical, mental, and spiritual being to attain more out of life.
Yoga originated in India where they consider it part of classical philosophy that combines your soul with the universe. But according to iyengar-yoga.com, ?The origins of yoga are believed to be much older than that, stemming from the oral traditions of Yogis, where knowledge of Yoga was handed down from Guru (spiritual teacher) to Sisya (spiritual student) all the way back to the originators of Yoga, “the Rishis,” who first began investigation into the nature of reality and man’s inner world.?
Legend has it that knowledge of Yoga was first passed by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati and from there into the lives of men.
There are many parts of the Yoga family or many different forms. Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga are all well known forms of Yoga, but there are many more.
According to Wikipedia, ?Karma yoga, or the “discipline of action” is one of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can attain Moksha (salvation) by doing his duties in an unselfish manner.?
Raja Yoga is different and involves psychophysical meditation techniques to attain experiences of the truth and finally achieve liberation.
Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. Bhakti yoga is generally considered the easiest of the four general paths to liberation, or moksha.
Jnana in Sanskrit means “knowledge”, and is often interpreted to mean “knowledge of the true self”. To say, “I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness,” is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana.
Okay, so those are the definitions of some of the forms of Yoga, but how does it help me? How do I decide which form of Yoga is the one for me?
A lot depends on what you are trying to achieve. There are more forms of Yoga than just those I mentioned and it is a good idea for you to search for the definitions of all forms of Yoga before deciding which one is right for you.
I am using these four types of Yoga as examples to give you an idea of the things you need to consider when choosing a form of Yoga to study and participate in.
Using the examples above and just the short definitions given to us there, you can see they are distinct and each has a different purpose or goal.
Karma is meant to help you attain salvation through your actions. To humbly serve in this life so you can be served in the next. Everyone has heard of good and bad Karma. The saying comes from this style of Yoga. If you do good things, good things will happen to you if not in this life, in the next.
Raja Yoga is the control of your own mind. Not allowing it to be modified by events that have happened to you in your past. The belief here is that every event that happens in your life modifies your mind and how you perceive things. By practicing Raja Yoga, you can keep your mind from being modified by these events and get to know your true self.
Bhakti Yoga is selfless devotion to GOD. The belief that GOD is the supreme being that created the universe. The 9 principles of Bhakti Yoga are;
1) Hearing about the Lord - singing & chanting God’s names (japa), hearing stories from scripture.
2) Glorifying the Lord - describing God’s all-attractive features.
3) Remembering the Lord - internal meditation on the Lord’s form, activities, names or personality.
4) Serving the lotus feet of the Lord - providing a form of physical service.
5) Worshiping the Lord - deity worship (arcana) is a popular form of this within India.
6) Offering prayers to the Lord - any form of prayer offered to please God.
7) Serving the Lord - offering a service for Lord’s pleasure, such as preaching activity.
8) Building a friendship with the Lord - having an internal, loving relationship with God.
9) Surrendering everything unto the Lord - surrendering one’s thoughts, actions and deeds to God.
Jnana Yoga incorporates the fundamental belief that there is no dualism, that the universe is all one entity. A good way you may have heard this explained is to become ?one with the universe?.
Using these explanations, you can see what the general goals are for each Yoga form. These definitions are far from complete and there is much more to be learned about each of the forms I mentioned here. As I said before there are also other forms of Yoga you should research. There is even sub-forms of Yoga within each of these I mentioned and others.
I suggest you choose the path to enlightenment that suits you if you are considering starting Yoga. Find one that has goals that are appealing to you and stick to that discipline so you can achieve your goals.
Robin Darch, of PRT Specialised Services Limited has a website, Yoga Tips to help you find all the information you need about Yoga and the benefits of Yoga.
Yoga Tips
The word Yoga comes from the Sanskrit word “Yuj” meaning to yoke, join or unite. Yoga is meant to combine your physical, mental, and spiritual being to attain more out of life.
Yoga originated in India where they consider it part of classical philosophy that combines your soul with the universe. But according to iyengar-yoga.com, ?The origins of yoga are believed to be much older than that, stemming from the oral traditions of Yogis, where knowledge of Yoga was handed down from Guru (spiritual teacher) to Sisya (spiritual student) all the way back to the originators of Yoga, “the Rishis,” who first began investigation into the nature of reality and man’s inner world.?
Legend has it that knowledge of Yoga was first passed by Lord Shiva to his wife Parvati and from there into the lives of men.
There are many parts of the Yoga family or many different forms. Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga are all well known forms of Yoga, but there are many more.
According to Wikipedia, ?Karma yoga, or the “discipline of action” is one of the four pillars of yoga, Karma yoga focuses on the adherence to duty (dharma) while remaining detached from the reward. It states that one can attain Moksha (salvation) by doing his duties in an unselfish manner.?
Raja Yoga is different and involves psychophysical meditation techniques to attain experiences of the truth and finally achieve liberation.
Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. Bhakti yoga is generally considered the easiest of the four general paths to liberation, or moksha.
Jnana in Sanskrit means “knowledge”, and is often interpreted to mean “knowledge of the true self”. To say, “I am Brahman, the pure, all-pervading Consciousness, the non-enjoyer, non-doer and silent witness,” is jnana. To behold the one Self everywhere is jnana.
Okay, so those are the definitions of some of the forms of Yoga, but how does it help me? How do I decide which form of Yoga is the one for me?
A lot depends on what you are trying to achieve. There are more forms of Yoga than just those I mentioned and it is a good idea for you to search for the definitions of all forms of Yoga before deciding which one is right for you.
I am using these four types of Yoga as examples to give you an idea of the things you need to consider when choosing a form of Yoga to study and participate in.
