Basics of Yog

 

Yog has been classified and defined with different names such as: Karma Yog, Bhakti Yog, Gyan Yog, Hath Yog and Raj Yog etc., most of the people believe that a yog seeker should practice any one of the above. However, this is a wrong notion. Actually they all are integral parts of individual personality and these have to go together on the path of Yog sadhna. Maharishi Patanjali introduced Raja Yog* (link to Raj Yog) and blessed humanity with systemized volume on this great science as Yog sutra. (link to GURU patanjali) . It codified the first definitive, unified and comprehensive system of Yog.

 

Yog has been derived from the Sanskrit word Yuj that means ‘To Join’ and in hindi language the word ‘Yog’ means ‘Total’. Hence when the word itself means total then there is no use dividing it but still as Yog is one of the most ancient sciences hence from time to time many changes have been made due to which different schools of Yog evolved. The Sanskrit word ‘Yuj’ means ‘to join’ and this is the final aim of Yog… ‘to join’ to join the personal soul to the universal and whatever school we choose the destination is same just like the different rivers flow through different paths, enjoy different journeys, different areas and finally blend into the same destination… the ocean. Similarly whatever school a yog sadhak chooses but finally the destination is same. Five authentic schools of yog are:

 

Raj Yog

It is an eight fold yog prescribed by Maharishi Patanjali, to introduce and educate the yog seeker with behavioral, social, intellectual, mental, physical, philosophical and spiritual aspects of yog. These eight folds are:

YAAM - Self restrains

Five Yaam are mentioned in Yog Darshan. These five self restrains are :

• Ahinsa Non violence (there are 6 kind of violence- Kaya, vacha. Manah, krit, karit, anumodit)

• Satya truthfulness

• Asteya non stealing

• Brahmcharya celebacy

• Aparigrah non storing

 

NIYAAM -
Self observances.

Five Niyaam are mentioned in Yog Darshan. These five self observances are:

• Shauch Purity (internal, external, physical, mental, psychological)

• Santosh Contentment

• Tapah Resistance

• Swadhyaay Self study

• Ishvarpranidhaan Leaving everything to the will of God

 

ASANA - Control over body:

 

PRANAYAAM- Control over breath:

 

PRATYAHAAR - Control over senses:

 

DHARANA- Concentration:

DHYAAN - Meditation: 

SAMADHI - Identification with pure consciousness:

 

Hath Yog

Hath yog is six fold path of yogic discipline with noted masters such as Gheranda Rishi, Guru Gorakshnath, matsyendra nath and Swatmaram etc. It is more or less closer to Raj Yog as it is assumed that in contemporary society of ancient times Yaam and Niyaam were deep rooted and necessity of their separate mention was perhaps not realized. There is a misconception and exaggeration regarding Hath Yog that it is all about performing tough postures with excessive outlook and is even mistaken as HOT YOGA putting the yog seekers to tough exercises in rooms under high temperature but opposite to this Hath Yog is based on science of swaras, the energy flow in left and right nostrils of an individual named as ida and pingala or surya and Chandra naadi i.e. the sun and the moon.

 

Gyaan Yog

The basis of gyaan yog is to lead the yog seeker to salvation through intellectual power to realize the self and liberate from the bondages of ignorance where ultimate truth alone survives.

 

Karm Yog

Karm Yog is the path suggested by Lord Krishn establishing the importance of Karm and seeking bliss through devotion to Karm without indulging in the aspirations of expectations. It removes the myths that yog leads an individual away from worldly duties on the contrary it equips him with perfect wisdom and skill to go deep in karm and still staying aloof being detached with the fruits. This lesson of karm Yog was given in the battle field of famous Mahabharat where great warrior Arjun had withdrawn from his duty in the battle field under deep stress and depression.

 

Bhakti Yog

Though appears as different school of thought Bhakti Yog also has the same goal to achieve and that is meeting and merging into divine but the doors of bhakti Yog are open even for those who are not intellectuals as even Gyan Yog also lead us to merge into divinity through realization by intellectual methods of bhakt or a devotee like Meera, Raidas, Nanak and even illiterate Kabir could attain this consciousness through Bhakti Yog. On records there is no individual to be mentioned as founder of the path of Bhakti Yog but the examples of series of Bhaktas turned into realized souls declair Bhakti or devotion as a sacred path to realization of the ultimate goal of Yog.

