The benefits of yoga are extensive and touch every aspect of our being.
Yoga offers something for everyone:
• general health and well-being maintenance
• stress management
• improved health and vitality
• management of chronic diseases
• pain management
• therapy for body and mind
• spiritual development and awakening
Yoga has been scientifically proven to have a positive effect on the following:
• Anger management
• Anxiety
• Attention span
• Balance
• Cardiovascular health
• Concentration
• Depression
• Digestive function
• Flexibility
• Hormonal balance
• Immune function
• Metabolism
• Respiratory function
• Self-acceptance
• Sleeping patterns
• Strength
Hatha Yoga is what most people think of when they hear the word "yoga". Hatha yoga is the practice of asana, or physical postures, and it is used to balance and purify the body and mind in preparation for more advanced practices.
In addition to the asanas that many people are familiar with, Hatha Yoga also includes shatkarmas, or cleansing practices.
The practices of mudras and bandhas are also a part of Hatha Yoga. Mudras are a combination of subtle physical movements or positions done with the hands, head or whole body. They alter the mood, perception and deepen awareness and concentration. The aim is to link the neo-cortex with the limbic and instinctual structures of the brain, bringing the practitioner out of unconscious habitual patterns and emotional reactions and into more conscious control.
Bandhas were originally understood as types of mudras, and they are often used in conjunction with mudra as well as pranayama. Bandha means to "hold", "tighten" or "lock" in Sanskrit, which is an apt literal description of how to perform a bandha. The intention of bandha is to hold prana (energy) in a specific area in order to then redirect the movement of prana for spiritual awakening.
Ashtanga is a Sanskrit term that means "having eight limbs or components." The term comes from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and refers to his eight-fold path of yoga. In his writings, the yogic sage outlined eight limbs of yoga -- eight steps on the path of internal purification that lead to discovery of the Universal of Supreme Self.
These eight stages are:
• Yama (universal morality)
• Niyama (self-study and discipline)
• Asana (posture)
• Pranayama (breath control)
• Pratyahara (control of the senses)
• Dharana (concentration)
• Dhyana (meditation)
• Samadhi (union with the Divine)
The term is also used to describe Ashtanga yoga. Ashtanga yoga was not specifically mentioned by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras, but it later came to describe the eight limbs, or components, of yoga contained within his text. Ashtanga yoga itself was developed by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and T. Krishnamacharya in the 20th century. It originated from a system of Hatha yoga as described in an ancient text called the "Yoga Korunta."
"The Sanskrit word Vinyasa comes from a prefix vi, which means variation, and a suffix, nyasa, which means 'within prescribed parameters.'" Srivatsa Ramaswami, student of Krishnamacharya for more than thirty years.
He goes on to refer to classical yoga, from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, for the specific parameters:
• Steadiness (Sthira)
• Comfort (Sukha)
• Smooth and Long Breathing (Prayatna Sithila)
The term Vinyasa is derived from nyasa, meaning "to place," and vi, meaning "in a special way." This indicates that we are not "throwing our bodies around" but are bringing consciousness to each movement in each moment.
Shiva Rea adds, "Vinyasa in its original meaning from the early Tantras is understood as the 'sequence of consciousness,' or how life unfolds from…the creative pulse of life."
Vinyasa can be defined as our external movements that are an expression of how we think and feel.
Yoga is a discipline to improve or develop one's inherent power in a balanced manner. It offers the means to attain complete self-realization. The literal meaning of the Sanskrit word Yoga is 'Yoke'. Yoga can therefore be defined as a means of uniting the individual spirit with the universal spirit of God. According to Maharishi Patanjali, Yoga is the suppression of modifications of the mind.
Ayurveda which means "knowledge of life," is the ancient art and science of keeping the body and mind balanced and healthy.
"It unites sound, body, and mind in a deeply philosophical experience."
While reciting a mantra before or after you step on the mat can enhance your practice, you don't have to be in yoga mode to chant. Mantras are a yoga tool you can use to calm your mind anywhere, anytime.
Meditation is a practice where an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. Scholars have found meditation difficult to define, as practices vary both between traditions and within them.
Some of the earliest written records of meditation (Dhyana), come from the Hindu traditions of Vedantism. Meditation has been practiced since antiquity in numerous religious traditions and beliefs, often as part of the path towards enlightenment and self-realization. Since the 19th century, it has spread from its origins to other cultures where it is commonly practiced in private and business life.