Using the examples above and just the short definitions given to us there, you can see they are distinct and each has a different purpose or goal.
Karma is meant to help you attain salvation through your actions. To humbly serve in this life so you can be served in the next. Everyone has heard of good and bad Karma. The saying comes from this style of Yoga. If you do good things, good things will happen to you if not in this life, in the next.
Raja Yoga is the control of your own mind. Not allowing it to be modified by events that have happened to you in your past. The belief here is that every event that happens in your life modifies your mind and how you perceive things. By practicing Raja Yoga, you can keep your mind from being modified by these events and get to know your true self.
Bhakti Yoga is selfless devotion to GOD. The belief that GOD is the supreme being that created the universe. The 9 principles of Bhakti Yoga are;
1) Hearing about the Lord - singing & chanting God’s names (japa), hearing stories from scripture.
2) Glorifying the Lord - describing God’s all-attractive features.
3) Remembering the Lord - internal meditation on the Lord’s form, activities, names or personality.
4) Serving the lotus feet of the Lord - providing a form of physical service.
5) Worshiping the Lord - deity worship (arcana) is a popular form of this within India.
6) Offering prayers to the Lord - any form of prayer offered to please God.
7) Serving the Lord - offering a service for Lord’s pleasure, such as preaching activity.
8) Building a friendship with the Lord - having an internal, loving relationship with God.
9) Surrendering everything unto the Lord - surrendering one’s thoughts, actions and deeds to God.
Jnana Yoga incorporates the fundamental belief that there is no dualism, that the universe is all one entity. A good way you may have heard this explained is to become ?one with the universe?.
Using these explanations, you can see what the general goals are for each Yoga form. These definitions are far from complete and there is much more to be learned about each of the forms I mentioned here. As I said before there are also other forms of Yoga you should research. There is even sub-forms of Yoga within each of these I mentioned and others.
I suggest you choose the path to enlightenment that suits you if you are considering starting Yoga. Find one that has goals that are appealing to you and stick to that discipline so you can achieve your goals.
Robin Darch, of PRT Specialised Services Limited has a website, Yoga Tips to help you find all the information you need about Yoga and the benefits of Yoga.
Yoga Tips
February 23, 2009
Yoga History 101
When you practice yoga, it is, of course, not necessary to have a full understanding of yoga history in order to fully benefit from your practice. A brief understanding of the history behind yoga, however, may increase your spiritual practice and inspire you to find out more about the tradition behind the discipline.
The first writings about yoga were written in Sanskrit in early religious manuscripts in India called the Vedas. The word ?yoga? has many meanings. The root of the word is ?yug? which means ?to hitch up?, referring to fastening horse bridles to a carriage. But yoga also means ?to actively put to use? or ?yoke? or ?join?. Today, it is agreed upon that yoga is a method of joining or a discipline. Men who practice yoga are called yogi or yogin and women who practice yoga are called yogini.
Yoga was first passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. It wasn?t until about 2000 years ago when an Indian named Patanjali wrote ?The Yoga Sutra? that the philosophy of yoga was committed to paper. Yoga is not just about stretching and breathing and holding poses. Yoga is a philosophy on how to live life and deal with the challenges that human beings face daily. The Yoga Sutra defined this philosophy in 195 statements.
Sutra can be defined as ?thread? or ?aphorism?, which means ?a short declaration of truth?. It also means ?the concentration of a large quantity of information into a simple definition?. It is a way of looking at truths that apply to everyone despite culture in the clearest way possible.
Hatha yoga, or the yoga that you do when you take a yoga class or perform yogic poses, was begun as a physical form of meditation. The physical act of yoga calms your body and allows your mind to become calm. It also gives you the physical strength to sustain long periods of meditation.
When you perform the physical practice of yoga, you are only engaging in half of the discipline as it has been practiced for thousands of years. Yoga is an incredible form of exercise and calming for the body, but it can also be used as a spiritual practice and a way to calm the mind and will as well.
About the author: Stephen Kreutzer is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides yoga tips on More-About-Yoga.com
The first writings about yoga were written in Sanskrit in early religious manuscripts in India called the Vedas. The word ?yoga? has many meanings. The root of the word is ?yug? which means ?to hitch up?, referring to fastening horse bridles to a carriage. But yoga also means ?to actively put to use? or ?yoke? or ?join?. Today, it is agreed upon that yoga is a method of joining or a discipline. Men who practice yoga are called yogi or yogin and women who practice yoga are called yogini.
Yoga was first passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. It wasn?t until about 2000 years ago when an Indian named Patanjali wrote ?The Yoga Sutra? that the philosophy of yoga was committed to paper. Yoga is not just about stretching and breathing and holding poses. Yoga is a philosophy on how to live life and deal with the challenges that human beings face daily. The Yoga Sutra defined this philosophy in 195 statements.
Sutra can be defined as ?thread? or ?aphorism?, which means ?a short declaration of truth?. It also means ?the concentration of a large quantity of information into a simple definition?. It is a way of looking at truths that apply to everyone despite culture in the clearest way possible.
Hatha yoga, or the yoga that you do when you take a yoga class or perform yogic poses, was begun as a physical form of meditation. The physical act of yoga calms your body and allows your mind to become calm. It also gives you the physical strength to sustain long periods of meditation.
When you perform the physical practice of yoga, you are only engaging in half of the discipline as it has been practiced for thousands of years. Yoga is an incredible form of exercise and calming for the body, but it can also be used as a spiritual practice and a way to calm the mind and will as well.
About the author: Stephen Kreutzer is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides yoga tips on More-About-Yoga.com
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