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Compiled by: Mr. Pravin K. Shah All
life either consciously or subconsciously is Yoga, meaning attempting to
realize its perfection. In itself yoga has very little to do with
a particular religion, but it has a great deal to do with individual
spirituality and its perfection. However
many misconceptions exist with regard to the purpose and meaning of
Yoga, such as: yoga is a part of the Hindu religion; yoga means sitting
in exasperating postures for hours at a time; meditation type yoga
brings peace and happiness; and Hatha yoga is an relaxing form of
exercise. Yoga
is defined as a systematic methodized effort to balance and direct
various levels of one's own energy, for self perfection or for a union
of the human individual with the universal transcendent Existence.
This does not refer only to the physical body, but the entire being,
including the intellectual and emotional processes. There
are four primary paths to yoga, with many offshoots that seem to focus
on certain specific areas of these four paths. They are: Bhakti-yoga
(Path of Devotion): The
path of devotion aims at the enjoyment of the supreme Love and Bliss.
It focuses on realization of Truth (true reality, true potential)
through means of devotion and surrender. Prayers, rituals, and
ceremonial processes are its basic approach. Chanting, singing,
and repeating God's name are also important practices. In the
initial stage of spiritual progress, a temple or similar place is needed
to practice Bhakti-yoga. Ultimately, Bhakti-yoga
develops humility within and dissolves ego or I-ness. This
is an excellent form of yoga for emotionally oriented people. Jnana-yoga
(Path of Knowledge): The
path of knowledge aims at the realization of the unique and supreme
SELF. Intellectually oriented people prefer this path because it
uses study, thinking, direct inquiry, and contemplation as its
practices. This path is typified by spiritual discrimination
between what is real (true reality) and what is unreal or illusion
(Maya) in the universe. The
path uses the intellect as a means to negate bondage to the material
world through inquiry and analysis. The mind itself is used to
examine its own nature. This is typified by inquiring of
oneself through meditation "Why am I here?" "What is real
and unreal?" and the biggest question of all "Who am I?"
This leads to the ultimate realization of truth. In the initial
stage one requires the guidance of a true teacher or scriptures to
practice Jnana-yoga. Karma-yoga
(Path of Action): The
path of action aims at the dedication of every human activity to the
supreme Will. It is the yoga of action and selfless service for
the benefit of humanity at large. This includes social work,
ecology, environmental protection, education, animal protection and the
like. It can be practiced anywhere at any time. Ultimately
the person dedicates all Works and Services as an offering to God,
without any expectation of results or personal gain. This
dissolves one's ego or I-ness. This is an excellent form of
yoga for action oriented people. Raja-yoga
(Path of Self Control and Meditation): Raja-yoga
aims at the liberation and perfection not only of the body, but also of
the mental being, the control of the emotional and sensational life, the
mastery of the whole apparatus of thought and consciousness. It
is the science of physical and mental control. It was pioneered by
a great sage, Shri Patanjali. It is also known as Astanga yoga, or
the yoga of eight steps. All eight steps are important and are to
be followed sequentially, leading to the ultimate realization of Truth
or God. Astang Yoga (eight steps of Raja-yoga): In the initial stage, a person should restraint from violence, untruthfulness, non-chastity, stealing, and material possessions. 2)
Niyama - observances In
the second stage, a person should develop virtues like cleanliness
(external and internal), contentment, austerity, religious study, and
self-surrender to God. The
first two stages are meant for moral purification, without these no
spiritual progress is possible. 3)
Asana - physical exercise In
the third stage, a person should do physical exercise (Hatha yoga) to
keep the body healthy and the spinal cord straight in preparation for
long periods of meditation (at least one hour). 4) Pranayama - rhythmic breathing In
the fourth stage, a person should practice regularly the control of
vital energy through certain breathing techniques. Rhythmic
breathing helps concentration of the mind. Sitting still (step 3) and rhythmic breathing (step 4) makes the mind
fit for looking inward. 5)
Pratyahara - detachment of mind In
the fifth stage, a person should practice detachment or divorcing of
mind from the five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound) which
provide pleasant or unpleasant feelings. This mental exercise
gradually slows down the rush of thoughts from within to the surface of
the mind. Now the mind has become ready for concentration on one
object or on one idea. 6)
Dharana - removal of thoughts In the sixth stage, a person should concentrate the mind either on one external object or one internal idea upon which to meditate. One finds that, in spite of the best of efforts, the mind does not remain glued to the chosen object. The object appears to hazy and there are breaks in concentration. One has to make repeated attempts during Dharana which ultimately lead to emptying all other thoughts. 7)
Dhyana - meditation The
thought removal process (Dharana) leads naturally to meditation (Dhyana)
in the seventh stage. Meditation is an unbroken flow of thought
towards an external object or an internal idea. 8)
Samadhi - super conscious state Through
intense practice, meditation turns into Samadhi. In Samadhi a
person is unconscious of everything about oneself. Even the object
of meditation melts away but the vision of the object occupies the
entire mind. The knowledge of the object becomes complete. This
represents the goal of existence and what all living beings are moving
towards. It transcends time, space, and causation; the three
elements present during ordinary, sensory experience and is, therefore,
beyond the mind's ability to comprehend. The
first five steps of the Raja-yoga are only for preparations of the mind
for yoga, which is concentration. The last three steps constitute
the application of concentration, which is known as Samyama. All
four types of yogas cover the entire spectrum of human personalities.
Raja-yoga concentrates on the subtle body, while the other three yogas
use some part of the mental being, will, heart or intellect, as a
starting point. The goal is to arrive at the liberating Truth,
Beatitude and Infinity which are the nature of the spiritual life.
Love, Knowledge, and Action are the three divine powers in human nature. The
path of knowledge (Jnana-yoga) is the primary path of liberation for
Jainism and Buddhism. However many components of Raja-yoga such as
Yama and Niyama are accepted in this path during the earlier stage of
the spiritual progress. Different sects of Hinduism cover all
different paths of yoga and their combinations. Christianity,
Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism follow the path of surrender or
devotion (Bhakti-yoga). In
this technological age of economic and scientific achievements, it is
quite remarkable to see that these yoga practices, which are thousands
of years old, are still the only paths to the realization of the
ultimate reality. A
person does not need to be searching for God to practice yoga. One
only needs to have a desire to free oneself from the bonds that restrict
oneself from being truly free. Once these bonds are broken, one
realizes the true human potential, the true reality, and the God within.
A person can attain the total freedom or realize God within using any of
the four paths. However at the final liberating state, all paths
merge, meaning the ultimate spiritual quality and characteristics of all
liberated persons (souls) are same. Mail
to : Ahimsa Foundation
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