 

 

 

Mind & Meditation

Business management, personal management, social management, financial management and so on… all are fake without mind management. mind management is the essence of life management. According to Maherishi Patanjali "Yogashchitta vritti nirodhah" i.e. Yog is all about controlling the mental modifications. mind management provides a sight to the practitioner regarding how to interpret the circumstances to life and how to go far beyond the worries, anxieties, tensions, stress, painful past, insecure future, failed relationships, mental unease, dissatisfaction, financial crisis and so on.

"If we care for our mind, if we nurture it and if we cultivate it just like a fertile rich garden, it'll blossom far beyond our expectation. But if we let the weeds take root, lasting peace of mind and deep inner harmony will always elude us" said by an Indian master.Mind is the atma shakti, the inner power. The thoughts, sentiments, moods & emotions produce their strong impression on face, the outer world reflects the state of the inner world. It's a wonderful servant but the worst master but unfortunately 90% of human beings are slaves of their minds. Even the perfectly noticed thinkers use only 25% of their mental abilities. Mind should not be the master but one should be master of his mind, one who has mastered his mind can easily master the world and the only way to mater the mind is through meditation, the seventh stage of the eight fold path of yog.Mind control is the one and only way to live a more purposeful and rewarding life, to love his own self, to feel alive, to have wisdom as it's the most potent force and above all to be 'the best' in all spheres of life. We definitely need to open the windows of our mind but not so much that all dust particles enter in fact only this much that fresh air should enter and provide oxygen to it. Meditation is the only way to avoid the dust let the fresh air enters i.e only the very best information enters.

"I've visited almost the entire world for my dance performances and yog discourses but the most beautiful place I've ever been is My Inner World where I cant reach through any conveyance but only through meditation" says Yogacharyaa Pratishtha

 

 

Types of Meditation

 

Story Meditation (School Dhyanam)

Story meditation is the easiest meditation technique recommended for those who have never done meditation before and in fact who have done meditation before as well they too enjoy doing story meditation. As there are 70,000 thoughts running in an individual mind out of which 95% are all same each day, this meditation replaces those 95% of same thoughts with some new and creative thoughts… Its all about going out of the body and enjoying the world of joy, world of bliss, world of aanand.

 

To get the Story Meditation CD, please click here

 

Sun Meditation (Surya Dhyanam)
Sun meditation or the surya dhyanam is to be done after Surya Namaskar, Sun salutation. Sun meditation provides energy, glow, charge, activeness, attraction and the self control as well the self mastery to the practitioner.
 

To get the Sun Meditation CD, please click here

 

Moon Meditation (Chandra Dhyanam)
Moon Meditation or the Chandra Dhyanam is to be done in the evening after returning back from the work or just before going to bed. After a hectic day, busy schedule and tiring hours Chandra Meditation works as the relieving tool.
Chandra Meditation provides calmness, serenity, relaxation, rejuvenation, beauty, glow and peace to the practitioner.
 

To get the Moon Meditation CD, please click here

 

Number Meditation (Sankhya Dhyanam)
You must have experienced in the morning sometimes even after the sleep of eight hours you don't feel fresh this is because your body is relaxed while sleeping but mind is not, it goes on thinking. Number Meditation or the Sankhya dhyanam deal with numbers. Its all about getting involved with numbers and finally going beyond them as well as beyond the thoughts. Number meditation takes the practitioner to the state of no thought which in turn provides the real relaxation to the mind and brain.
 

To get the Number Meditation CD, please click here

 

Power Meditation (Urja Dhyanam)
According to Maharishi Patanjali, one can charge different parts of the body and can heal others through his charged touch. Power Meditation activates the energies of the palms of the practitioner.Thousands of years back Maharishi Patanjali gave this technique of Urja Dhyanam to activate the energies of the palms and medicate others through the activated palms… which in today's context is called reiki.
 

