Yoga, meaning ‘union’ in Sanskrit, is a family of ancient spiritual practices, and also a school of spiritual thought that originated in India, where it remains a vibrant living tradition and is seen as a means to enlightenment. Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Raja Yoga are considered the four main yogas, but there are many other types. In other parts of the world where yoga is popular, notably the West, Yoga has become associated with the asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga, which are popularly considered there as fitness exercises and also form the basis of an expanding business.
Yoga as a means to enlightenment is central to Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and has influenced other religious and spiritual practices throughout the world. Ancient Hindu texts establishing the basis for yoga include the Upanishads, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and many others, which specify the criteria of having successfully mastered a particular yoga technique.
Below is a list of articles with the most recent ones listed first.
The purpose of any true spiritual path is to raise our consciousness to the point of allowing us to directly perceive the spiritual dimension. Being spiritual means to recognize one’s spiritual identity and practically see the transcendental essence of all others.
The term pratyahara is composed of two Sanskrit words, prati and ahara. Ahara means "food," or "anything we take into ourselves from the outside." Prati is a preposition meaning "against" or "away." Pratyahara means literally "control of ahara," or "gaining mastery over external influences." It is c...
Channeling of one's mind and thoughts is one of the most important benefits of Pranayam.
We know that thoughts are never steady and they travel faster than light. Pranayam is an easy method to control one's mind. Daily practice of pranayam awakens one's kundalini as well as chakras, and the pract...
Yoga and Buddhism are sister traditions which evolved in the same spiritual culture of ancient India. They use many of the same terms and follow many of the same principles and practices. For this reason it is not surprising that many of us born in the West, particularly after an initial exposure, a...
One could say that the essence of our humanity is that we are ‘sentient’ beings, conscious entities possessed of feelings and capable of suffering. We cannot accept that human beings are enslaved, experimented on, used for food, killed or tortured or any other such demeaning actions that we might al...
Yoga is a comprehensive set of spiritual practices designed to enable us to realize the greater universe of consciousness that is our true nature. The term Yoga means to unite, coordinate, harmonize, work, or transform. It refers to the linking all aspects of our being, from the physical body to our...
Any student of classical Yoga is well aware of the importance of the three gunas in yogic thought and practice. Few, however, are aware of their Vedic background and the deeper understanding that a Vedic perspective brings to them.
Perhaps nothing is more exotic, dramatic and sensational in India’s Yoga traditions than is the practice of Tantra. No other approach to Yoga has gained such a fascination for the modern mind and its seeking of the bizarre, the entertaining and the enigmatic.
Both Yoga and Ayurveda are all about working with the forces of nature, which are not just as material energies but powers of consciousness. This work with nature occurs at both internal and external levels. Internally, we need to balance the forces of our own nature as body, mind, breath and spirit...
I first discovered the Goddess as the muse that arose as part of my youthful poetic inspirations before I had even heard of the path of Yoga or studied any eastern spiritual traditions. The muse is the intimation of beauty and mystery who guides us along our path beyond the world of necessity to the...
The sexual symbolism of Tantra, like the subject of sexuality in general, has always engaged the human mind. The modern mind seems to be obsessed with it as well. Many people into Tantra, as well as most of the scholars who write on it, seem unable to move beyond the physical suggestions of these sy...
The main aspect of Yoga practice that actively considers the use of marmas is the practice of Pratyahara, which is the fifth branch of Yoga. Pratyahara mediates between the outer factors of Yoga, which include Asana and Pranayama, and the inner factors of Yoga, which mainly consist of meditation. Pr...
According to the philosophy of Yoga, the physical body is a manifestation of consciousness. It is a crystallization of karmic (behavioral) patterns created by the mind. The key to working with the body, therefore, is to understand the consciousness behind it, much of which lies outside our ordinary ...
Published: Tuesday 10 October, 2006
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On Krishnasthami 2007 we are launching world wide our first Windows desktop software production which is called Agnihotra for Windows. This is a simple software tool that makes it easier for everyone, everywhere to do Agnihotra. It gives you accurate timesheets for any location in the world, teaches you Agnihotra and reminds you at the appropriate time. Visit the home page at http://software.vedicsociety.org/agnihotra/
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We are presently scripting our forthcoming first movie production which will be shot in Pakistan, India and Nepal. The movie is the story of India's ancient system of healing and the great living exponents of this tradition. Shooting will begin in early 2008.