Meditation may be used with the aim of reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, and increasing peace, perception,[7] self-concept, and well-being. Meditation is under research to define its possible health (psychological, neurological, and cardiovascular) and other effects.
Taking time out to go on a yoga retreat is such a special and beautiful gift that you can give yourself. It's an opportunity to reconnect to yourself, to deepen your yoga practice, to connect with like-minded people and to nourish, restore and reset the body, soul and mind.
"Karma is literally translated as action, which everyone in this world performs, whether consciously or unconsciously. When the word yoga is added to the word karma, then it means that any action performed with a meditative awareness becomes karma yoga."
– Swami Niranjanananda
Karma Yoga is the yoga of dynamic meditation. Through Karma Yoga, qualities such as being present with the action, witnessing the inevitable thoughts, and remaining unattached to the results of the action can be perfected. Karma Yoga is performing each task with meditative awareness. In this existence, we cannot live without acting, as thought, speech, movement are all part of action.
Therefore, here at Mukteswar, we see all our activities as an opportunity for reflection and growth. All guests are invited to join Mukteswar Residents in contributing to the Retreat through the practice of Karma Yoga. We invite you to bring a new quality to your everyday actions through seeing "work" in a new light. The attitude developed during the practice of karma yoga can be brought back to your life thereby transforming daily living into conscious living.
"Bhakti is an inherent part of every individual. Bhakti, devotion, faith, or the ability to surrender, is the result of being open in mind and in spirit."
– Swami Niranjanananda (Yoga Darshan)
Bhakti Yoga is a systematic means of channeling the emotions to assist in spiritual awakening. On a practical level it can give individuals the tools to transform troublesome emotions such as fear and anger and to focus this energy on a higher purpose. Bhakti means "devotion" in Sanskrit.
The practice of Bhakti Yoga from a spiritual perspective is focusing on serving the Divine, allowing the spirit of service and love to purify and transform us, resulting in noticeable changes in every corner of our being – from our innermost thoughts to our external interactions with others.
How, where and with whom we practice Bhakti Yoga will vary from individual to individual. It can be practiced in any service or relationship; it is about the attitude that we cultivate through practicing selflessness and compassion, not the context. Bhakti Yoga is practiced through Mukteswar chakra, as Mukteswar is where we purify our emotions. When Mukteswar chakra is purified we embody selfless love, compassion and devotion.
"Everything that is manifest vibrates, and if it vibrates then it is bound to have sound, even if the human ear does not hear it. Sound is the root from where vibrations emerge. In the experience of stillness lies the beginning of sound."
– Swami Muktidharma
The world is composed of vibration. In a forest, the natural vibrations induce relaxation. In a city environment, the noises have a different effect. Thus, by chanting positive vibrations, or mantras, there is a positive affect on the body and mind.
The word mantra has two roots: "man" from the word for "mind" and "tra" meaning "tool" or "to release". So the idea behind mantra is a tool to release the mind. Mantras are combinations of syllables or words that are chanted to stimulate and awaken the faculties of different chakras. They have a purifying effect, clearing the body-mind of negative impressions and tendencies. The meaning of the words in a mantra is not important; the impact of a mantra lies in the effect each particular sound vibration has on the body. The most common short mantra is Om. It is possible to demonstrate scientifically the benefits of chanting Om for the human mind.
If we connect the electrodes of an ECG machine to the scalp of a yogi who is chanting Om for some time, we can see how the sound vibrations create alpha waves, which are the brain waves of deep relaxation. This type of deep relaxation has a tremendous effect on our health and well-being. Other sounds and practices of yogic meditation techniques also have the capacity to create alpha waves.
Raja Yoga stems from the ancient text Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. The eight stages of yoga that Patanjali describes are together called Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga is well known for its ethical guidelines of yamas (self-restraints) and niyamas (observances).
The yamas are: ahimsa (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (non-stealing), bramacharya (moderation) and aparagraha (nonpossessiveness).
The niyamas are: saucha (purity), Santosh (contentment), tapas (austerity), swadhyaya (study) and ishvar pranidhana (surrender).
These form the basis for remaining six stages of Raja Yoga: asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, Dyana, and meditation. The ultimate aim is Samadhi – merging with universal consciousness. It should be noted that these practices as taught in Raja Yoga are quite advanced, it is not for beginners or intermediate practitioners, but for persons who have already purified themselves to a great degree through Hatha, Karma and Bhakti yogas and awareness meditation techniques.
For an explanation of Raja Yoga and commentary on the Yoga Sutras, see Four Chapters on Freedom by Swami Satyananda.