[CamLy]

Hindu Yoga

Indian yoga codified from esoteric practices that are thousands of years old. It has developed several branches to accommodate different personality styles. The major yogas are Bhakti ( a devotional approach that opens the heart, it is best for those who are primarily emotionally-oriented ), Jnana ( an intellectual approach that leads to wisdom, it is best for those who are primarily mentally-oriented ), Karma ( an active, service-oriented approach, it is best for those who are more extroverted and who find meaning mostly through relationship ), and Raja ( a meditational approach, it is best for those who are primarily oriented to the practical aspects of a situation ).

Raja Yoga

For those who are capable, Raja Yoga employs the most powerful and direct techniques for spiritual advancement. In addition, it provides a clear outline of the stages of progress along the path. These teachings were first systematised in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali ( written around 300-500 AD ). The eight traditional stages are:

1. Yama ( social ethics of non-violence, truth, non-stealing, continence, and non-coveting )
2. Niyama ( personal ethics of purity, contentment, ardour, study, devotion )
3. Asana ( discipline of the body through posture to provide a sound base for taming the mind )
4. Pranayama ( discipline of the breath to refine the base developed through asana )
5. Pratyahara ( beginning mental concentration, holding to a single object for about 10-20 seconds ) This is the start of meditation, in proper. Achievement to this level brings mental control over the sense gates, so that one can withdraw from sense experience. This is useful because it allows one to further purify the mind and heart without the normal distractions of the mind and senses.
6. Dharana ( intermediate mental concentration, holding to a single object for 2-4 minutes )
7. Dhyana ( advanced mental concentration, holding to a single object for 30-40 minutes )
8. Samadhi ( very advanced mental concentration, holding to a single object for 6 hours or more ) The most advanced practitioners can remain in samadhi indefinitely.

The final practice of this meditational path is to connect the samadhi state with ordinary day-to-day consciousness so that a practitioner is in samadhi regardless of whether he or she is meditating in total isolation or performing daily chores in the normal bustle of people, places, and events. In this way, the accomplished meditator has quite literally passed beyond life's sufferings but yet remains in the world. A spiritual master of this stature experiences every moment as pleasant and peaceful regardless of what may be happening to her or his body and mind. For instance, such a person would be aware of the body's torment when suffering from some terrible disease, such as cancer, but naturally remain in a serene state anyway.

Indian Tantra

In response to the fierce asceticism that was the social norm for this yogic style of practice, other esoteric branches developed which looked to incorporate spirituality more into daily life. Notably, tantric principles were first developed and refined during this period of social recoil. They generally began to catch on during the early and middle part of the first millennium and, as with fashions, have waxed and waned in popularity ever since.

Indian tantric systems utilise the forces of nature--especially desire--in a way that accepts, redirects, and refines them. This is in contradistinction to most ascetic methods which apply denial as their chief lever for working with negative emotions such as lust, greed, and hatred. By appropriately channelling the raw power of, for instance, sexual desire, a spiritual practitioner can not only learn to manage troublesome mind-states, but also get a boost of confidence and energy as well.
And, as you might imagine, the misuse of such deep-seated human forces can lead to much havoc as well. Thus, Tantra has mostly lead a dual social life--being popularly accepted by the masses as a more palpable way to digest necessary spiritual disciplines, and also being cautiously respected and approached by more ardent and serious practitioners. With proper support, however, these principles can be tremendously helpful.

Hatha Yoga

As mentioned, Hatha Yoga is part of a system of yoga aimed at achieving total enlightenment. And traditionally, hatha yoga is used to cultivate the physical body in order to make it a healthy and fit vehicle for meditation and further energy work. Far removed from this vision, the average westerner today considers "yoga" to mean Hatha Yoga, and Hatha Yoga to simply mean physical fitness. Classically, "yogi" and "yogini" respectively referred to serious male and female practitioners. In contrast, today anyone--and everyone--who even tries a yoga class is called a yogi.

But, yoga can be much more than a way to physical vitality. The yogic tradition is so ancient and time-honoured, and has had so much positive spiritual energy invested in it over the millennia, that yoga can be better understood as a mighty spiritual river that encompasses and supports all that encounter it.

In fact, the key sutra from Patanjali goes: "yoga chitta vritti nirodhah". That is, yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind. This, the chief and end goal of yogic effort, equates with full enlightenment--the great river finally reaches its source, the even mightier and endless ocean.

So, yoga works not only with the physical body but also with increasingly more subtle energy bodies. Hence, because yoga really is a vast and steady river of light, it can, and does, support all those who will travel upon its waters, for however far a distance they would travel. So, even a short journey for some good health is quite acceptable. This special river, alluring in subtle ways, has a vibrancy that eventually draws back most who have come to its shores.

Example: Adding Tantra Yoga to a Hatha Yoga Practice

To illustrate the enormous potential that the yoga system can offer even a relative beginner on the spiritual journey, consider the following practice which, in suitable form, is accessible to anyone who would make the effort to try it. It is based upon the tools of Raja Yoga and Tantra Yoga which can be fiercely powerful enablers. The proper synergistic use and cultivation of these tools, via this practice, can fully stoke the flames of a passionate, longing devotion for the divine.
Since any decent spiritual practice will consider all levels of the human experience, the practice being presented does so too. These levels are highlighted in the following table and include: the body (physical), heart (emotional), mind (thinking), mindfulness ("right-brain" awareness), concentration ("left-brain" awareness) and psychology (personality, unconscious processes). The items on the right of the colon indicate some sample tools for working with their related level:

Components of Human Experience Addressed by the Practice

Body : hatha, pranayama Heart : morals, devotion Mind : meditation, pranayama Mindfulness : bare attention, reflection Concentration : mantra, visualisation Psychology: love, devotion, surrender, psychotherapy

An outline of the major parts of the actual routine follows. It is in terms of various Tibetan Vajrayana tantric practices which are applied during portions of the Ashtanga primary series. The items in parentheses indicate the general timing of the tantric practices in terms of the primary series. The list partitions the entire set of poses into functional units in which some particular tantric aspect is highlighted. However, each tantric aspect (for instance, refuge) includes most, or all, of the components listed in the preceding table (for instance, body, heart, mind, concentration):

Tantric Adaptation of Ashtanga Yoga

Motivation / Bodhicitta (before starting) Refuge ( sun salutations ) Mantra / Visualisation (standing) Guru Yoga (final standing) Visualisation / Self-generation Stage (sitting, hand balance, floor poses) Visualisation / Completion Stage ( inversions ) Completion Stage (padmasana [seated with legs crossed], pranayama) Emptiness / Mindfulness (corpse pose) Dedication of Merit (afterwards)

You will learn more about the Vajrayana parts of this practice, for instance the self-generation and completion stage practices, in the next web page of this series of Spiritual Teachings--it is on Tibetan Buddhism. The explanation of the practice's steps and components is fairly straightforward, so, if you prefer, you can simply keep reading through this page.