Tag Archives: yoga

Yoga: Paths to God

  By Irina Gajjar | February 14, 2022 - 12:54 pm | ,
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The word Yoga embraces a big idea. In Sanskrit, it means union and its import is broad. In English translation, Yoga is generally defined as a spiritual or ascetic discipline that uses techniques of body and breath control. The purpose of Yoga is liberation and the joining of the spirit to God. God is described by Merriam Webster as “the supreme spirit” or “the universal soul.”  In my book On Hinduism, I defined yoga as “A term that means a discipline used to refer to specific paths leading to enlightenment; also, one of the six Darshanas, or schools of philosophy.”

A Yogi is a person who practices Yoga. The Gita praises Yogis as follows:

The Yogi whose mind is concentrating on

God

does not shake.

He is steady

like a candle in a room where there is no wind.

The Yogi’s mind does not move away from

truth.

To become a Yogi

you have to practice being calm.

You have to practice not fidgeting

and concentrating on God.

And the Yogi who is perfectly calm

is pure and free of sin.

He is one with God

and perfectly happy.

(Gita 6:21,22,23,24,25,26,27)

 

Yoga is divided into various types. The Yogi described above is engaged in Raja Yoga, or Yoga of the mind. Other forms of Yoga which also promote balance that leads to enhanced consciousness include Hatha Yoga or Yoga of the body, Mantra Yoga or Yoga of chanting, and Vinyasa Yoga which coordinates breathing with movement.

Additionally, Yoga is the name of one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu Philosophy known as Darshanas (world views). These schools -Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Purva Mimasa, and Uttar Mimasa now known as Vedanta- are the foundation of Hindu thought. They all engage in analysis and interpretation of the Vedas, sacred Hindu texts. These schools consider the existence and nature of God or the Universal Soul and grapple with the issue of whether the Universal Soul is distinguishable from the human soul.

The Yoga Darshana was founded by the famous grammarian Patanjali. It is associated with meditation and it considers life’s goal to be liberation. Liberation consists of freedom from life’s cycle of birth and death through unification with God, the ultimate reality.

Swami Vivekananda, the founder of the Vedanta Society, introduced Hindu philosophy to the United States in 1893 when he presented his lecture “Sisters and Brothers of America” to the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago. Since then, Yoga and other Hindu beliefs and practices have become increasingly understood and incorporated into American and Western life.

See On Hinduism and The Gita, A New Translation of Hindu Sacred Scripture, by Irene N. Gajjar.

 

 

Sanchita Karma

  By Irina Gajjar | August 10, 2018 - 4:38 am |
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The accrual of karma can be likened to the accrual of profit and loss in the accounting f our lives.

Sanchita Karma is the sum total of the unresolved karma accumulated in past lives. This is the karma that we bring from our past existences into our present existence. It determines things like the qualities with which we are born and the families into which we are born as well as the time and place of our birth which establish astrological influences in our lives. Sanchita Karma continues to accrue in our current life since, once we have acted, our present actions become part of our past.

Sanchita Karma, or accumulated karma, is karma that we have not yet burned. Until it is exhausted, it continues to generate more karma and to cause ongoing birth and rebirth. Hindu teachers tell us that we can reduce the effect Sanchita Karma through various methods of self-purification.

We can follow one of the three paths to enlightening: performing good action (which means selfless action), seeking good knowledge (which means true knowledge), or worshipping God faithfully (which means sincere, consistent worship). Or we can attain a higher level of consciousness by practicing yoga and meditation or by faithfully performing sacrificial acts.

Read more from On Hinduism by Irina Gajjar at http://irinaspage.com/philosophy/on-hinduism/

Paths to God

  By Irina Gajjar | July 13, 2018 - 5:23 am | ,
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The Karmayogi does everything for God.

His mind is on God while he acts.

He wakes, sleeps, hears, touches,

smells, speaks, and breathes thinking of God.

He understands that he himself does nothing

But that God does everything through him.

God uses him to get things done.

The person who offers all he does to God

Is as untouched by sin as a lotus leaf by water.

The Karmayogi is pure.

(Gita 5:6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

 

 

Yoga is the path which people can follow to become one with God. It is the path of attaining perfection so that we can know God and then merge into Him. A variety of paths can take us perfection, but they all come together at the end. However, the twists and turns along the way have created many views within Hinduism.

Hindu schools of thought are organized into different systems that go back to Vedic times and continue to evolve and flourish today. The distinctions between them turn on slightly different perspectives of God’s nature and of what the best paths to the goal of self-realization may be. Self-realization means finding God within ourselves. It is enlightening or seeing God’s light and becoming freed from the cycle of birth and death. Enlightenment leads to becoming one with the absolute eternal spirit that transcends the universe.

Read more from On Hinduism, by Irina Gajjar at http://irinaspage.com/philosophy/on-hinduism/

Yoga Paths

  By Irina Gajjar | November 18, 2013 - 2:53 am |
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Yoga is an ancient discipline. It is far more than mind and body exercise. It is a way to perfect yourself. Yoga teaches us to achieve release from all unhappiness and thereby to obtain ultimate joy. The beauty of Yoga is that its practice helps us become calmer, happier and more balanced.

Yogis are persons who progress on one of the three main pathways to liberation. Hinduism calls them Bhakti Yoga, the path of actively loving worship, Jnana Yoga, the path of learning and Karma Yoga, the path of good action.

Yoga Poses

The following yoga poses should be done in a warm room, and it helps to have a place where you know you won’t be interrupted.  Focus on your breathing throughout each pose. It often helps to visualize breathing in the blue sky and breathing out the gray, helping rid your body of stress.

Points to remember:

  • Move slowly in and out of the yoga poses
  • Keep your breath smooth and even throughout the practice.
  • Never strain or force yourself beyond your current abilities.

Three-Part Breath

This simple breathing exercise brings your attention to the present moment, as well as calms your mind.

  1. Sit down in a comfortable position on the floor, in a chair, or on a bed, placing one hand on your belly and one hand on your rib cage.
  1. Close your eyes as you take deep breaths and focus on the movements of your body as you breath in and out.  Feel the lift of your belly and the expansion of your ribs on your inhalations. Notice the slight compression of your ribs and the drop of your belly as you exhale.
  2. Release your arms and focus your mind on your breath for 5-10 minutes, inhaling and exhaling fully.

Corpse Pose

Corpse Pose, also called, Savasana, is one of the most relaxing poses in yoga.

  1. Lie flat on your back with your feet hip-width apart and your arms slightly away from your sides, so air can circulate around your body.
  2. Roll your shoulders down and back as you lengthen your neck.
  3. Take a mental note of areas in your body that are holding tension as you take deep breaths and focus on relaxing your muscles.

Child’s Pose

Child’s pose is a kneeling pose that is done in many different types of classes to cool down and relax.

  1. Kneel on your mat with the tops of your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Sit back on your heels, and slowly lean forward resting your chest on your legs and your forehead on the floor.
  3. You can place your arms on the floor by your sides so your palms are facing up., or extend the arms overhead for an added upper back stretch.  If Child’s Pose is difficult for you, place a pillow on your thighs to support your upper body.

Standing Forward Bend

The standing forward bend uses the force of gravity to gently stretch your back, legs and shoulders.

  1. Stand with your feet together and your hands by your sides.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and distribute your weight evenly between your feet.
  3. Pull your abdominal muscles in as you bend forward at your hips and waist. Allow gravity to pull your upper body and arms toward the floor.
  4. Taking deep breaths, hold this position for 30 seconds to two minutes.
  5. Return to standing by bending your knees, and placing your hands above your knees to support your lower back as you stand up.

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