To get the Power Meditation CD, please click here

 

Introspection Meditation (Atma Darshan Dhyanam)
We generally very easily judge others, very easily we are able to find the goods and bads in different souls but we never look inside our own self. Yogacharyaa Pratishtha says "I've visited almost the entire world for my yog camps and you know which is the most beautiful place?... My inner world"

Introspection meditation is all about knowing, judging and improving one's own self. Introspection meditation helps the practitioner to find the cause of his / her sorrow and the remedy as well. This meditation provide a better view even towards the worst incidents, better understanding of life, perfection in all aspects and above all make the practitioner work perfectly in all spheres of life and transform him into a wonderful and loving human being.
 

To get the Introspection Meditation CD, please click here

 

Confidence Meditation (Atma Vishwas Dhyanam)
We generally very easily judge others, very easily we are able to find the goods and bads in different souls but we never look inside our own self. Yogacharyaa Pratishtha says "I've visited almost the entire world for my yog camps and you know which is the most beautiful place?... My inner world"This meditation is for those who have seen a lot of failure in their lives due to the lack of confidence along with the other weaknesses. Confidence meditation provides confidence to the practitioner which helps him to be the best in whatever he does. Confidence meditation is highly beneficial for school children who know the answer but due to the lack of confidence are not able to raise their hands, for the artists who are awesome in their art but loose their confidence at stage in front of so many audience, for office goers who really feel scared of their bosses and for all those who loose their confidence at any moment of their life.
 

To get the Confidence Meditation CD, please click here

 

Insight Meditation (Sukshama Dhyanam)
Insight meditation is not for the beginners, its for those who have mastered any one of the meditative pose in which they can sit and then meditate. Sukshma Dhyanam is a journey from concrete to abstract.
 

To get the Insight Meditation CD, please click here

 

Tratak Dhyanam
Tratak meditation can only be done when practitioner has practiced the tratak kriya. Tratak meditation provides power to the eyes of the practitioner through which he can dominate anyone and provides unbelievable concentration, confidence and memory.
 

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Mooladhara Chakra Dhyanam
All the chakra meditations are for the regular practitioners and not for the beginners. This meditation results in riddance from tensions, true happiness, beauty, perfect health, physical strength and magnetic persona of the practitioner.
 

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Swadhishthaan Chakra Dhyanam
Swadhisthaan Chakra Dhyanam is associated with the pleasure through tongue and genital organs i.e. food and drink and sexual interaction. This meditation helps in the rectification of the disorders of the excretion and reproduction organs of the practitioner.
 

To get the Swadhishthaan Chakra CD, please click here

 

Manipur Chakra Dhyanam
Manipur Chakra meditation speed up all the physiological processes, makes the mind sharp and alert, heart beat faster, respiration rate more rapid, remove sluggishness and depression or malfunctions of the digestive system such as diabetes and indigestion, helps in proper functioning of gastric glands, sdernal glands above the kidneys, pancreas, gall bladder and above all provides ambition, will and the ability to rule and provides self assertion, dynamism and dominance to the practitioner.
 

To get the Manipur Chakra CD, please click here

 

Anahat Chakra Dhyanam
Anahat Chakra meditation develops the unconditional love develops the feelings of universal brotherhood and tolerance, on the physical level cures the diseases related to heart and lungs, and circulatory and respiratory systems and is highly beneficial for the patients of anemia, hypertension, asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis and palpitations.
 

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Vishuddha Chakra Dhyanam
Vishuddha Chakra meditation provides the right understanding and discrimination where the dualities of life are accepted, allowing one to flow with life with joy and let things happen as they are. On physical level, it governs the local cords and then thyroid and parathyroid glands.
 

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Agya Chakra Dhyanam
With continuous practice of Agya Chakra meditation mind becomes steady and strong, wisdom, intuition, telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience and full control over praan are gained. Practitioner can even send and receive thought transmission through continuous practice of Aagya Chakra meditation.
 

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Kundalini Dhyanam
Kundalini meditation is to be done only when the practitioner is in regular practice of other meditations and yog sadhna. This meditation helps in the activation of kundalini and provides the benefits of all the charkas. This must be done under the expert guidance of the Guru.
 

To get the Kundalini Meditation CD, please click here