Welcome to Part 2 of the 3 part series discussing the eight kinds of yoga. This week, I will focus on Raja Yoga, Vedanta Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Mantra Yoga.
By practicing the eight kinds of yoga daily, you will richly benefit your life, unifying your mind, body and soul.
The third part of this article will be shared next week. Have a lovely week, and enjoy reading part two!
Raja Yoga is principally concerned with the development and liberation of the mind using meditation. This kind of yoga requires tremendous discipline to stabilize and clear the mind. Any attachment to a thought, feeling, perception, or memory while meditating, clutters and distracts the mind. Some of you may already use your own forms of meditation. However, for those of you who do not, or struggle to, my next article will focus on meditation. In the mean time, try this very basic style for at least 20 minutes. Sit in a comfortable position, relax or close your eyelids, and repeat the word detachment in your mind when any thought arises. Your goal is to be aware of thoughts or emotions in your mind without attaching to them. In other words, you are not given any particular thought more time or energy to develop. Rather, you are simply allowing the thought to pass through. At first, you might find it challenging to concentrate as your mind may be swamped with ideas, emotions, questions, memories, and concerns. However, the time between each thought passing through will gradually increase. Eventually, your mind will be clear for the entire 20 minutes. As you tame and clear your mind, you will find it easier to resist the addictions, obsessions and temptations you had sworn yourself off in your resolutions.
Vedanta Yoga provides a means of self enquiry and exploration of ones true Self or Atman. The philosophy of Vedanta simply states, once you have realised your Atman, you have found God because your Atman is God. The same God that is at your core, is at the centre of others as well. Vedanta Yoga therefore recognises whatever we do to others, we do to ourselves because there is really only one Self in all. Coincidentally, in the bible, Jesus says 'Do to others as you would like done onto you'. This philosophy immediately equals out the population. No one is put on a pedistal or dropped to the ground. Approval is not sought or given. Rather every individual is on an even par. To achieve this state of realisation, you have to relinquish any fears or desires of your ego which otherwise provides a false identify of yourself. Through Vedanta Yoga, you may realise past attributes and activities no longer serve you as they were not aligned with your true self.
Bhakti Yoga concentrates on seeking unconditional happiness and showing eternal love and compassion for your inner God. Traditional methods of Bhakti Yoga include chanting, mantras, worship, singing and storytelling. When a yogi practices Bhakti Yoga, he loves everyone and becomes satisfied forever as he or she is no longer attached to external pleasures. The path of non-attachment to a yogi’s possessions, feelings and emotions is not an easy task. A yogi has to learn to allow the external world to carry on around with him, resisting the temptation to reattach to the worldly bonds. At first it can be difficult. However, once the yogi learns and feels the internal love, he or she will no longer meditate on anything but this love and be eternally satisfied. Loving oneself means you are proud of who you are – your beliefs, personality traits, values and abilities. When you love yourself, you do not have to lie to yourself and pretend to be someone you are not. Set yourself the challenge this week to behave in a way which makes you 100% happy, honest and carefree.
Mantra Yoga, as the name suggests, makes use of mantras to attain a peace of mind and increase the concentration power. The mantra may be only one word or a short phrase, chanted by the individual in a thoughtful and intense way, in order to attain certain goals. This kind of yoga helps to remove a number of disorders, including emotional ailments and the problems of anxiety, stress and tension. It enhances the person’s self-confidence and has a positive impact on the psychology of an individual. Bring about a change of consciousness within yourself and chant for 10 minutes each morning. There are thousands of mantra’s in existence for you to choose from. However, you can make up your own as well. Start by chanting out loud until you feel a pleasant sense of calmness. Then start whispering your mantra, until eventually you are repeating it only in your mind. Finally, only repeat your mantra in your mind when another thought or distraction comes into your mind. Through doing this, you will balance and harmonise your body and mind into a tranquil state of being. It helps a person get rid of old thoughts and feelings, old fears and guilts.
I wish you a beautiful 2010 - filled with love, happiness and friendships.
